Flair Magazine Yes, you guessed it! If surfing is something you’ve always been interested in but didn’t know where to start or who to surf with, Surf Camp Egypt is the perfect opportunity for you. If you haven’t heard about it already, it’s a friendly, passionate community in which you learn how to get started on a surfboard and savor the waves of Sahel’s Hacienda. We talked to Omar El Sobky, 31, about the camp which he founded.
How did the idea for the camp come about?
We started surfing 11 years ago and then in 2010, we decided that we wanted to give back and teach kids how to surf so we opened a small surfing school in Agami. We loved teaching and it was a success, so that’s why we kept going.
Why did you open in Sahel specifically?
Before, Agami was the spot everyone went to during the summer and it had really nice waves but now it’s almost outdated. Everyone goes to Sahel now and luckily we found a spot in Hacienda, which has really good waves, especially for beginners. It was a great opportunity to move there.
Are there any other ideal spots for surfing in Egypt?
Agami for sure and Alexandria sometimes gets really good for surfing in the winter. The Red Sea is not really an option because you barely get hints of a wave there. We’ve also surfed in Marsa Matrouh. The weather there is a little harsher and so you get bigger waves. Apparently there are good spots all over Sahel and Hacienda is probably the best.
Where did all the trainers learn how to surf?
We all learned surfing together. I started 11 years ago in the U.S. I came back with a surfboard and I started practicing on my own. It was tough because I didn’t really know what I was doing so it took me a long time to get better. Now with the course that we’re offering, we give people an advantage because they get to learn what we learned over years in just a small course, and then they can take off on their own.
Tell us about the pre-season fitness workout.
It was an idea just to kind of get the older generation (around 20s) interested. Last year, we found that 70% of our surfers were young kids. We thought it was a good marketing idea to get people excited about working out with us before summer. We even taught them how to pop up on the board, and then more people came to the camp in the summer.
Why do you think surfing just recently became available in Egypt (aside from kite and wind surfing)?
Surfing has been available in Egypt for so long. It’s just that the equipment isn’t easily accessible and not people know where to start. So if no one’s teaching, people will probably give up after failing on their own. It requires a culture to be spread around or a community. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to teach and encourage people to be more consistent and surf more. Egypt is not the best surf spot in the world but it’s pretty good for beginners and intermediate surfers. On some days, it’s perfect for even advanced surfers.
Do you think the sport will catch on here?
The sport is getting really popular especially since so many people love going to Sahel during the summer. If someone took the course and bought a board, and whenever they see a wave, they go in or go surfing with us, it can become something that they want to do all summer every summer. I see it happening.
Have you faced any challenges so far?
The biggest challenge is convincing people that we have waves that you can ride in Egypt. People think that you have to go to Hawaii, California or Bali. The difference is there is that the waves are stronger and so much bigger, and they have crowds. In reality, it’s not as easy compared to Egypt where the waves are not as harsh and you don’t find people fighting you for waves because the community here is much nicer.
Any plans for the future?
We’re still planning trips to Bali. We actually have one coming up this September, where we get to take everyone who took our course to surf more advanced waves. Of course, if you’re a beginner, we can still give you the course there and you can start from level 1. Our plan is to get people to commit to surfing for a whole summer, and then maybe get them to go for the 10-day surfing trip after summer, and hopefully by next year, we could plan a trip before summer as well.
If you’re interested, the course entails four sessions:
- Safety, Pop Up, exercises on surfboard (how to sit on the board, how to swerve, how to paddle, and how to stand on flat water)
- Instructor pushing student on a wave to make lessons more practical
- How to catch a wave on your own
- Surfing with supervision of instructor
Where to buy a surfboards?
You can buy one online and it’s not that expensive compared to kite surfing equipment. Omar’s recommendation: http://visiontrading-eg.com/
By Sarah Guirguis
