Surf Archives - Windsurf Sardinia

Sardinia, land of sea, sun and wind: the perfect combination for surfing and windsurfing. Thanks to its geographical conformation that makes it constantly beaten by the sirocco and mistral winds, Sardinia promises excitement and fun to the lovers of these water sports, so as to be the favorite Italian tourist destination for surfers.

We begin our journey to discover the most beautiful spots on the north and north-western coast of the island.

Let’s start right from Alghero and the Riviera del Corallo (known to surfers for the Argentiera and Silver Rock beaches), where the 2012 SWK Surf event takes place from October 12th to 14th, the surf, windsurf and kite surf gathering. The event, for athletes and non-athletes, includes performances, sports activities, demonstrations for the little ones, eco-friendly initiatives and will have Alessandra Sensini as an exceptional godmother, just returned from the London Olympics. Among the beaches protagonists of the event there are the main spots of the north-western coast for surfing and windsurfing: the beach of Speranza, Porto Ferro, Maria Pia, Mugoni and Porto Conte. Another important international event for surfers is the Stintino Contest, which takes place in the spring and opens the water sports season. Exclusively dedicated to windsurfing and kitesurfing, the event includes long distance, freestyle, wave, ins & out, and sup, a new Hawaiian specialty.

We continue our journey on the north coast and enter the province of Olbia-Tempio, towards Isola Rossa and Baia della Marinedda, which since 2003 has hosted the Frozen Open, the spectacular evolution contest. Not very far from Isola Rossa and always in Costa Paradiso is Vignola, a small fraction of Aglientu which arose in the 1960s.

Porto Pollo surfing spot and windsurfing north of Sardinia

An almost mandatory stage for windsurfing, kite and sailing is Porto Pollo, located about 7 km from Palau in the isthmus of land that connects Sardinia to the island of Gabbiani. Porto Pollo is famous for its sustained winds able to offer strong emotions to the sportsmen, but at the same time its accommodations offer comfort and convenience for the vacation of the whole family.

In the next post Where to surf and windsurf in Sardinia (part II) we will visit the main spots of the south and west coast, especially the areas of Oristano and the green coast, particularly suitable for water sports such as surfing, windsurfing and kite.

Golden Rule for beginners: The bigger the better. Ok, so you have done a few lessons rented a board a few times and now your love for surfing has really grown. You are in the market for picking out a new board.

Which surf board suit me?

Our advice for beginners is always the bigger the better.

We are talking of a longboard around 8’ or longer, preferably “soft top”, for two reasons:

The soft top makes it a lot more buoyant for finding your balance and adjusting your pop ups;
Supplementing your paddling skills. Believe in the magic of the soft tops for making it easier to paddle fast enough to catch that curling wave.

If you have already rented a couple of times, you probably already know that you always have to always check out the board first for any dents or imperfections, because a smooth surface is a sweat ride.

If you are thinking: “A NEW BOARD! that man will cost way too much!”, you should also be aware that there is always the option of second hand boards and most local surf or skate shops have class oldies kicking round for prices much more in the surf and chill bracket.

The longer you surf for, the more confortable you’ll get with your board. People think that the higher your skill level goes up, the more you will edge towards a smaller short or Malibu board, but it really depends on what kind of wave your in the market for.

Our advice is that if you want to keep catching those smalls or even bigger waves, doing a bit of dancing on and chill fun on the board you should look at staying with your long, possibly just moving from soft top to resin ones.

If some strong curve, fast trick and one day some barrell action is in your expectations, a smaller sharper board is definitely more suited for you. There are 3 variable you need to keep always in mind when choosing the right board. Height / weight and own surfing ability. Once these bad boys are taken into consideration you just need to choose the best board for your personal taste. May it be bright purple or charcoal black.

PS: If you are going to be surfing on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to build yourself a quiver of different boards of all shapes and sizes, so that you can be out in the water everyday.