Vassiliki, Lefkada – Greece
It’s one of the best in the world. The vast, shallow water – there you will find a perfect conditions for the new surfers. Lefkady aktually isn’t a popular destination for holiday, but because of her amazing beauty, more and more tourists are discovering ithis place, looking for new, attractive destinations in Greece.
Lefkada is also a great place for active recreation. In addition to diving, sunbathing and water sports, you can paragliding. Landing field can be found in the western part of the island.
Dahab, Egypt
The city on the Sinai Peninsula. The ideal place to start learning windsurfing, but also to hone the skills. Warm weather and perfect water. You can easily find here numerous school of sailboard, shops and equipment rentals. Swimming for beginners takes place in a shallow water, so everyone has a chance to learn the basics of windsurfing. For more advanced we propose wave and freestyle in the open sea. Wind conditions are in Dahab fantastic – wind statistics say up to three hundred windy days in the year. The best conditions you will get during the summer.
Dahab offers a beautiful, mountainous landscape, excellent Arabic cuisine and numerous tourist attractions of the Sinai Peninsula. These include Mount Moses (better known as Mount Sinai), Monastery of St. Catherine Petra, Blue Hole, Coloured Canyon, White Canyon. You should also check out the attractions such as the Bedouin oasis, sand dunes and Waterpark in Sharm El Sheikh. In Dahab the temperature is slightly lower than in other regions of Egypt, so the heat is a little less annoying.
Surfing is one of the most popular water sports in the world. You only need to swim and buy a surfboard to start your surfing adventure. What is this sport about? The Surfer is standing on a board and floats on the shore. It sounds pretty straightforward, but in practice surfing is not that easy.
The history of surfing
This sport hails from the ancient Polynesian culture. Europeans encountered surfing in 1767 probably in Tahiti. The first traveler who described this phenomenon was Lieutenant James King.
Almost a hundred years later, in 1866, during his trip to Hawaii, Mark Twain wrote a note about a “surf-bathing.” However, in the 19th century, surfing began to be forgotten, which was related to the mass invasion of Europeans to the islands. They tried to impose their habits and surrendered to the surfing. It changed in the 20th century.
The work of Jack London and George Freeth’s swimming shows in California contributed to the increased interest in this sport. In 1908, was formed the first association to popularize surfing. One of the fathers of modern surfing is Duke Kahanamoku. Thomas Edward Blake also made great contributions to this sport, in 1920 he created a light and technologically advanced board.
New surfboards were more stable thanks to the use of fins, which are attached to the bottom. In the 1940 Woody Brown perfected the board, and after 1953 surfing started to be more popular in the United States. Surfing has become not only a sport but a way of life. At the end of the 1950, this sport came to the Europe, and Biarritz became the surfing capital of Europe. In the 1960, there was a dynamic development of surfing.
How to surf?
Surfing starts with paddling your hands toward the shore, hoping to catch the wave. When a wave carries a surfer, he stands on the board and goes on it. The most important thing is to be just before the water wave. For the beginners, a big challenge is to catch up with the wave itself. Respect for the surfers who can catch the wave in the middle.
Surfing skills are tested by their ability to control the board in harsh conditions. There are also various figures that require a lot of experience and courage. In order to achieve a high level of education, years of practice are necessary. In many places there are surf schools that offer courses at different levels.
The key of surfing is balancing, so part of the course is dedicated to this element. It is also important to prepare the surfer for potential hazards. Surfing, like all the water sports, involves the risk of drowning, so the student should swim at least on an intermediate level. There are other dangers waiting in the water on the surfer.
There may be a collision with another surfer or object in the water, which may result in the injurys. In some places in the world there is also a potential contact with dangerous animals, for example with the sharks.