A Lebanese surfer named Jad Ghosn windsurfed from Cyprus to his local town Batroun as part of the Batroun International Festival, according to a source. The 200-kilometer-trip was part of the “Cyprus to Batroun Windsurf Challenge” and the “Batroun International Festival.”
Batroun International Festival is an annual event that features live music, seafood, water activities, and movies!
@jadgsnJad Ghosn took this challenge to promote tourism in his native town of Batroun. He sailed to Larnaca on Thursday, July 19 and planned on windsurfing to Lebanon the next day. Due to weather conditions, he took up the challenge on Sunday.
The whole trip took 4 hours and 30 minutes. Jad was accompanied in support boats by the Mayor of Batroun, the President of the Union of the Municipalities of Batroun, and the Chairman of the Committee of the Batroun International Festivals.
@jamilsaabcoCNN: Lebanon is the Mediterranean’s unlikely surf destination
Last year, an article on CNN revealed that there is small surfing community in Lebanon!
A surfing community existed before the civil war. Unfortunately, the beaches became deserted during the war. Things have changed, and surfing is increasingly popular among locals now.
@surflebanon
Lebanon’s most famous surfing spots are Jiyeh, Batroun, Tyre, and Byblos. But Chekka, a city in Northern Lebanon, is pretty special for the surfing community; it produces a wave that “surfaces a few times a year and provides a right-hand wave over a sandy bottom which bounces off a jetty during large swells.”
The small size of the surfing community has an advantage; it creates a strong bond between surfers.
According to Gabrielle, a surfer in Lebanon, the community is close-knit. “If there’s a new guy or a new girl we would know because we hadn’t seen them in the water before so we would talk to them and welcome them to the community,” she said.
