(haipo) – a travel story - Freedom, this is the way to clear the mind from the daily routine and focus on three things (only) - surfing, food and sleep. There is no better way to do it than to assimilate into a group of surfers and accompanied by producers who take care of all our needs. In June 2024, we, a group of surfers, went to the island of Rhodes, for a week of surfing, which includes escort and guidance by a large team of the Laguna company.
► Let's start from the water - watch - everyone surfs and surfs and surfs - poetry, lyrics and melody - Omer Goshen
Pre-trip briefing
Our journey begins a few weeks before departure, when a meeting of surfers takes place at the site of the Laguna company at Sea Palace Beach in Bat Yam. Amir Avinoam, the leader of the delegation, explains to the participants about the destination of the trip and the things that are important to prepare in advance for this trip. Among the highlights that come up in the briefing: the equipment bag, safe packaging for surfboards, the predicted wind strength at the site, rules for integration into the local site, equipment required for travel, safety rules for Israelis and more...
Surfing already on the day of the flight
On the day of the flight, Laguna staff members receive us at the terminal and assist in handling the surfboard bags that are sent as abnormal baggage. After that, take a short flight to Rhodes, where you quickly get organized with all the equipment at the exit of the small terminal of Rhodes and continue to the hotel located 10 minutes away from the field. The team takes care of ordering taxis in advance and handling the loading of the equipment onto the vehicles. After a quick check-in at the hotel, everyone quickly reaches the beach, and from there they enter the water for the afternoon session in a wind of 20-25 knots, already on the first day. amazing experience!
Daily routine on vacation
This vacation consists of some very basic elements: surfing, good food, cold beer and deep sleep in the air conditioner. In between there are talks about surfing and sunset photos.
The distance between the hotel and the spot we chose is 150 meters. Therefore there are no transfers and trips during the day. Just get out of the air conditioner and go spot, whenever it's convenient.
Breakfast at the hotel
Breakfast is served at Sabina Hotel from 7:30 to 10:00. Surfers get up late. There is no rush. Breakfast consists of in-depth conversations about surfing, while slowly chewing toast, a special omelette, cornflakes, fine olives and salad. The coffee is fine. There is no rush.
Surfers
After breakfast you can go surfing or take a nap in the air conditioner until the wind picks up. The wind in Rhodes usually starts at 9am at 13 knots with gusts of 16 knots. In the afternoon the wind gets very strong from 14:00 to 18:30. So there is nowhere to rush between breakfast and the sea. Some surfers wade in the hotel pool, some take a nap in the air conditioner and some run to the sea to catch the morning breeze.
Where do you surf in Rhodes?
Surfing in Rhodes is concentrated in the northwestern part of the island. There are several clubs here. Some of them are big clubs that are managed by Germans and some of them are small and less engineered clubs.
We went to the beach - Theologos Beach, where there is A small, family club, run by Gala and Nikos, who are a lovely local couple. They live in the nearby village and cultivate the small club as a livelihood.
The big clubs
In Rhodes there are also large surfing clubs, which operate with large masses of surfers. The big clubs are run by Germans. They are about 800 meters to the northeast (see map).
Map - Theologos Beach
Club services - SurfingBird - Theologos Beach - Rhodes
Kitesurfing requires operation of inflation, swinging kites, safe entry into the water, safe exit to the beach, general supervision of what is happening outside and in the water, and rescue with a boat, as needed.
The club is working
Gala and Nikos, the managers of the club, work from morning to night and do everything, simply everything, so that everything that happens on the beach works accurately and safely. Including the arrangement of the kites on the spot, assistance in spreading wires, hoisting and lowering. If someone gets scratched, then Gala immediately jumps in to help and pulls out hydrogen peroxide, plasters and antiseptics. The surfers go in and out of the water alternately and between surfs they sit in the shade, munching gyros ordered with a quick courier from the nearest restaurant, watching those surfing the water and sharing experiences about surfing, surfing and surfing.
Sunset at the club
In the evening, at 19:00, when everyone is already satisfied with a day of surfing, the club closes and all our equipment is waiting inside and ready for the next day.
Terms of service - SurfingBird surfing club
The club in Theologos charges a usage price of 110 euros per week. For this price you will get storage of the equipment, rescue with a boat if necessary, a comfortable corner to sit and synthetic grass to inflate the kites.
Surfers from students
In our delegation there were several surfers who arrived without prior knowledge. A young surfer who reached the towing stage (see video) finished 6 days of surfing while sharpening. Other surfers who arrived at the stage where they get on the surfboard and fall off, reached the fifth day when they were already surfing long and sharp lines. There were also teenagers in the delegation. Everyone is surfing and moving forward.
At Theologos Beach you can take the first steps in the world of kitesurfing - from the basic training in the trainer to independent surfing. The club also has a local guide and suitable equipment for beginners. Surfing conditions are excellent for beginners.
Beginners can walk a few hundred meters upwind, towards the southwest and fly the kites there. From there you can wind down about a kilometer, to the big clubs. There you can take down kites and return by car or on foot, on the path along the beach.
Hotel Sabina - Sabina next to Theologos beach
Rhodes is full of hotels. The island is prepared to receive hundreds of thousands of tourists during the summer period. The hotels are good. We stayed in a small hotel, named Sabina. The hotel is run by really nice people. The level of maintenance is high, the rooms are clean and the service is precise and courteous. The hotel's location 150 meters from the beach makes it attractive for those who come to surf at this club.
Surfing conditions in Rhodes
Rhodes is blessed with strong winds, which blow regularly throughout the summer. The winds start blowing as early as mid-April, but the strong season is June - July - August, since these are thermal winds, that is, winds that blow as a result of the warming of the ground.
The reason that the island of Rhodes is windward is a seasonal low pressure system that occurs in Turkey and is marked by an arrow. The Turkish area, which has a circular cape, turns the wind counterclockwise and introduces a strong and constant wind to the northwest cape of Rhodes.
The wind starts in the morning at a speed of about 13 knots. From 14:00 the wind strengthens to an average speed of 20 knots and gusts of 25 knots. The strong wind continues until 18:30 and then gradually fades.
The sea is choppy with wind waves of 40-50 cm and no swell. A bit reminiscent of the chop that exists in northern Israel in the depths of the sea.
A typical meteorological map for the island of Rhodes - for the day 24/6/24
The escort of the Laguna company
The Laguna company produces surfing trips. We participated in a trip intended for beginner surfers as well as experienced surfers looking for pampering and not particularly challenging sea conditions.
The surfers were closely accompanied by the team, which included 5 skilled guides.
The accompaniment included really close training for beginners, both in wingsurfing and kitesurfing, including training in walkie-talkies from time to time. In the water, the guides surf next to the guides, encouraging and giving tips aimed at advancing the guides in their level of surfing and also keeping them safe. The training also continues on the beach, in assembling the equipment and safely entering the water. The team of guides is managed by Amir Avinoam, an experienced and veteran surfer, who leads the expedition.
The food in Rhodes
The food in Rhodes is traditional Greek food and has significant ingredients from the sea.
In Rhodes there are fast food, restaurants and canteens that serve basic and delicious local food. The canteen is a type of small restaurant (locals don't call it Restaurant), located on the beach and has a clean and tidy kitchen. The canteen provides an excellent, tasty, clean and relatively cheap solution for surfers.
Theologos beach has a canteen, which operates until 19:00 and sometimes even later, depending on the rate of arrival of the diners. The canteen at Theologos Beach is managed by Vula, a charming woman who warmly welcomes the hungry surfers who come to dine between surfs. In the canteen you will find basic dishes of pork skewers (called souvlaki), excellent calamari, fries, hamburgers and Greek salad. They always have a cold beer with them.
