Riccardo Marca (Fanatic / Duotone) may not have originally envisaged becoming a professional windsurfer seeing as the Italian is from a predominately light wind area of Italy. However, his passion for the sport was evident from the very first moment he stepped on a board and that passion and natural talent for the sport led him to where he is today – competing on the PWA Freestyle World Tour. You can find out more about the 23-year-old below…

Hey Riccardo, can you take us back to the memory of your very first windsurf experience – where were you?

I will never forget my first step on a windsurfing board, I was in Soma Bay, Egypt, with my family for a  holiday, and I loved it from the first moment. 

When was it? 

It was during Christmas holidays in December 2008.

With who were you?

I was with my dad, my brother and some family friends. 

What do you remember from that very first ‘session’? 

I always liked to try out different sports but I remember that windsurfing gave me something more since the very first moment unlike no other sports before. I remember that once the lesson finished I didn’t want to get out of the water, I was already addicted to it. 

Who was your local hero? And why? 

I’m from Rimini, Italy, I’m lucky enough to live close to the sea but my home town is not a famous windsurfing place. There aren’t so many windsurfers there and especially there’s not so much wind. For this reason I was always watching a lot of videos and dreaming about visiting some of these “windsurfing paradise” locations. I always liked Kai Lenny, the Hawaiian prodigious kid. When I started to get more into freestyle I started to admire Gollito for his style and Kiri for his moves, flow and technique.

What gear were you using? 

I pretty much always been riding with Fanatic and North Sails (at that time) [no Duotone] since I was a kid. They have always been my two favourite brands, and I remember how stoked I was getting sponsored by them. 

Describe your feeling when you were planing for the first time…

I was already addicted to windsurfing before it, but when you get planing the first time you get even more addicted, it’s probably the best feeling that windsurfing can give you, I guess that almost every windsurfer can say that.

How did you realise you were becoming a professional windsurfer?

It was not something planned from the beginning, considering the city where I’m coming from there were not so high chances to make it to a professional level, to be honest I was not even thinking about it. But the more I got into the sport, the better I got, until the moment that I thought that I love this sport so much that I could have tried to become a professional windsurfer. Since that moment I had a strong focus on reaching this new goal, and all the passion and commitment brought me to where I am today. I love this sport and I consider myself lucky to be able to make my living out of it. 

Give a tip for the next generation…

If you’re reading this interview it probably means that you already have a strong passion for this amazing sport, and that you already are addicted to it in the same way I am. So my biggest tip is, do not give up on your passions, passions are what keeps us alive and makes us live life to the fullest!

Thanks, Riccardo.