IT’S ON AT NITON!
IT’S ON AT NITON!
IT’S ON AT NITON!
After battling through gusty wind, strong tides and long periods of tricky sailing, Ross Williams was finally rewarded at his home break. What began as a tough, drawn-out session at Niton the conditions turned on, into a rare down-the-line window…It was a magic just 20 to 30 minutes where everything clicked. No crowds, no surfers, just hometown conditions delivering a handful of special moments that made the grind worth it.
Click on any photo to scroll and enlarge…Best viewed on the big screen!
Photos John Carter and Pete Box.
JOHN CARTER
Sun, wind, and waves at Niton…close to home on the Isle of Wight. Honestly, what more could you ask for?
After plenty of winter strike missions to the mainland, it was finally time for a spot just twenty minutes from my front door to deliver the goods. WNW winds, a 2.5m swell, and the promise of clear skies after months of rain made this forecast a no-brainer. Staying local and shooting one of my favourite breaks felt long overdue.
STAY LOCAL
Right down on the southern tip of the island, at the end of a winding, bumpy track, sits a raw and rugged bay that feels like stepping back in time…a place to properly escape-from the daily grind. When it is on, Niton is also a seriously epic windsurf spot.
The thing with Niton is that it can be fickle. The waves often hit the bay slightly diagonal to the wind, bending away just as riders go for the lip. Still fun but it can be frustrating…however when the wind and swell line up perfectly for cross-offshore riding, it is rare. When it does happen though, Niton turns from moody to magic very quickly.
The launch doesn’t mess about either. Rocky, wavey, no sandy beach…just one small keyhole at the bottom of the track. If things go wrong here, there’s a very real chance of swimming for survival!
Aside from the stars lining up and the conditions coming together favourably, a big outgoing spring tide was the one potential spoiler in the mix. That said, either way it was all shaping up to be a solid day of wave sailing…Niton style.
IT IS ON!
When we arrived, the waves were already solid. The tide had just turned, the lineup was cleaning up nicely, and there was only one surfer in the water…always a welcome bonus. Ross Williams took his time rigging his trusty 4.8m Gaastra Manic and Tabou Da Curve 88L before heading down to launch, while I readied the cameras.
For the first thirty minutes the wind was light on the inside, and Ross struggled to connect with the waves. Then the wind flicked in…it was game on. Suddenly Ross was flying around the bay and steadily clocking up his wave count.
After an hour or so of wrestling with being overpowered and dealing with waves bending away, Ross came in for a breather while the conditions settled. He had a gut feeling things were going to turn on later in the afternoon.
Niton is an epic spot to watch the action unfold, so we kept a close eye on things as the tide drained out and the waves began breaking further down the bay. Ross patiently sipped on his green tea, waiting for the moment. When the sets started firing and the wind swung a touch more offshore, that was the cue. Time to ride.
It wasn’t long before Ross was back in the thick of it. The sun punched through the dark clouds in short bursts, bringing with it some stronger gusts. He picked off the better sets and scored some solid rides despite the ever-tricky conditions. Eventually, the clouds won their battle with the sun…but just as the weather turned for the worse, the sailing turned on.
UNICORN SESSION!
All of a sudden the wind eased slightly, flicked into the perfect direction, and solid sets began hitting the reef. Ross had grinded it out and was now in his element, picking off the best sets and deservedly scoring a proper cross-off, epic window of sailing.
As quickly as it arrived, the magic faded, signalling it was time to come in. Back at the beach, Ross was grinning ear to ear after making the most of that short but special opportunity. With spirits high, it seemed only polite to accept his offer of an après-windsurf debrief at the Spyglass Inn on the way home to Ventnor.
All in all, an refreshing pint of Guinness was the perfect way to top off an epic day at the local.
ROSS WILLIAMS
“It felt like three sessions in one. We rocked up and it was quite offshore…high tide, windy out the back and fat waves…just a standard Niton session in survival mode. Then the tide dropped, the waves started to shape up and what looked average from the land turned into proper head-high sets. I was totally out of control at first, but the wind flicked to west-northwest and suddenly it took the edge off on the wave.
I had this 20–30 minute window that was unreal…proper down-the-line, bottom turn and hit the lip stuff, which we don’t get that often here. I was out nearly three hours for that half hour where everything clicked and that was the moment bit that lights the fire for me as a windsurfer again.
I was on my usual 4.8 and 88-litre board…normally I’m over or under-powered on it, but in that moment it was perfect. Not scary, just fun. Hometown vibes, no one out, no surfers… a total unicorn session.”
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