u/Caliban_Viperox

Our SUP season here in Northern Italy is slowly coming to an end.

To fight the end-of-season blues, I wanted to share some pictures from our coastal trip to Tropea, Calabria and the surroundings.

Early september we took our boards to Calabria and paddled the "Coast of the Gods" across 3 distinct tours—from the cliffs of Tropea and (the wild waters) around Capo Vaticano to our favoeite spot at Spiaggia di Michelino.

I mostly made videos on this trip, so not a lot of pictures. Made on 4th of september 2026.

• ​Route: From San Nicola Arcella to Isola di Dino (Calabria, Riviera dei Cedri, Italy)

• ​Distance: 8,33km (5,18mi)

• ​Board Setup: Bluefin Cruise 10.8+Starboard Enduro; Aqua Marina Hyper 11,6 + Starboard Lima

• ​Launch: 7.40 AM (crucial for beating tour boats)

Early Start: at San Nicola Arcella Beach (you could shorten the trip, when starting at Praia a Mare)

• ​Starting as soon as possible from San Nicola Arcella is important. The coastline gets heavily crowded in high season. By 09:30 AM, dozens of tour boats&motorboats.

• Starting at (right after) dawn gives you complete solitude.

​Route:

Cross the short channel from the mainland to the eastern tip of Dino Island and begin preferably a counter-clockwise loop.

Sea Caves ("Grotte"): Lot's of spectacular sea caves, f.ex Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) and Grotta del Leone. Early morning light enters the caves (they're on the south east side), turning the water turquoise (and most of all without any boat exhaust fumes inside)

​There's also some Lore (and we love that):

Isola di Dino is an  abandoned Resort Island (kind of a Lost Plsce)

On the island are the decaying ruins of a 1970s luxury resort complex (built during an era of private development attempts by the Agnelli family/Fiat Automobiles).

Seeing these concrete structures rotting gives the island a eerie, post-apocalyptic feeling. When we completed the turn around the idland i docked and took a walk on the old dock.

Important: the western side of Isola di Dino is open to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Even iif it was a calm/windstill day, we were surprised by the swell/waves.

On the way back we made a pit stop at the Big Arch (Arcomagno)

Just south of the launch point is the famous Arco Magno—a massive natural rock arch with a hidden cove and beach.

Lot's of people, very touristy. Big Tour boats were passing us on the way (also closely), they stop at a beach nearby and release hordes of brainless day trippers who make noise and chaos. You must buy a ticket to enter the cave from the land by a steep walk. We didn't even bother entering it. But it was nice to see.

I guess in autumn/spring it's lonely and beautiful.

But isola di dino is highly recommended when you're in this part of italy.

Follow up post to the west coast tour report:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Sup/s/iGWFMNPcUx

Route Summary: https://www.relive.com/view/vPv4wy4mERq

• ​Distance: 10.5 km (6.53 miles)

• ​Duration: 2h 21min (active moving time, excluding breaks)

• ​Start: 8:00 AM | Cala dell'Acqua (West Side)

• ​Finish: Spiaggia Giancos (East Side, near the minor harbor)

• ​Board Setups: Aqua Marina Hyper 11'6" + Starboard Carbon Lima M | Bluefin Cruise 10'8" + Starboard Carbon Enduro M

• ​Essentials: 4.5L water, 50+ sunscreen, snorkeling masks, and we had 2x JBL Clip 5 speakers with us (paired in Stereo Mode)

Route:

• ​Wild Start (West Coast to North Tip): We launched at 8:00 AM from Cala dell'Acqua into a 3.5 km (2.17 mi) wild ride. More exposed to the open sea, the rough chop and moderate current required complete focus and real physical effort—no chance to stop for photos here! Rounding the lonely, rugged northern tip at Punta d’Incenso was a awe-inspiring highlight that made us feel like true explorers.

• ​East Coast: As soon as we rounded the northern tip, the conditions transformed completely. Calm waters, every stroke felt effortless. Early morning sun lit up the water.

• ​The eastern coast felt livelier, with small boats anchored overnight in the calm bays and plenty of buoys perfect for tying up to snorkel. A highlight was seeing the massive Royal Clipper passenger sailing ship resting at anchor from the distance.

• ​We wrapped up the tour at Spiaggia Frontone for a couple of well-earned beers and a great chat with the local bagnino, who couldn't believe we had paddled all the way around the northern cape from the west coast. From there, we paddled to our exit point at Spiaggia Giancos, making sure to avoid the main harbor.

​Tour Tips

• ​Early Start: Catching the 7:10 AM bus to Cala dell'Acqua worked well, but during peak season (July/August), aim for the 6:00 AM or 6:30 AM bus to beat the heat and boat traffic.

• Inside the main commercial port SUPing is prohibited. Terminate your route at Spiaggia Giancos or Spiaggia Frontone.

First time posting a tour. We just came back from the isle of Ponza in Italy.

We paddled the west and the east coast in two different days. The landscape was incredible—huge sea cliffs, natural arches, and hidden caves with insanely clear water. West coast is a lot rougher, wilder and more adventurous.

• ​Distance: 11.3km/7.02 miles

• ​Duration: 2.22h (without brakes)

• ​Conditions: calm, mild chop, strong boat waves at the southtip of the island

• ​Board Setups: Aqua Marina Hyper 11,6 + Starboard Carbon Lima M, Bluefin Cruise 10,8 + Starboard Carbon Enduro M

Tour planning/Navigation: ABSOLUTELY early morning start, we took a bus from Ponza Porto at 7.10 AM to our access point CALA DELL'ACQUA (we were ready at 8am)

We took 1 pump and sup backbags with us.

In high season: july/august i would recommend taking the bus at 6.30am.

IMPORTANT: heavy boat traffic will build up from 10am

EXIT POINT: Punta della Guardia (under the lighthouse)

Watch out: hike of approx 2.5km back to Ponza Porto (steep, rocky, heat)

We visited also Bagno Vecchio and returned to the abandoned mole under punta della guardia.

Additional: we brought 4,5liters of water, sunblocker, of course water shoes (have to be "robust" for the hike at the end).

Link to the Relive (basic version): https://www.relive.com/view/vLqeY4QyEdq

​Happy to answer any questions about the route or logistics if anyone is planning a trip to the Pontine Islands in the future. I can also do a summary of the East coast if anyone is interested for future adventures.