Ibiza isn't exactly known for its surf spots in summer; an onshore breeze will barely rustle up a gentle swell and floating lilos are as close as you'll get to a surf board around these parts. But there is one wave that is always ready to be caught – and it's forever breaking at Surf House Ibiza in San Antonio.
New for this summer, Surf House sits on the shoreline along San Antonio bay, a churning wall of water enticing in the more active of holidaymakers to try their hand at riding the never-ending wave. Team Spotlight was up for the challenge, so we went down to the new home of all things surfing in Ibiza to conquer the (man-made) sea.
As we were beginners we started off with body boards, shooting our way down the wave head first on our tummies. You've got one hour to master the art, so we took turns skidding down the wet slope trying different tactics to control our board and stay on the wave for as long as possible. The results were wildly hit and miss, but that's part of the fun. A catastrophic wipe out is almost as fun as a successful ride, it doesn't hurt a bit and is certainly as entertaining for any spectators!
Speaking of which, for those who prefer to point and laugh from the sidelines (hey, you're on holiday, do as you please!) there are many free to use sun beds on the site, a bar to quench your thirst, a surf shop to browse through and a beach volleyball court if you decide to get the blood pumping again. But I would definitely advise giving the Flow Rider a go. As we improved a little with each try we began to try new tactics, some of us switching to small surf boards to stand on, others kneeling up on their body boards whilst the rest of us repeatedly shot down the side of the wave like a bowling ball falling into the gutters… but never say die!
The Surf House Flow Rider is open from 12.00 – 00.00 (midday to midnight), with one hour of action setting you back 30€. Check out this video below to see how the pros tackle the wave…
WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY | Jordan Smith
VIDEO | This video depicts how it SHOULD be done, as opposed to our efforts above.
