Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Winter on the waves

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Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t dip your toes in the water. Ben Mondy takes a look at five of the best destinations for getting wet all year round

Bilbao Surfing

A short drive from the Spanish city of Bilbao lies the harbour town of Mundaka, one of the world’s most famous surfing locations. For more than 30 years the famous Mundaka wave has topped most surfers’ wish lists of rides, and for many it’s akin to a rite of passage that must be achieved before they die.

This is all down to the wave’s particular features. It breaks down a shallow sandbank at the entrance of the Guernica River, where big Atlantic swells and offshore breezes combine to produce a perfect tubing motion that reels for more than 400 metres. Such is the quality of this wave that Mundaka hosts one of only 10 premier men’s professional events – the Billabong Pro – each October. However, the months from January to March provide the most consistent and uncrowded waves.

But it’s not all about surfing. Mundaka is a picturesque traditional Basque town full of cool pintxo (tapas) bars and friendly, surf-savvy locals. The historically important town of Guernica is just 20 minutes away, while an amazing cliff-top drive takes you to the great beaches around Bakio.

Stay at the cheap, cheerful and surf-friendly Hotel Mundaka (9 Calle Florentino Larrinaga, tel. , www.hotelmundaka.com) and head to the harbour bars for great food and coffee. Finally, don’t forget to check out the Guggenheim on the way home.

Tel Aviv Windsurfing

Israel and windsurfing? Some might think this combination sounds as incongruous as base jumping in the Maldives or ice-climbing in the Sahara, but the golden beaches of Tel Aviv and Haifa host a thriving windsurfing scene. In fact, the sport brought Israel its first-ever Olympic gold medal, won by Gal Fridman at Athens 2004.

As soon as the wind picks up, the windsurfers of Tel Aviv scurry towards the Mediterranean with a passion, hitting the windswept beaches of Hazuk, Hilton and Hof Maravi. There’s also a government-funded windsurfing centre at Dolphinarium Beach (www.surf-point.co.il), with every kind of tuition available and gear for hire. This is a great beach. The northern side has a calm and ‘shanti’ (easy-going) atmosphere, while the southern side hosts a surfing club that provides several watersports. There’s also a famous nightclub for those seeking night-time thrills.

Haifa, less than two hours’ drive north of Tel Aviv, is surrounded by the blue Mediterranean on three sides of its peninsula. The best windsurfers (many of them professionals) head to Bat Galim Beach, where the fairly consistent swells offer the best conditions. Like elsewhere in Israel, the water is warm, the sand golden and the locals friendly and accommodating. What better way to see the Holy Land than while being whisked 100 metres out to sea by a strong breeze?

Faro Kitesurfing

The Portuguese town of Faro provides a gateway to the famous Algarve coast and its beautiful white secluded beaches, picturesque cliffs, raw ocean, untouched landscapes and unspoilt lagoons. It’s also among the best places in Europe to sample the joys of kitesurfing, one of the fastest-growing watersports in the world.

Kitesurfing involves standing on a small, surfboard-like craft and harnessing the wind with a kite or small parachute to propel you across the water. Learners start on lakes and lagoons, progressing to calm oceans and finally to large waves.

All these options are available in the towns and beaches around Faro, such as Raposeira and Albufeira, along with relatively warm water, a lack of rocks and other obstacles, lots of winter sun and the all-important wind. There are plenty of kitesurfing schools and camps in the area, such as South Adventures (www.southadventures.com.pt) and 4Kiters (www.4kiters.com), which offer everything from basic lessons to expert guides to the area’s best spots, as well as gear hire and accommodation.

After a day of exertion and high-speed loops, relax over a meal of the freshest seafood and a cheap, cold beer. If your energy levels can stand it, head to one the many nightspots in the old towns of Sagres or Lagos. In such beautiful surroundings it won’t take long for you to see why kitesurfing can start out as a sport and end up as a lifestyle.

Athens Diving

Some of Athens’ best sightseeing can be done 30 metres underwater. Safely equipped with a wetsuit, goggles and fins, with a tank of oxygen strapped to your back, it’s possible to prowl around the 20 or so dive sites that lie in the Aegean Sea off the southern coast of the Greek capital.

There are a few diving centres in the area, such as the Aegean Dive Center (www.adc.gr) and the Sotiriou Diving School (www.scubagreece.com), which offer year-round diving. The dive sites are easy to reach and there are a variety of shore and boat dives offering trips for everyone from beginners to experts. You can also do entry-level accreditation courses if you’ve never dived before.

On good days, visibility can stretch up to 30 metres and, depending on your interests, you can expect to find big fish, octopus and rays, ancient broken pottery, historic sites, walls, caverns, wrecks and reefs. Some of Greece’s best diving may be off boats among the islands, but diving so close to Athens means you have all the city’s majestic beauty, historic sites and busy lifestyle nearby after a thrilling day underwater.

Palma de Mallorca Sailing

When it comes to the ultimate sailing destination it’s hard to beat Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. With 41 marinas, 30 nautical clubs and moorings for 10,000 yachts, every type of sailing known to man is available here, whether it’s navigation schools, chartered trips or day tours at all levels.

While the capital, Palma de Mallorca, is a fantastic mix of a modern vibrant city and old-world charm, some of Mallorca’s best attractions lie in the secluded beaches, secret coves, small harbours and traditional port towns dotted around the island. The best way of accessing these is by boat. The charter option, where a group can hire an experienced skipper and crew as well as their pick of a range of craft from mega yachts to small catamarans, allows you explore the 855 kilometres of coastline while sampling amazing cuisine, laid-back culture, untouched countryside and stunning natural parks. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the possibility of sailing to the islands of Formentera, Ibiza and Menorca.

Charters are available all year. The winter months may be a little chillier but average daytime temperatures are still in the high teens. This time of year also has the advantage of off-season prices and fewer travellers with whom to share Mallorca’s many spoils.

FR Les vagues de l’hiver

Ce n’est pas parce que c’est l’hiver que vous ne pouvez pas plonger le bout de vos orteils dans l’eau.

La ville de Faro, au Portugal est l’un des meilleurs endroits d’Europe pour goûter aux plaisirs du kitesurf. Pour les non-initiés, ce sport nautique implique de se tenir sur une petite planche de style surf et d’apprivoiser le vent avec un cerf-volant ou un mini-parachute pour vous propulser au-dessus de l’eau. On trouve un grand nombre d’écoles de kite dans la région, ainsi que des eaux relativement chaudes, un intense soleil d’hiver et élément essentiel : le vent.

Associer Israël et le windsurf pourrait paraître incongru, mais les plages dorées de Tel Aviv et de Haifa abritent de spectaculaires zones réservées au windsurf. Tel Aviv offre les plages d’Hazuk, de Hilton et de Hof Maravi caressées par les vents et l’on ajoutera aussi le centre de windsurf à Dolphinarium Beach, tandis que les windsurfers les plus chevronnés se rendent à Bat Galim.

On peut admirer les vues les plus spectaculaires de Grèce parmi les quelque 20 sites de plongée le long de la côte athénienne. Durant les beaux jours, la visibilité peut aller jusqu’à 30 mètres et vous pouvez espérer découvrir du gros poisson, pieuvre et raies, des morceaux cassés de poterie ancienne, des murs, des cavernes, des épaves et des coraux.

Pour le break de surf le plus hype du monde, allez à Mundaka, à une courte distance par route de la ville espagnole de Bilbao. La qualité des vagues est telle que la ville accueille chaque octobre un des dix événements seulement de niveau professionnel, le Billabong Pro. C’est durant les mois de janvier à mars que les vagues sont les plus renversantes et le site le plus tranquille.

Côté voile, Mallorca, la plus grande des îles Baléares, se laisse difficilement battre. Tous les modes de navigation connus de l’homme sont pratiqués à cet endroit, pour niveau débutant, moyen ou avancé. On y trouve des écoles de navigation, des croisières ou des tours d’une journée. Les mois d’hiver peuvent être un peu plus frisquets, mais la température moyenne durant la journée avoisine les dix degrés.

NL Wintergolven

Echte waterratten hoeven hun winter niet op het droge door te brengen. De Portugese stad Faro is een van de kitesurfparadijzen van Europa. Voor de leken: bij deze watersport sta je op een klein soort surfplank en trekt een vlieger of kleine parachute je over de golven. Je vindt in deze streek heel wat kitesurfscholen. Bovendien is het water relatief warm, de winterzon behaaglijk en de wind weldadig.

Israël en windsurfen, het lijkt een vreemde combinatie, maar de stranden van Tel Aviv en Haifa zijn populaire windsurfoorden. Tel Aviv heeft de windrijke stranden Hazuk, Hilton en Hof Maravi en een door de overheid gefinancierd windsurfcentrum aan Dolphinarium Beach. De topwindsurfers van Haifa trekken naar Bat Galim.

In Griekenland behoren de 20 duiklocaties voor de kust van Athene tot de mooiste bezienswaardigheden van het land. Op goede dagen bedraagt de onderwaterzichtbaarheid tot 30 meter. Je kan dan grote vissen, octopussen en roggen bewonderen of op zoek gaan naar oude potscherven, muren, grotten scheepswrakken en riffen.

Een van ‘s werelds beroemdste surfparadijzen is Mundaka, niet ver van de Spaanse stad Bilbao. De golven zijn er zo goed dat de stad in oktober een van de 10 wereldevenementen voor professionele surfers organiseert, de Billabong Pro. In de periode van januari tot maart heb je de meest consistente en minst besurfte golven.

Voor zeilers is Mallorca, het grootste eiland van de Spaanse Balearen, een droombestemming. Talloze mogelijkheden liggen open voor elk soort zeiler, van absolute beginners tot ervaren rotten. Er zijn navigatiescholen, gecharterde zeiltochten en dagtrips. Ook al is het er dan wat frisser in de wintermaanden, de gemiddelde dagtemperaturen liggen niet ver onder de twintig graden.

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