Windsurfing Magazine

luke
2010-08-26 15:46:13 | 1211 views | 4 Comments

I’ve been to Dahab, Egypt, about 20 times — and it has always delivered,” says pro freestyler Andre Paskowski. “I usually bring my 5.4, 5.0, 4.7, 4.2 and sometimes even my 4.0 — it’s a really windy spot.”

What? You didn’t know they windsurfed in Egypt? Well, listen up — this former Bedouin fishing village is quickly becoming a go-to vacation windsurfing spot for sailors all over the European continent. Ever since the first windsurfing center opened in Dahab, the town — much like Jericoacoara in Brazil — has been built around a windsurfing tourist industry.

Rigged-and-ready rental centers dot the expansive beach (11 centers total), and even though there can be hundreds of sailors on the water, crowding isn’t a problem — partly because there are so many bays and areas in which to sail, depending on your skill level, from full on bump-and-jump sailing to some of the flattest water a freestyler could hope for.

So is it beginner friendly? Absolutely — there’s even a spot called Baby Bay where light winds and no current make lessons a breeze. For advanced sailors, the speed strip inside the reef offers opportunity for GPS glory, and at Kamikaze, just outside the reef, waves stack up to well overhead on a consistent basis.

If you’re looking for no-wind fun, Dahab also offers world-class diving. What else do you need to know? Be ready for sun — lots of it — and bring some gloves. “You’ll be sailing so much, and the water is so warm, your hands can blister really easily,” says Paskowski. We don’t care — this sounds like a windsurfing promised land!

Where to stay: Swiss Inn Hotel
Where to eat: El Dorado for pizza; Funny Mummy for cheap local eats
Where to rent: Andre Paskowski recommends Planet Allsports, planetallsports.com
No-wind fun: Scuba and snorkeling