The wave at Skeleton Bay is not an easy one for the Average Joe. Sure, it might look like it (or not, actually), but it sure is fun for the average surfer to mindsurf. It’s not just the wave, either — just the act of getting to it is a daunting task in and of itself. But Gearoid McDaid, Irish surfer and owner of perhaps the most Irish name ever, recently made the trip. McDaid isn’t an average surfer. He’s been called “the best surfer to ever come out of Ireland,” and a lot of great surfers have come out of Ireland.
As I said, Skeleton Bay isn’t easy. The drop itself is super hairy, the current is brutal, and the wave is stupidly heavy, but as with all things in surfing, the deliciousness of the juice is directly related to the difficultly of the squeeze. McDaid went there with one simple goal.
“My goal this trip to Namibia was to make a wave right from the top the whole way to the bottom,” he wrote. “I’ve always had good ones but maybe just 2/3 sections and then it dies or closes out.”
As you’ll see, he can safely say mission accomplished. “On my last day of this trip,” he continued, “I paddled out first wave and got the one I was looking for. Still so much more to get out here. This wave even had a lot of down time that let me wrap a few turns but can’t complain too much on seven barrels on one wave.”
