Cote d'Ivoire
Northern AfricaLevel of surfing
Beginner
Quality of surf
Average
Call code
225
Net code
ci
Area
322460
Coastline
515 km
Climate
Tropical along coast, semiarid in far north
Hazards
Extreme Heat, Difficult Access, War / Conflict, Coup / Civil Unrest
Best Months
March - September
Population
17654843
Currency
CFA Franc (XOF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006)
Time Zone
Greenwich Mean Time (UTC)
Special Requirements
Special Pass / Permits, Lengthy VISA Process, Non tourist Friendly
surfing
Christophe Dioux: Cocody Beach; 2007
Excellent southerly facing coastline this far north of the Antartic regions can be a mixed blessing. S-SW swell is the only energy that will reach this coastline and with all your surfing eggs in the one swell direction basket you need to wait a long time for the energy to travel the 11000 kilometres from down south. Hence it never gets huge on the Ivory Coast but whatever does get here is typically off superior shape and period.
Mar to September are the best, the same as it is for southern hemisphere spots that need the southerly swell to feed them. Morning offshores are the most common from March to May making this your best chance to catch some perfection on the point at Grand Drewin. Make sure you pop your anti malarial tabs between sessions in the rainy season which goes right through the rest of the swell season until September. A kiss from a female mosquito in these parts is one ladybug you really don’t want to catch.
what to pack
Rich Niewiroski Jr.: 62 mm ultra-violet, fluorescent, and polarizing lens filters. Camera used was a Canon 400D; April 9, 2007
Trainers, loose clothing - everything for the hot weather. Definitely take along some bug repellent spray, good sunscreen and sunglasses! As usual, bring all medical things u need with you and also toiletries. You won't regret a plenty of cold weather gear! Your camera and all the equipment you'd need for it, plus a good waterproof bag.
If you find a bank that allows you to withdraw money from your ATM card, you may need to pay a high transaction fee, so bring enough cash for the trip, just incase you can not find an ATM.
And take a good protection for your camera from the sand. You can also take some stuff to give away to locals (for example, pencils or some sport equipment for kids).