Malta is surrounded by sea and beaches but yet surfers still struggle to catch some waves and practice their passion and sport.

And it’s not because of bad swells either.

With an influx of tourists over summer, beaches become a hotspot for social activity and those who spend most of their time out in the water seem to suffer the most, with surfers being restricted to a small zone on one beach all summer long.

“Unfortunately, the area we’re allowed to surf is heavily restricted due to the swimming zone,” one surfer told Lovin Malta.

“We can’t really surf in an area that is only a couple of metres wide and is surrounded by rope,” said another.

As it stands, Għajn Tuffieħa is the only beach with a designated surfing zone over summer. Unfortunately, it poses a number of problems in addition to its limited space.

“It’s close to dangerous rocks where currents can pull you in easily,” another surfer said. “We are forced to surf very close to the rocks where undercurrents can prove dangerous especially to those who are not very experienced.”

Malta is not known for its surf, with its mediocre swells and infrequent windows of surfable waves resulting in more downtime than actual surfing, but when the wind hits right and the waves start to curl, surfers have no choice but to fall short of seizing that golden opportunity.

One surfer claims that the issue lies with local authorities who brush away the waves of concern and instead choose to impose fines on those who choose to surf outside the allocated zone.

“We’ve been trying to find a compromise with Transport Malta for years now to be able to surf freely on the few days we get waves during the summer but we never get anywhere,” he told Lovin Malta.

While the rest of the year proves less of a problem with fewer people heading to the beach, surfers are appealing for local authorities to make more of an effort to accommodate the sport during the summer season, when water temperatures are cooler and days are longer.

Photo Credit: Joseph Camilleri

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