Surfing in Catalonia

Barcelona (ACN).- The Catalan coast isn’t just for swimmers and sailboats anymore. Nowadays, the Mediterranean beaches are filled with surfers. The surfing season in Catalonia begins on September 10^th and ends around May. Last year, there were 112 days with proper waves to surf, a figure that contradicts the idea of the Mediterranean being a quiet sea. Currently, there are approximately 7,000 Catalan surfers and this number is set to rise in the near future. New technologies, affordable equipment and an increase in surfing courses offered in Catalonia are the keys to the surfing boom.

The National Institute of Physical Education has been offering a surf course for the last three years, with great results. “We are overwhelmed by the success of our programme”, says Antonio Gras, a lecturer at the Institute.

This expansion in surfing has also resulted in a growing interest in meteorology. Antonio Gras organised a convention about meteorology applied to nautical sports and the result was an auditorium full of surfing enthusiasts. “People often say that here, in Catalonia, there are no waves and that no one would attend the conference. However, the demand was so high that we are planning a second edition”.

One of the favorite spots for Catalan surfers is Sitges, a small seaside town about forty kilometers south of Barcelona. Sitges is where Dave Walton, an American surfer from Florida, opened the Big Kahuna Surf Shop, an iconic store he opened ten years ago. “This growth in surfing is a natural move. In California, in 1958 there were 150,000 surfers. Today there are 25 million surfers worldwide. It is a very addictive sport”, says Walton.

A very important factor in surfing expansion is its affordable equipment. “A surfer only needs a surfboard and a neoprene. There are no passes, no hotels, anything. It is very easy”, adds Walton. Walton is also the organiser of the Longboard Big Kahuna Surf Contest, which usually takes place in September and is sponsored by Quiksilver and supported by the Sitges city hall.

However, not all institutions support surfing, and, if there is a red flag, surfers are often fined by the police when they run into the sea. To avoid these kind of problems, the Director of the Catalan Surfing School, Abel Marsal, is forging the creation of a Catalan Surfing Federation. “Public entities don’t support us at all.  It is very difficult for Catalan surfers to enroll in international contests because they have to pay everything for themselves. The Catalan Government doesn’t give us any subsidy and that is why Catalan surf can’t be represented abroad” explains Marsal.

However, with or without a federation, every time the weather allows it, Catalan surfers don’t hesitate to run into the sea. Some of the most popular surfing spots –all of them within thirty kilometers of Barcelona– are small towns such as Montgat, Premià de Mar or Vilassar de Mar.

In Barcelona there is also a popular surfing spot, the emblematic beach of Barceloneta. “Sometimes the beach is really overcrowded. When the weather allows it, we all stop whatever we are doing and just run here” says surfer Ricardo Picazo.

Another key to surfing success are the new technologies. The Internet allows us to check the weather forecasts and find out when, and where, the waves are going to be. Also, several surfers have developed a network of websites with live-cameras that allow surfers to check what is going on the coast.