Cyclone Harry Turned Tel Aviv Into A Surf City

When Cyclone Harry swept across the western Mediterranean late last month, the intense winds created heavier seas than most can ever remember across the coastal areas from southern Italy to Malta and Spain. The storm was actually deemed a “medicane” — essentially a Mediterranean hurricane system — generating strong pressure gradients and powerful offshore swells that created huge waves in unlikely places like Greece, Rome, and Israel.

The storm also caused substantial wind, rain, and flooding across southern Europe. Parts of Sicily and Calabria experienced severe weather resulting in damage and evacuations. But as parts of the coast were ravaged by destructive waves, other places, like Tel Aviv, rejoiced in the incredibly rare solid surf

Israel

I recently learned that Israel, despite being in an enclosed sea that rarely hosts good surf, is home to the highest capita of surfers in the world. Of their some 9 million inhabitants, there are an estimated 300,000 surfers.

They're notorious for traveling far and wide--Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Hawaii--since the waves at home aren't often more than crumbly wind swell. Cyclone Harry provided a rare opportunity to score pumping surf right at home.

The following images were contributed by photographer Amit Schestowitz.