Red Letter Day – EUROPEAN HAWAII

Words: Bruno Sroka
Rider: Gabriel Bachelet
Photos: Deimantina Juskeviciute
Location: Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote
Date: Friday January 1st, 2021

When new foil gear needs testing, the SROKA team head to their perfectly suited proving grounds: The Canary Islands, and more specifically the island of Lanzarote. Bruno Sroka tells us about one such test day, right at the start of a fresh new year…

This was a great day for foiling. And a great time to be on Lanzarote.

It had been forecasting big conditions for three days (6m swell, with winds heading in from the northeast). By the time the swell had wrapped around the island, conditions had become perfect. It was very calm, with no wind. Gabriel was able to do three sessions to test all our high aspect foils, to see which one was the best in the waves, which was best for pumping, and so on. Moreover, this happened to be a semi-confinement period on the island, so we were alone at this spot. We also had very good light for shooting. 

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We’re lucky to regularly get to ride in the Canaries. With year-round sailing conditions, unique landscapes, sunny and windy spots, the Canary Islands are the perfect destination to have fun on the foil. Nicknamed the European Hawaii, this archipelago located off the African coast is our reference point to come and test equipment. We’re pretty much guaranteed to have the ideal conditions, every day, at any time of the year. 

Depending on the size and direction of the swell, the Canaries offer big swell trains perfectly suited to downwind sailing, especially on the east coast when the swell envelops the island. It is therefore possible to go on big downwinders and to sail along the coast for dozens of kilometers. There are lots of options for foiling between this spot, Jameos del Agua, and all the way down to Arrieta. There are a multitude of more or less technical and more powerful spots that will meet all your needs for SUP foiling, surf foiling or winging. Depending on the tides, the direction of the swell and the size, you will have to travel a few kilometers to find the best spot but – as we are all finding with foiling, there is always somewhere to get on the water pretty much whatever the conditions!

The swell season out here runs from autumn to spring with a very favorable climate (an average of 20 degrees, even in the winter). The west coast is well-placed to receive all the swells roaming the Atlantic. The smallest ripple is amplified and allows you to surf, even if the conditions do not seem great. On the other hand, when the conditions are huge, you can head over here to the east coast which has many spots to foil. Once you’ve got the conditions dialed, you can get in the water with your foil any day of the week. So it truly is a little paradise where you can train and progress quickly…

This was a magical day, and a magical start to 2021.  

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