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21|04|10 +++ Tarifa - SUP Extreme

Tarifa has plenty to offer and “boredom” is definitely a foreign word in this southernmost corner of Spain.
At our Club Mistral & Skyriders centers there´s always something to do, no matter what the wind and weather is like, and no matter what you long to do.
Windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing or SUP – you can easily spend the whole day on the water.

That´s also what Chris, our center manager, thought. For many of us the thought of spending a complete day on the water might be not be so tempting – for most water sports lovers, one or two breaks on firm ground is always welcome. Not for Chris.

Chris had the crazy idea of literally spending the whole day on the water. How does an idea like this come up? Who knows… What we do know is that he started planning this adventure one night out at a bar - after having a couple of beers. Together with a friend of his he came up with the idea of paddling from one Ocean to another - with a SUP! From the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.  From Tarifa, through the Strait of Gibraltar, to Algeciras.

As most of you might know, the Strait of Gibraltar is one of the most frequented channels of the world, with around 300 container ships passing through every day. You might also know that there are extreme currents in this strait, and that there are a lot of very big fish  swimming around.

All in all just a perfect route for Stand Up Paddle Boarding…

After Chris and his friend spent days studying currents, tide charts and the weather forecast, they decided that April 3rd would be the day of the days. The conditions were supposed to be good, with only very light winds and more or less mild currents.

Kick-off was at 7am. The fact that it´s still dark in Tarifa at this time of the day, once again led to the discussion about the very big fish – so what? It was the only chance to get from A to B. The first hour in complete darkness was not really enjoyable and both of them spent a lot of time thinking about what might be swimming underneath them. However, after the first hour they experienced probably the most beautiful sunrise ever, in front of the breathtaking scenery of both continents, Europe and Africa, more than compensating for every queasy feeling of the last 60 minutes.

In total it took them 5 hours for 25 kilometers. The reason the trip took such a long time was due to the many strong currents. Sometimes strong, sometimes less strong, and constantly changing direction. Sometimes it felt like they were being sucked into the Mediterranean Ocean, and a few seconds later the current came suddenly from straight ahead making them paddle on the spot.

Despite aching muscles and dead toes, the trip was one of the best of their entire lives. A unique experience, which they will tell their grandchildren about in years to come.

For all of you who also want to paddle from one Ocean to the other: we organise these trips! Whoever wants to do it and is fit enough can join us. You will be accompanied by one of our team members. It sounds exciting and it is exciting – but it´s not risky or dangerous! Of course the trip really depends on wind and weather and especially the currents have to be kept in mind, but that´s what we will take care of on site!

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