A Californian Surfing in Italy

It seems strange that a California would take up surfing in Italy but life is strange that way. My husband and I are both native Californians, born and raised. However neither of us are from the coast. We were both born and raised inland so although we both love to visit the California Coast multiple times a year we have never taken up surfing there.

Northern California is the epicenter for surfing with such culturally famous locations as Mavericks in Half Moon Bay and Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. Steamer Lane is a surf spot near the lookout point by the Lighthouse in Santa Cruz. It was made famous by Jack O’Neill who surfed these cold California Pacific Ocean waters in the 1930’s. This inspired him to invent the wetsuit and start California’s first surf shop out of his garage. Mavericks is a wave that after a winter storm can crest at 25 ft and top out at 60 ft and is one of the largest waves ever surfed in the world.

However to surf these California waves one must have a heavy wetsuit, a surf board and access to the sea, which are three things we really never had. Here in Italy we have access to all three things, thanks to a good friend who loves to surf and hunt octopus. So one April day when the waves were particularly pumping he invited Jeff to join him surfing. We tied the surf boards to his little blue Ford and set out to conquer the San Felician waves.

San Felice is in the region of Lazio, where we have lived for the last year and a half, just over an hour south of Rome. Most people think of this region for bathing and sun tanning in the calm Mediterranean waters. But once winter approaches and the tourists have gone home the locals watch the storms and track the winds hoping it will blow hard enough to get the waves pumping. From autumn to spring the locals take back the sea and ride the waves only available this time of the year.

This particular Sunday the winds were blowing just right and our friend started texting us saying to be at his house at 1:00. My husband was so excited he couldn’t wait to catch the waves. We arrived at their house early and ate lunch to The Drums singing their cult classic song “Let’s go Surfing” playing on the record player (yes, record player). The guys couldn’t wait and soon they were pulling on their wetsuits and carrying their boards toward the crashing waves on the beach.

They continued further out to sea with the waves beckoning them. Crest after crest they continued into the sea against the crashing waves. Soon they were laying on their boards and paddling toward the first big wave to surf. Our friend expertly jumped to his feet and rode the waves effortlessly. My husband on the other hand was dealing with the challenges of being a newbie. It was all he could do to use his upper body strength to paddle out to the waves, let alone ride one. Wave after wave crashed over him and soon he was dragging his exhausted body back to shore. He realized these waves were just too much for a novice but on the way home he spotted a calmer spot much better for a beginner. He resolved to try surfing again on another day, after his body recovered from its battering at sea at a spot easier to learn. He would leave the big waves for our friend and his surfing companions that were used to the San Felician surf. One day he will conquer these waves, piano piano, as they say in Italy…