I'd been watching the surf forecast for more than a week. The terrible weather we've been having since last year was about to get much worse. I know, I know...broken record. But the current storm is the biggest one yet. Coming up the Adriatic out of the south, this storm was forecast to send a nice swell our way. Now this wasn't the first time that I'd seen a forecast for good surf, and none of the previous forecasts ever panned out. Still, now that I'm understanding the weather here a little better I was hopeful this swell would materialize.
So on Friday I took a chance and planned out a trip to one of the surf spots I've been keeping in mind for these conditions. I dusted off my shortboard which hasn't seen the water since Sardegna last summer, set a destination to Punta Sabbioni in the GPS, and headed out for a two hour drive in pouring rain to find some waves.
Punta Sabbioni is an inlet break near Venice that's supposed to pick up southeast swells and offers some protection from the onshore winds that blowout most spots in the Adriatic in winter. The drive there is long and boring passing through industrial areas and farmland. About thirty minutes from Punta Sabbioni, I finally saw some graffiti on an abandoned building that perked up my spirits a little bit making me think maybe the drive would be worth it after all?
Embracing the terrible weather once again, I was stoked as soon as I pulled into the parking lot at the first beach I could find in Punta Sabbioni despite the ongoing deluge of rain. Notice the empty parking lot...usually this is another thing to be stoked about when pulling up to a surf spot. But then, it immediately hit me: "crap, I'm going to be surfing in a strange spot, alone, in fog!" Didn't exactly give me a very warm fuzzy feeling. Oh well...I just drove two hours so I'm going to surf no matter what.
In an attempt to find another surfer, I drove to the main break in Punta Sabbioni hoping someone else would be out. No luck there either! But this spot was a little more inviting, maybe because it reminded me a lot of my old home break in NJ: Manasquan Inlet. There was a long rock jetty just like in Manasquan with several peaks breaking on the north side. The swell was a little bigger than forecast and the fog a little thicker making it a spooky proposition to paddle out alone. But again...I did just drive two hours. Plus I've never seen waves this good in the Adriatic before. So I just had to suck it up and get over the fear...I mean really...there aren't any sharks here or anything...right??
This next photo is one of those ones that I really like because it kind of sums up the experience. Empty parking lot at the end of a long sandy road that recently flooded, probably on the last high tide, hopefully not again until after I surf. I was pondering this along with how I would feel paddling out at this new spot in the fog as I put in my fins and waxed my board. Excitement with a touch of fear. Surfing.
After I suited up in my 4x3 complete with winter boots, gloves and hood I stood on the jetty for a long time scoping out the break. It's breaking 2-3 feet IN the inlet and 5-6 feet on the north side where I'll surf. Not much of a channel. Short period swell, maybe 5 seconds, likely making the paddle out a challenge. Smaller waves on the inside, better waves farther out. Do I really want to be surfing out there, 300 meters from shore, alone, in the fog?
I think you can tell from my ear-to-ear grin how it went! Two hours surfing a decent swell without fighting for a single wave, overcoming the fear of surfing alone at a new spot in stormy conditions, finally surfing in the Adriatic Sea.
This was a good day in Italy!
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