Israel has waves. Seriously.
In a country stretched beside the Mediterranean Sea, surfing is one of the most popular sports with an amazing and distinct surf culture, and a fast growing community of surfers from all ages. From the first surfboards that Dr. Dorian Paskowitz brought to Israel during the early 50’s, to today when Israel’s local surf industry is enriched with many local shapers and homegrown surfers. Israeli surfing has always kept its unique vibe and spirit.
For the local surfing community, to host a WSL ‘QS event in January is a major milestone on the way to recognizing Israel’s beachbreaks as legitimately good surfing spots.
Usually, locals are not so kin to “lend” their home break to surfing events and competitions. This time, they are more than happy to see the WSL banners stretched across their local spot and throughout the city during the event period. The hype and stoke around this event is truly unique.
As a surfer myself, who religiously follows the WSL event broadcasts, seeing the Pro Netanya event logo and banner for the first time was an emotional moment.
As a teaser for the event, here’s last January’s swell in Israel:
You can read the WSL press release here.
