KITESURFING IN LO STAGNONE SPOT

 

50 SHADES OF WATER

 

For many kitesurfers, freeride means riding right and left. Some would say – boring.
It doesn’t have to be boring if we explore the water and if there is something to explore.

What’s not pointed out enough, Lo Stagnone spot is full of nooks and crannies and what’s really great, the water under the board is different in every place.

To illustrate the topic, we recommend an example route.

Duration of session: 1.5 hours.

Wind: south

Water area: the following illustration

 

map of lo stagnone kitesurfing spot

 

 

LO STAGNONE KITESURFING SPOT – MAIN RIDING AREA

 

We leave from the point where the pin is located. This is the Kite Lab base, located in the center of the spot.

Ahead of us we can see the Santa Maria island. This is our main reference point, because the kite base has a view of the entire island.

At the beginning we cross the main riding area, where is the most traffic and all kitesurfing lessons. The water is very slightly wavy and the depth nowhere exceeds 1.5 meters. The bottom is soft, sandy in places, grassy in other places and muddy elsewhere. It’s not our favorite bottom or favorite water color (dark green), but the place is perfect for learning and is very safe.

We are tacking to the southern end of the Santa Maria island, keeping close to its shore – the traffic is definitely smaller there. At this point we can hear or see two donkeys living alone on the island.

Around the southern tip of the island, we might cross an ancient Phoenician underwater road. It has been here for nearly 3000 years and leads from the kite spot (where the Phoenicians once buried the dead) to the Mozia island, where they had their little town (you can visit it one day by the way). The road was under water from the beginning, so that the chariots could pass it, yet it wasn’t visible to the enemy. But from the perspective of a kitesurfing board it is quite visible.

 

 

main riding and teaching area

 

BEHIND THE SANTA MARIA ISLAND

 

From this point we sometimes go further south for a joyful 30-kilometer downwinder along the Marsala Salinas, but this is not a plan for today, because we have south wind.

So we’re riding north, this time at the back of Santa Maria island. From now on, we are going carefree with the wind.
The Isola Grande island still separates us from the open sea. And that’s good, because the water is still flat, shallow, warm, and at the same time nobody or almost nobody is here.
This place gives a sense of not only isolation, but wilderness. We can hear crickets everywhere. Both islands are uninhabited, so their shore is naturally formed. You can smell thyme and pine trees in the air.

 

spot lo stagnone, lo stagnone kite spot, lo stagnone kitesurfing spot

view on the Santa Maria island

 

FREESTYLE SPOT

 

At the northern end of Santa Maria island we find the freestyle spot. We can ride around it non-invasively or join the company, temporarily switching from freeride to freestyle.

This place is a freestyle corner for a reason. At this point, the water is the flattest. We will not exaggerate saying that the surface is like glass.
If no one is in the area at the moment, it’s worth staying here for a while.
The feeling of cutting absolutely flat water is extraordinary. It is accompanied by complete silence, maybe only a quiet vibration.

However, keep in mind that the freestyle spot works best with north wind.

 

north tip of Santa Maria island – freestyle spot

 

BRIGHT GREEN OF THE UNDERWATER LAWN

 

Surface flat as glass is one of the special things that we experience while kitesurfing in Lo Stagnone, and the northern end of Santa Maria island is not the only area of perfect flat. We go just a little further north, and we reach a place where the water is very shallow, flat and completely green. Just below the surface, dense and not very tall grasses grow. Due to the low water level, we are leaning backwards, which gives a feeling of flight just above the bright green lawn. With fins and the edge of the board we cut lines, which remain intact for a long time. Also in this place we are accompanied by silence and a sense of stable, constant slide.
A crush in this grass is not unpleasant. The bottom is soft and also this is probably the warmest point of the bay.

 

underwater lawn on the way to San Teodoro

 

THE PLACE WHERE LO STAGNONE BAY MEETS THE TYRRHENIAN SEA

 

Riding further north we reach San Teodoro quite quickly. It’s a place where people come to sunbathe tempted by water colors and big shallows. It’s also a place where the Tyrrhenian Sea flows into the bay – here the Lo Stagnone spot begins (while the end is somewhere around Mozia Island).

And here, bright green grass is replaced by white sand. Thanks to it, the water takes on a shade of pool blue (at the depth to the knees) and turquoise (at the depth to the waist). Slight waves appear. If there are no people in the water, it is worth staying here a little. In this area we can spot flamingos, ospreys and other cool birds, because it’s an ornithological reserve.

 

shallows of San Teodoro 

 

SALT PONDS IN SAN TEODORO

 

On one side of the shallow we have the mainland, on the other – a tip the Isola Grande island. Here are the pink pools. The later in the season it is, the more intense the colors are. The water is pink, orange, brick red, and only narrow dykes divide it from the shades of blue.
We recommend riding in salt ponds only for fearless riders – depth is measured in centimeters here, and just below the surface sharp salt bars crystallize.
Nevertheless, riding next to salt ponds is already magical.

A short edit from our pink session – here

 

San Teodoro pink ponds

 

KITESURFING IN LO STAGNONE AND AZURE TAHITI

 

San Teodoro is a place where our bay meets the sea and, trying to break even further north, that is into the open sea, we have to go through the chop. It’s not difficult, but at this stage it’s no longer completely safe. We enter the open, wavy sea, and because the wind is southern, we face an off-shore situation.

Many kitesurfers, however, get here, because from this point we take a turn west and we end up in so-called Tahiti.
The south wind is the best condition here. For sure not for safety reasons, but the water is completely flat (despite being in the open sea), the wind is constant, the water is shallow, the bottom is sandy, and the colors are as the name of the place indicates.

Tahiti is an option for a group trip, we don’t recommend going there alone. It’s also probably the most rewarding place for a session with GoPro or a drone that Lo Stagnone spot has to offer, and above all guarantees an unforgettable session.

 

turquoise waters of Tahiti

 

From Tahiti, we can ride upwind back to the spot or ask someone to drive to San Teodoro and pick us up.
What’s important, San Teodoro is visible from our base, so we’re not talking about long distances.

 

If you have been kitesurfing in Lo Stagnone, but you haven’t explored its nooks, then the above trip is a must-do.

If you’ve never been kitesurfing in Sicily, maybe this text will prompt you to check this place.
And it’s worth remembering, that there are as many reasons to visit Sicily, as there are shades of its water.

 

 

 

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December 13th, 2019|0 Comments
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