Kabik Beach

Kabic, on the coast east of Jacmel, is where Haitian surfing is centred: a beach of dark volcanic sand with a reef and beach break that works consistently enough to have produced a local surf community and a small school teaching children from the villages behind. The water is warm, the swell arrives from the Caribbean, and the beach itself is unpolished, with palms, fishing boats and a few guesthouses rather than any resort development.

The landscape

• The break - reef and beach waves that work through most of the year.
• The dark sand - volcanic beach quite unlike the pale sand of the north coast.
• The surf school - a local operation teaching children from the surrounding villages.
• The fishing boats - working pirogues pulled up at the eastern end.

When to go

November to March is the dry season and has the most consistent swell. Summer is flatter and hotter. Hurricane season from June to November brings the biggest waves and the worst conditions everywhere else.

Practical notes

There are no lifeguards and the reef is shallow in places, so the break is not a beginner's beach without instruction. Accommodation is a handful of small guesthouses and books out at weekends. The road from Jacmel is rough in sections.

Nearby

Jacmel is fifteen kilometres west, and Bassin Bleu is inland from there.