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Few places I’ve travelled to have left such an imprint on me the way Israel has. My short time in the country left me constantly in awe and wonderfully surprised around every corner.
To experience such diversity, history, beauty, culture and energy all packed into one small country sure was eye opening - From the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, The Deserts to The Mountains and from the Old cities to the New cities - Israel truly has it all.
We got to experience the beauty of Israel with our amazing Billabong Family - The best hosts of all time!
We stayed in the city of Tel Aviv - a cool, buzzing city on the beach and the doorstep to Mediterranean Sea. Like everyone, we quickly fell in love with the city - The people, the food, the mix of modern and historic areas throughout the city, the buzzing beaches and course the cool bars and restaurants. (***We can confirm everyone in Tel Aviv truly knows how to have a good time !!!!).
I had seen and heard little bits about the surf scene in Israel before my trip but once I arrived I immediately felt and understood just how big, thriving and passionate the surf community really is.
We checked out the 1st ever Tel Aviv Surf Film festival (https://www.instagram.com/tlvsurffest/) - With 2 nights of packed out cinemas you could really see and feel the energy and excitement from the local surf scene and just how much surfing means to the country.
We spent our first morning surfing with the local kids at HAHGAL SHELI an amazing organisation and educational program which has helped empower and unite 1000s of kids in Israel through surfing.
Billabong Israel had organised a lunch with a group of amazing local women all doing inspiring things and paving the way for the next generation of Israeli women in the surf, art and fashion world. It's always so amazing to meet people on the other side of the world and feel and immediate connection through our love for surfing and the ocean - and food and wine ;)
Although Israel is located in the far eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea the location means that storms generated in the Med hit the coastline with fun waves all year round - Summer is usually wind swell but winter swells can be amazing. When there are no waves the locals have plenty of other options when it comes to surfing - We checked City Wave Israel - A Standing wave pool at Mall hof village.
I realised quickly my surfing is much more suited to the Ocean (haha) but was blown away by how good the locals and groms (and Parko) were at surfing the wave. We also spent a morning wake surfing in the Sea of Galilee - A big lake in the middle of the country which was absolutely beautiful.
After all our surfing we spent an afternoon floating in the lowest place on earth the Dead Sea. The 30% salt density in the water means you literally float on the surface and the high amount of minerals in the water and mud are said to be amazing for the skin.
The other highlights of our trip were exploring the beautiful Old Cities - Jaffa and Jerusalem. It’s hard not to feel the momentous history in the air in both cities with Jaffa being one of the oldest Ports in the World and Jerusalem ‘the holy land’ full of ancient history, architecture and culture - A majestic place to see and feel.
Our trip to Israel was short but oh so sweet. I don’t think we could have packed more into our 4 days if we tried … The people and energy of Tel Aviv made us feel at home and welcomed us in with open arms. What an amazing place. I’ll be back soon Israel!
