November 26, 2008 Wednesday

Spain	Barcelona
4:30 pm to 5:00 pm	2' to 3' wind waves
Tide: unknown	Slight onshore breeze
Sunny and cool

Surf? In Barcelona, Spain?

There I was standing on a sandy beach near sunset watching thirty or so guys in wetsuits and on short boards going for two to three foot wind swells. Kate, my son and daughter and I spent Thanksgiving week in Barcelona, a wonderful trip. Barcelona is located in the northeast corner of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. It’s an old city, dating back to before the Roman Empire. We had a great time wandering up and down the narrow cobblestone streets, visiting museums and seeing the architectural feats of Spain’s most famous architect, Antonio Gaudi. My son, who had been there twice before, mentioned the city had a beautiful beach.

I insisted that we check out the beach just to get a feel for the Mediterranean. Kevin guided us down a board boulevard with a wide stone sidewalk past the yacht harbor to the beach. As we got closer to the water, the old town took on the look and feel of a beach town with one outdoor restaurant after another, large apartment buildings, and tourist shops selling beach gear.

I walked out on the sand and to my surprise thirty guys were in the water, spread across several beach break peaks. The rides were short but the waves were definitely rideable.

“Dad these wind waves remind me of the Great Lakes,” Kevin exclaimed. While a grad student at the University of Wisconsin, he traveled to Sheboygan to surf in Lake Michigan.

I wondered out loud, “The Atlantic must have a similar pattern as the Pacific with north swells in winter and south swells in summer.” Kevin snapped me out of it.

“Dad, this is the Mediterranean. The Atlantic swells have no impact here.” He was right, what was I thinking?

“These waves are caused by storms in the Mediterranean, just like the storms in the mid-west generate wind swells on the Great Lakes,” he added.

We had no idea if this day was typical or exceptional. We suspect today was unusual. Barcelona must not be a surf town; I didn’t see any surf shops or board rentals places. The surf is not great, don’t take your board, but the food is excellent, the wine is reasonably priced and the atmosphere of the old city is exciting. On the flight home, as the plane lifted off and traveled over the beach, lines of swells were marching in and an offshore wind was sending spray off the tops of some nicely formed peaks. It was just another good surf day in Barcelona.