Egypt is home to some of the best waves on the Mediterranean coast but that fact hardly rates a ripple. Nesma Nowar reports Surfing, a lifestyle for thousands of people around the world, has its own diehard loyalists in Egypt as the surf community continues to grow. It's all about young Egyptians passionate about slipping underneath the crest of a wave and to whom surfing has become a part of their life. It's not something they just do; it is something they have become. It is also something most Egyptians know little or nothing about. When it comes to surfing the first places that come to mind are Hawaii, Bali, Tahiti and the pristine beaches of Australia. "Many people don't know that surfing in Egypt is quite interesting and actually exists," says Youssef Baroud, a 23-year-old who first tried surfing in Hossegor in France in 2007. He found it exhilarating and was hooked at first sight. When he returned to Egypt Baroud sought to get surfing off the ground, on the map and into the water, last year opening what is qualified as the first surf shop in Egypt, in Bianchi, Agami, 20 km west of Alexandria. It is there where people can buy surf boards, skim boards -- a smaller counterpart to a surfboard used to glide across the water's surface -- as well as sand boards. Baroud's young community surfs in the footsteps of whom they like to call the older group. That would include a surfer of Egyptian origin with a very foreign name, Bob Purvey, born in Alexandria, who was the world long boarding champion. Purvey's parents moved to California in 1946 where became one of the most famous surfers of the 1960s and 1970s. He was world champion in 1967 and defended his title for two years. Fast forward to 1995 when Teymour Adham, an Egyptian living in Alexandria, was introduced to the sport after watching Libon Masri, an American-born Lebanese from Miami, Florida, surfing in Agami. That same summer an Australian pro surfer also made his way to the North Coast. From there Adham got to know the ins and outs of the sport. He spent a couple of years on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, famous in the surfing world for its incredible and often dangerous waves. He returned in 1997 with an unforgettable experience and helped spread the word -- and world -- of surfing in Egypt. Roughly a decade ago, Adham along with other local surfers, formed the Egypt Board Riding Committee (EBRC), a non-profit organisation to promote board riding in Egypt. The EBRC not only includes wave surfers but those who sand board, windsurf and skateboard. In short, any sport that involves a board. Adham also contacted Surfing the Nations, a Hawaiian-based non-profit organisation delivering the message of love and hope carried atop a surf board. Surfing the Nations visited Egypt in 2007 and 2009 and in between hosted its annual tournament, the Aloha Surf Classic, in Alexandria in 2008, connecting with the local surfing community and making local surf history. Surfing the Nations makes yearly trips to countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, bringing along clothing and other supplies to the needy, as well as a surf culture to these communities. EBRC believes surfing can be used as a powerful tool to bring about change and indeed Surfing the Nations helped promote surfing in Egypt by encouraging people to surf and distributing boards for free to whoever was interested in the sport, had the potential to become a good surfer and couldn't afford buying a board. Seeing that surf boards range from between LE2,000 to LE6,000, that is a pretty magnanimous gesture. "Surfing the Nations has changed people's lives. It gave them a very new and positive thing to do," Omar El-Sobki, a 23-year-old surfer said. El-Sobki was referring mainly to the impact of surfing on several Bedouin youth from Agami. Surfing is mostly associated with the elite, so the sight of a Bedouin on a board is odd as it is fascinating, but says El-Sobki: "Surfing has changed the lives of these people. To them it's not just a sport but a lifestyle that they live every single day." El-Sobki got into surfing when he returned from New Jersey and went to surf in Alexandria. "When I first surfed in Egypt in 2007, it was only myself there but now things are different and you can see lots of surfers on Agami's beaches." El-Sobki believes much progress has been made in recent years. He estimates his band of surfers at around 50 and expects them to increase. "The number of surfers increases each year especially in summer," he said, adding that the surfing public has females as well as foreigners riding Egypt's waves. While Egypt may be no Hawaii, surfing the Mediterranean has proven to be exciting in itself and a challenge. "Waves can reach up to five metres high, high enough for perfect surfing," El-Sobki said. Waves in Egypt are wind generated, so whenever there are westerly or northerly winds there are waves, but it doesn't happen much and it is very inconsistent. As any experienced surfer will tell you, good surfing depends on wave formation which is determined by wind speed; the greater the wind speed the bigger the wave. The longer the wind blows and the greater the area the wind affects a wave, the bigger the wave. Wind direction is also essential, as is local weather conditions at the surf spot. El-Sobki judges the conditions to surf are best when the wind is southeast offshore. Winds blow from the shore, smoothing out a wave. Sunny weather gives better quality waves. Onshore wind will make the wave break irregularly, making for a useless surf day. "When the wind is onshore, we usually search for the least wind speed during the day, which is often in the morning," El-Sobki noted. Egypt's best surf spots are in Alexandria, in Al-Shatbi, next to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria's own Sixth of October, and Agami. In the 1970s, Agami was the summer playground for Egypt's chic crowd, the equivalent of today's Marina in the North Coast which by and large has supplanted Agami as the place to be. But surfing appears to have kept Agami somewhat in view. There are surf spots in compounds along the North Coast. Marsa Matrouh also has startling surf sites. Other zones can be found along the Mediterranean coast starting from Alexandria to Marsa Matrouh. In the main, surfing is not included in the resorts famed for their foreigners -- Sharm Al-Sheikh and Hurghada. There, kite and wind surfing are the main attractions. Ras Sidr as well is better known for its wind surfing. El-Sobki added that there was "an amazing spot with beautiful waves" in Al-Mandara, also in Alexandria, but that closed after breakwaters were built along the Alexandrian coast to protect beaches from the Mediterranean's constant waves and severe storms. The surf community is concerned that other surf spots will suffer the same fate. That's why some say it's imperative to get surfing officially registered. Surfing in Egypt is not affiliated to any formal federation, nor is it tied to what would have appeared to be the next best thing: the Egyptian Sailing and Water Ski Federation. But that comprises only sailing, water skiing and windsurfing. There has never been any official surf championship held in the country, and local surfing is hardly known outside its knit of loyal supporters. That's why the surf community wants greater awareness of the sport and to host national tournaments like is done in other sports. They are not intent on making waves. They simply believe that such activity will spotlight surfing. Such lack of recognition did not prevent Seif El-Guindi, 24, from being struck by surf mania. "When I rode the first wave, I became a surfer right away." El-Guindi said his passion takes him wherever there are good waves. "The best part about surfing is that it got me to know different people with diverse backgrounds, ages, and socioeconomic standards," adding that none of this matters when they go surfing together. "We're a group of passionate surfers who just want to have fun," believing that surfing is all about sharing, having company and a good time. "You can't imagine how fun it is when you see your friends swept away by waves - - and waiting for your turn!" Although surfing is fun it can be dangerous. Drowning is not out of the question. Waves can be powerful and wipeouts are a common cause of surfing injury. Surfboards are a double-edged sword. They can help you stay afloat but the pointed end can act like a hot knife cutting through butter. Colliding into another surfer can also have consequences. "Keeping control of the board while surfing is very important. Try to keep it out of your way when you wipeout," El-Sobki strongly advises. It is also possible to panic, which is why it's always better to go surfing with friends who can come to the rescue in case of trouble. "Our surfing community taught us how to help and support each other," noted El-Guindi. The bottom of the sea poses its own dangers. Even if sandy it can feel like pavement once a wave pounds you down on it. A rock bed will cause more damage, while a coral floor is not unlike razor blades. It is not surprising then that there is a code quite familiar in the surfing world, a set of guidelines just to keep you out of trouble. According to El-Guindi, a good surfer must be a good swimmer and physically fit. This will decrease the danger and at the same time make paddling, carving (turning on a wave), and wave riding look easy. Also the pre-surf warm-up and stretching is an important part of a surfing routine. "A surfer should make sure to stretch all the main muscle groups and not to enter the water cold." El-Sobki believes the ideal age to start surfing is six, right after becoming a good swimmer. Most people believe all you need is a board but surfing equipment includes surf wax to keep a surfer from slipping off the board; temporary or permanently fixed fins, also known as skegs; a leash which stops the board from drifting away after a wipeout, and prevents it from hitting other surfers; and a wetsuit for winter waves. It is very important to get a board which matches each individual's level of skill, whether beginner, intermediate or advanced, and weight. Boards vary in size, price, weight of the rider and dimensions. El-Sobki suggests the seven foot, three inch ACS (Aerated Cellular Structure) board is good and affordable. Should Egypt ever host a championship, like in most surfing events, the surfer with the highest score would win. To do well, surfers must complete the most manoeuvres where the wave is most powerful. Judges generally score according to the most controlled manoeuvres, done quickly, such as turning and carving. Carving is part of surfing lexicon which includes the cutback (turning back toward the breaking part of the wave), the floater (riding on the top of the breaking curl of the wave), and off the lip (banking off the top of the wave). The terminology is fascinating, as is the sport the words are describing. As such, while they wait for the recognition they feel they deserve, Egypt's surfing community, whether those who play just for the fun of it or those who make it the central focus of their lives, continue to keep the sport alive and thrashing. They also look ahead to the wave of the future.
