Our beach village of La Marsa (Arabic for ‘port’) sits along the northwest flank of the Gulf of Tunis, with Carthage and its famous ruins a mile away. Looking out on the Strait of Sicily, the busiest shipping lane in the southern Mediterranean, we’re doubly sheltered: first by the wider Gulf and second by our little Gammarth Bay nestled within it. But scale is deceptive, of course, and standing here on the beach this grander geography is imperceptible without a map.
Across the entire northern coast, sea states conform to seasons. Storms and rough conditions are common in winter, replaced by strong latitudinal trade winds and flatter chop in summer. For sea kayakers, this means decent cold-water surf in winter and long downwinders that crisscross the bay in summer. Local water hazards are few, mainly coral reefs, and urban pollution. Tides and rip currents are minimal.
Old port, Bizerte
This past May with Ramadan in full swing, surf season winding down, and water temps still pleasantly chilly, I started scanning forecasts for a westerly blow suitable for a two-day downwinder from Bizerte back to La Marsa, about 44 nautical miles or 80 km.
Read the rest of this trip report here. Originally appeared in "Coast Busters," the Cross Currents newsletter for mid-Atlantic paddlers (USA).
