Oh how we wish this week would last forever. We’ve been surfing since Saturday evening, with waves carrying us right through to sunset on Thursday.
This one was forecasted in about two weeks before, and the regular checks kept getting better and better. “Oh, look one more day! Oh, wow, look at that period, man, the swell’s hanging on.” We giddied like teengagers waiting outside a bar, trying to sneak in.
I’m not one to trust the forecasts. Too many times ive been bitten, stood up by the swell. All hype – no glory. But this time, this time…
Saturday’s build-up
We refreshed Windy and Windfinder more than our own Instagram feeds, and we simply couldn’t believe it. Some lucky keen ones went to check out the swell on Friday evening, the pre-wash, if you like, and even that was kicking!
By the time we woke up on Saturday (slightly hungover after a brilliant Tacos and Margaritas night at Sky’s house), it was getting huge at Ghajn Tuffieha, clean and fun. Saturday felt like a movie, and that’s not just because of the sheer number of videographers and photographers on the shore. It was a picture-perfect day.
We’d been starved of good waves for a while, and to witness an entire community come together for the swell of the summer was glorious. Golden Bay also delivered some beauties, random pyramids of joy appearing out of the water being ridden well by surfers zig zagging across the faces.
Saturday, amazing, Sunday, brilliant, Monday even better with half the amount of surfers in the sea, Tuesday, fantastic, strong and hollow with 10 to 15 surfers paddling out, Wednesday proved to be a brilliant day for our awesome girls who showcased style and skill, and Thursday somehow gave us action too right until a glorious sunset. Wow, did you catch your breath yet?
Some surfers literally lived at the bay. Sunburns, dry tongues, reddened chests, with seaweed and sand in places you thought you didn’t have. True warriors showing true commitment. This swell even called the OGs back to the bay, with Ben Martinet and George Attard Ripping hard before Edwin Galea made an appearance late in the week too. What more could we ask for?
The sand bank remains stubborn at Ghajn Tuffieha, though, sitting awkwardly in the middle, and we had to dodge some keen tourists, or in some cases help pull them out of the notorious rip tide.
Tuesday was an epic session with barrels forming, allowing Sky to get some green time on his midlength, and we saw Georgina ride bombs, Flynn attemp roundhouses, Carlo charging and Valerio ripping. It was a day for the keen shortboarders, with a super current spitting you out on fast conveyor belt waves.
Surfline keeping an eye
So good was the week, Surfline Europe also picked up on the action. They featured Sky’s wave shot by Justin, and we caught up with Tom Vaughan, who scouts the Mediterranean for swells like this for Surfline.
“We always get excited seeing a swell that can light up parts of the Med, especially this time of the year!”
Tom highlights that the Med is a special area. “It feels like there’s so much potential and it seems like surfers here foth even harder than most” – look how well he knows us already!
Surfeline’s forecaster Jamie Bateman commenting “The Mistral went into overdrive on Monday, July 28th with strong NW/NNW wind pushing out across the Gulf of Lion and beyond, creating a large summer swell in the western Mediterranean”
He also pointed out the “20ft sees in the heart of the wind field.”
“Unruly surf for some but the swell energy fanned out into western regions of Italy and Northern Africa wth more favourable wind and better opportunity for cleaner surf.”
When there’s a wave there’s a will
Jamie dedicates his life to moments like this. Spotting those rare swells in areas of the world where people think surf is impossible. Our surfers here do just that. We hunt on the rough cold days when people cosy up in their livingrooms. We jump in eagerly pushing our limits. We’re ready for it.
This particular swell really captured the spirit of surfing in the Mediterranean, indeed our community at the heart of it all. We’re mad for going out in these conditions, mad for surf, mad for eachother and mad for moments like this.
