We present these spots:
"Having skeletons in the closet" - this saying probably originated in Sant Antioco. Anyone strolling through the dreamy alleyways of Sant Antioco on the island of the same name at the south-west tip of Sardinia today would have no idea that they are literally "walking over dead bodies". The Phoenicians chose the island as the location for a harbour thanks to its strategic and sheltered position and founded the town of Sant Antioco. To bury their dead, they dug burial chambers in the soft tufa beneath the city until practically the entire hill was undermined by a system of tunnels. Burnt offerings were regularly made to the gods on the sacrificial site.
Pragmatic as the Sardinians are, the empty burial chambers directly beneath the houses are now used either as cool cellar rooms or even as a place to sleep in the hot summer months. This also saves on air conditioning.
Local thermals make Sa Barra one of the windiest places in Sardinia
If you come to Sant Antioco as a windsurfer, you might think that sacrifices were once made here to the wind gods, as Sa Barra, located around five kilometres north of the island's capital, is probably one of the windiest places in Sardinia.
The island is connected to the mainland by a dam that was built during the Roman occupation of Sardinia. Only a narrow canal provides the possibility of water exchange. This creates a lagoon, at the northern end of which lies Sa Barra. Due to the mountains on the mainland and the hills on Sant Antioco, this creates a perfect nozzle for the local thermal effect.
The lagoon is protected by another offshore island called Carloforte. As a result, what was the perfect harbour for the gifted Phoenician sailors is now the perfect freestyle and freeride area for windsurfers.
Sa Barra is the magic word that has put a smile on the faces of Italian windsurfers in particular. Numerous national freestyle and slalom competitions have already taken place here and, thanks to the perfect conditions, a number of Italian surfing pros now live on Sant Antioco. Luigi "Giggi" Maddedu and his windsurfing club have created the perfect infrastructure here, which should delight pretty much every windsurfer.
8 to 11 knots at Windfinder is enough for the 4.8
Because the water here is not as crowded as elsewhere, the locals are relaxed and friendly. The fact that all skill levels - from beginners to freestyle worldcuppers - can surf together here and that the spot is reserved exclusively for windsurfers also contributes significantly to the relaxed atmosphere. Due to an agreement between the locals, all kitesurfers stay further upwind, north of the Punta Trettu headland, so there is more than enough space for everyone on the water.
You shouldn't make the mistake of being put off by a typical wind forecast. "Looks great, look at 8-11 knots from the NW!", the locals replied during my visit when I pointed out the rather miserable forecast for the coming days. At first I suspected that the surfers here were all either drinking too much local wine or Sardinian Mirto schnapps, which is usually made at home. However, the next few days showed that, due to the local strengthening of the wind, even with just a few knots of wind forecast, there was every reason to toast a successful day's surfing with wine or the aforementioned Mirto. Windfinder & Co reported 8-11 knots from the NW, which was easily enough for the 4.8 sail due to the thermal and local strengthening.
Sant Antioco also has a wave spot to offer
However, Sant Antioco has more to offer than just shallow water. The locals Giovanni and Rossel took me to the other side of the island, where a narrow path ends at a rocky coast.
Here, a wave breaks cleanly over a rocky reef - very close to the rocks on this day, as the waves were still relatively small. Nevertheless, we had fun in the clean reef waves and only called it a day when the sun slowly sank picturesquely into the sea behind the lighthouse at the tip of the island and the Sardinian beer Ichnusa tasted really good.
The fact that the wave spot at Calasetta is not always completely harmless is impressively demonstrated by the shipwreck on the reef a little to windward of the surf spot. With its home port of Kiel, it was a former German Olympic champion of all people who underestimated the current and waves here and suffered a total loss.
Despite the extremely poor forecast, my trip to the deep south of Sardinia was anything but a total loss. On the few days when the thermals didn't pick up until around midday, I was out and about on my mountain bike in the deserted mountains, exploring the ghost towns of the abandoned mines to get back to Sa Barra just in time for the wind at midday and enjoy another day on the water. After my time deep in the south of Sardinia, I can only say that the Sardinian proverb is true:
"Arribasa cha sesi unu forestieru, tindiandasa cha sesi unu amigo - Come as a stranger, go home as a friend!"
Area information Sant Antioco/Sardinia
Travelling time, climate and neoprene recommendation
Sant Antioco is fuelled by various wind systems - according to the locals, the conditions are suitable for windsurfing 250 days a year: on the one hand, this is due to the mistral from the west to north-west, which originates in the south of France, is often gale-force, especially in the winter months, and builds up solid waves on its way across the open Mediterranean.
In addition, Sant Antioco is spoilt by reliable thermals from the west to northwest during the summer months (March to September). A forecast of 7-8 knots from the WNW usually means a solid surfing day, with gliding winds from midday and a full 5-6 Bft. in the afternoon. But really strong days for sails well below 5 square metres are also not uncommon. Scirocco (SE) is also significantly strengthened by local effects and comes sideshore from the right in Sa Barra. Mistral from WNW-NW with over 25 knots is necessary for the Calasetta wave spot to work.
In winter the thermometer rarely drops below 14 degrees, a 5/3 neo is always suitable, in summer a short sleeve or shorty is fine at an average of 26 degrees (August). Shoes are an advantage due to the sometimes rocky access points.
Journey
Inexpensive airlines such as EuroWings, Alitalia, TuiFly or Ryan Air fly regularly from Germany to Sardinia, for example to Olbia, Alghero or Cagliari. As always, you should book material in advance and check the baggage conditions of the respective airline. Booking hire cars through established providers is often more expensive than through local portals such as www.rent.it. In any case, you should make sure that the vehicle is adequately insured. Travelling with your own vehicle by ferry is perfect, e.g. from Livorno, Piombino, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples or the southern French ports of Nice and Toulon.
There are no motorway tolls on Sardinia itself, but the island is bigger than you might think. The 290 kilometres from Olbia to Sant Antioco can take around four hours.
Living & Camping
Sardinia is ideal for camping holidays. While wild camping is still tolerated in the low season, the fun quickly comes to an end in the high season - wild campers then face fines of up to 500 euros. There are plenty of legal alternatives everywhere in the form of beautiful campsites. The following sites around Sant Antioco are recommended for campers:
- Camping Tonnara
- Camping Le Saline
You can find many accommodation offers via www.fewo-direkt.de or other providers, especially in the low season you can often still bargain! Local Giggi Maddedu also organises accommodation in Sant Antioco (Mail: gigimadeddu@sabarra.it ).
Surf schools
If you want to be mobile and also want to surf the other spots around Sa Barra - such as Chia on the south coast or the wave spots on the wild west coast - you will need your own equipment. Flat water fans can hire equipment at the windsurfing clubs in Sa Barra and Spiaggia Grande ( www.sabarra.it ) to borrow the latest equipment, there are also showers, toilets and other infrastructure.
Surf shops
The nearest shop "Wipe Out" is located in Cagliari:
Alternative programme
Sardinia is mountainous and beautiful - hiking, biking, SUPing or surfing on the west coast are just some of the possible alternatives.
Shady sides
Sardinia is a fairly safe holiday destination, but there are frequent reports of broken into vans and cars in tourist areas and towns.
The best windsurfing spots around Sant Antioco
1st Sa Barra
Large lagoon between the Sardinian mainland and the island of Sant Antioco. To leeward, the causeway between Sant Antioco and the mainland prevents drifting and many shallow areas also ensure safety. Watch out for fishing lines, otherwise there are no obstacles and plenty of space for all skill levels to practise their next manoeuvre under laboratory shallow water conditions. In the middle of the 2.5-kilometre-wide and around seven-kilometre-long lagoon, there are chops up to one metre high in strong winds that invite you to jump and freestyle. There is paid access at the car park at the Giggi Maddedu surfing station, although this is not suitable for oversized motorhomes due to the narrow paths. The best wind direction is north-west, when there is significantly more wind than forecast due to the local thermals and location. The south-east, i.e. Scirocco, is also perfect sideshore and, according to statistics, provides 250 surfing days a year - and that's without kiters!
2. calasetta
To the west of Calasetta, a narrow path leads over a hilltop in the direction of Punta della Salina. From there, you can see the wave spot in front of you. The wave breaks in a sideshore wind from the right over a flat and sometimes sharp rocky reef. Strong mistral winds and a wave height of at least 1-1.5 metres are required so that the wave doesn't just break on the rocks near the shore. There are also really fat days with logo-high sets without the spot becoming overly dangerous - after a fall, the moderate current automatically pulls you downwind into deeper water and you are spared having to get out over the rocks. Access is via rocks, so Calasetta is not necessarily a beginner wave spot. For the spot to work, it needs to build up waves over several days, because due to the cover of the offshore Isola di San Pietro, there are always significantly fewer waves here than at the top spots on the Sardinian west coast, such as Capo Mannu or Funatana Meiga. And what else? Limited car parking, no sanitary facilities.
3rd Spiaggia Grande
South-west of the Calasetta wave spot, another uncomplicated flat-water spot awaits intermediates and flat-water fans in the large sandy bay. In view of the sheltered bay, where waves only come in homeopathic doses in SW-W, it's no wonder that a second surf centre has opened here. Just like in Calasetta, the wind is always one to two wind forces lighter than in Sa Barra. When the mistral is strong (NW), a few small waves can also find their way into the bay. All in all, a beautiful spot with great water colours and a large wind window.
4th Punta Trettu
Upwind of the lagoon and on the mainland opposite Sa Barra is another shallow water alternative, Punta Trettu. The water around the headland is relatively shallow, so a short fin is not a mistake. Due to the kite centre located here, many kites can be seen and you should be aware that Punta Trettu is, at least unofficially, a kite spot. Nevertheless, there is plenty of space on the water and the wind window is large - apart from the north-easterly wind, which arrives offshore and gusty, virtually all wind directions are rideable. The NW is as strong as in Sa Barra. Only the industrial backdrop to windward disturbs the picture somewhat.
5th Porto Botte
This shallow water spot, located around ten kilometres south of the lagoon, also benefits from the local jet between Sardinia and Sant Antioco - Mistral is also strengthened. Porto Botte is recommended as a very uncomplicated and partially shallow spot for all up-and-comers and shallow water fans. At NW you can find fine shallow water behind a headland, further out there are some chops for jumping. Scirocco (SE) is also easy to ride here, blowing onshore to sideshore from the left depending on the section of beach.
