This trip to Liguria turned out really fun and unexpected. Two windsurfing sessions in Andora, with Libeccio, one with fantastic conditions, and also a nice surfing session in Diano Marina.

Windsurfing and surfing: Andora and Diano - Surprising Liguria, October 2024

Every now and then I need to escape, to put things back in order..... The Libeccio (SW wind) forecast was not optimal, but in the end two very good days came out, the second of which with smooth wave conditions and side wind in Andora, rare and spectacular. And in Liguria it is still practically summer, while in Milan we have already pulled out some woolen clothes..... In Diano Marina, on the second day, I even did surfing, trying to avoid the swimmers......

But let's proceed in order...

I left Monza on Wednesday 9th October with the idea of ​​heading straight for Andora. South-westerly wind oriented from SSW, stronger from Andora to Albenga and Finale Ligure. The sky is expected to be clear at first, then more overcast, with possible disturbances in the wind.

Leaving an almost flooded Milan, western Liguria welcomes me with good sunshine. Max from Genoa tells me that in Andora he is rigging the 4.0.... I arrive in Andora around 11:30. Beautiful choppy and blue sea. I rig the Goya Guru X Pro 4.2 22/23 (but did I tell you it's a fantastic sail? Yes? So I'll tell you again). The conditions are good to continue testing the JP Magic Wave Pro 89 2022, which I set up with the standard fins, and therefore as a thruster. At 12:00 I enter the water. I have fun for the first hour.

I'm properly powered with sail, and the board is fine. The sea is quite tidy, and every now and then nice sets of waves come in, about 1 meter/1,5 meters. I even catch a few smooth ones. The Jp behaves very well during the bottom, and in gybing.

Out at sea, however, I can see some rain showers. And in fact, the wind starts to become unstable. Generally, I don't go down to LIguria with the Libeccio, with disturbed weather, because I know that the wind can be unsteady. But I had time available, and, as I said, I needed to relax.... And as you will understand from the rest of the story, in the end, I did really well. Almost every left chance is lost....

After a short break, I return to the water from 13:00 to 14:30, doing a second part of the session, in which the wind, at times, is steady, at others it isgusty, with too many lulls. It is very difficult to stay in the water to manage the continuously variable wind, even in direction. I struggle to sail upwind, then I get tempted by some nice waves on the shore, and I waste minutes trying to regain water upwind. At 2:30 PM, I get out of the water, because I'm hungry!

I then make a new attempt around 3:00 PM, changing board and switching to the Tabou 3S 96, but the quality of the wind doesn't improve, and I decide to get out of the water. A threatening rain shower seems to be getting closer and closer. And in fact at 3:30 PM a nice downpour comes down, and I take shelter under a balcony to undress my wetsuit.

Once the shower has passed, the magic happens.... The wind starts up again strong and steady! I still have the equipment ready.... I think about it a bit, but the two and a half hours in the water have tired me out, and I don't feel like putting my wet suit back on.... And then, I think it's nice to enjoy days like this, without just running around like a full, but also relaxing....

Some guys, return to the water and are rewarded for their trust. The second part of the afternoon will offer really nice conditions, as for the quality of the wind. And pretty good waves also rise again. The windsurfing photos that I publish in the article refer to this moment of the day. A guy with Ga Sails Manic 2022 and Goya freewave stands out particularly for his confidence and style.

After taking the photos, I go get a nice tea and a cake at the little bar on the seafront.

The evening ends beautifully in Laigueglia, which is always very nice, and much more populated than Marina di Andora. There are still quite a few foreign tourists around. Tagliolini with pesto, cherry tomatoes, squid and pine nuts, with a nice Pigato wine, and Bonnet cake, at "La Cucina dei Pignuin", and then off to bed.

For Thursday, the forecast is uncertain, but potentially interesting. And in fact, a morning that I will remember for life unfolds in Andora. During the night, there was a strong storm wind from the South. Arome hd gives wind from WSW until late morning. We wait for the wind to get closer to the shore, and we make the mistake of not entering already around 10:00. In fact, in the first part of the morning the sea level is wonderful! Not big waves, but long and tidy sets from the South, with some of even 2.5 meters at 50-100 meters from the shore, really clean and glassy.

At 11:00, I enter the water with the Goya Guru X Pro 4.7, rigged with the boom fixed to the low clew ring, and Tabou 3S 96, set as a thruster, with standard fins. The sun is spectacular, and it is hot (20-26 degrees during the day). There are only two of us in the water, in the upwind side of the spot: me and Samuele. Downwind, at Tortuga beach, someone else came out.

Just a few rides are enough to understand that the conditions are crazy.... Out there, offshore, I'm a bit big with the 4.7, but the Goya Guru does its job, and doesn't pull me badly. Close to the shore, epic conditions, with almost glassy waves, and light side wind. Perfect!!! I immediately catch a lot of waves, which I surf to the shore. I point at one of the rocky breakwaters, and a few meters from its tip, when the wave gets nice and steep, I start with the bottom turn, and go looking for the lip, to place the cut back on the almost vertical wall. The side wind makes everything easy. I did well, this time, not to bother going and coming back from the Coudouliere (in the nearby France) for just one day, as I had supposed.... I'm having a lot of fun. On a fantastic wave, I place two bottom-turns, fluid, nice and wide. I can't believe I'm in Andora...... And then I have all the waves for myself.... and I don't have to go crazy and fight, as always happens at the Spiaggia d'Oro in Imperia, because of the presence of other riders, downwind on the wave, who never give you the right of way....

The wind comes in a little stronger after about half an hour, and 4.2 would be right. Unfortunately,  it makes the sea and the waves a bit choppy, making them less easily identifiable. I still try to ride a few of them, but the conditions are no longer so good. Sometimes, I find myself getting off the wave, overpowered, and too fast, and, when I set the bottom, the board bumps on the water, and I'm afraid of nosediving at a thousand miles per hour.... I decide to get out of the water at least momentarily.

The wind will then drop a bit, the waves will be clean again. In hindsight, I can say that I could have stayed in the water even until 1:00 PM. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of me or others in action, but only a few images of the waves, the beach and my equipment, at the end of the session.

In the afternoon, I want to go to Diano Marina, to try out the new surfboard (Torq Mod Fish 7.2), which I recently got. Surf-forecast.com predicts good conditions. And so I don't want to get too tired (and I've already accumulated a bit of fatigue, in these two days of windsurfing).

Having searched in vain for an open focaccia shop in Laigueglia (focaccia is a kind of pizza), I move to Diano. In the windward part of the bay (Hotel Jasmin), there are nice easy clean waves, about 1.5 meters high, that come in set. It's 26 degrees: in this area of ​​the beach, sheltered from the wind, you stay in your swimsuit and go swimming!

The surfing session also turns out to be a lot of fun. I was afraid I had bought a board that was too difficult for me (too small and with an already challenging shape), and, instead, the board is a blast!

The difference between the softboard and this first hardboard is definitely noticeable! The board is a rocket. Just position your chest a little bit more forward on the board, and the take off is surely achieved. And despite its length, the board doesn't dive. I also waxed it well (it was my first time), and I don't slip at all with my bare feet! I catch 5 waves, or rather: I catch 4, the 5th one catches me, and I surf it somehow.... It's nice to be among other surfers, better than me, who are having fun, and who I look at with a bit of envy. After 45 minutes, I get out of the water, because I've run out of energy.

Two really beautiful days, that I will remember for a long time.

The desire for sea and waves is out of control....

Ciao. Your Ita4012

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