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He may be known for his onshore skills and incredible ability to make the most out of decidedly average conditions, but Philip Koester loves to score down-the-line riding just as much as the rest of us. Fiji, Western Australia and Mauritius may be his usual haunts to get his cross-offfix but his latest score was a lot closer to home, about 20kms in fact! We all know 2018’s summer has been exceptional in temperature, but the unusual weather threw a favourable curveball swell wise to the Canaries and a juicy south swell lit up rare spots to the south of Pozo in Gran Canaria; Philip breaks down the resultant epic sessions.

- Philip Koester

 ESPECIAL

This was a very special day as far as down-the-line wave sailing goes in Gran Canaria. The last time we had a south swell like this was about four years ago. I missed that session due to commitments with Red Bull in Japan, so I was really fired up to sail down-the-line on this rare set of conditions. Nobody knows how strong the south swells will hit in Gran Canaria, so you just have to wait for the day and see what happens. Normally I check the Tenerife forecast which gives me a better idea of what will hit Gran Canaria.

ARINAGA

The first day I sailed in Salinas de Arinaga, which is just upwind from Pozo near the big harbour wall. This place is normally a spot for beginners to sail, as it has the protection of the harbour wall from the prevailing NE winds, but with a south swell the waves come straight in. At the top of the break on the left hand side there is a tonne of surfers who don’t really tolerate windsurfers, but downwind it was still pretty fun. When I sailed most of the other guys had left already, so I pretty much had the waves to myself. Word soon spread though and more sailors started to show up.

“ This was a very special day as far as down-the-line wave sailing goes in Gran Canaria. ”

JUAN GRANDE