Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
President Trump visits flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues Chevron right
New flash flood threat looms in Texas as heat scorches recovery zone. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

78°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

78°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

Coast Guard springs into action to save kite surfer

A kite surfer looking for some recreational fun off Italy’s Sicilian coast got more than he bargained for when the weather conditions changed abruptly.

By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Nov 4, 2021 11:59 AM EDT | Updated Nov 5, 2021 1:39 PM EDT

Copied

Crews rescued a kite surfer who ended up stranded in the water after conditions suddenly changed off the coast of Sicily, Italy, on Nov. 2.

For most people living and working on land, the difference between a calm day and a breezy day will not significantly impact, or bring danger to, their daily lives. It's a completely different story out on the water, where even slight changes in the overall weather conditions can sometimes lead to dangerous results.

One person hitting the waves just off Italy's Sicilian coast learned this lesson the hard way on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, a kitesurfer took to the water off the coast near Pozzallo, a popular tourist destination in the warmer months, but his thrill ride quickly became serious after a sudden shift in the weather.

A search and rescue mission was deployed and lasted for five hours before the man was finally located and brought to safety, according to the Guardia Costiera, Italy's coast guard.

Guardia Costiera via Storyful

Coordinates from the dramatic rescue footage placed the kitesurfer just over 2 miles from the nearest coast at the time of his rescue.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The man survived by clutching onto his kitesurfing board for hours until help arrived under the cover of darkness. After finally being pulled into a rescue boat on Tuesday evening, the man was taken back to dry land to receive medical assistance.

Like any water sport conducted on the open sea, kitesurfing is highly subject to the whims of Mother Nature. Slight variations in the overall weather pattern can take a fun day on the water and turn it into a terrifying, hours-long ordeal in just moments.

As the name implies, the sport of kitesurfing involves surfing with the aid of kites. Depending on the strength of the wind, kitesurfers swap out both kite size and line length to fit the appropriate conditions.

Typically, stronger winds mean only smaller kites are required, while on days that are less windy, larger kites may be required in order to surf.

On Tuesday, forecasters say conditions just off the southern Sicilian coast shifted quickly during the afternoon hours.

"The early afternoon saw stronger winds blow near the surface, which may have pulled the kitesurfer farther out to sea than he originally intended," AccuWeather Meteorologist Niki LoBiondo explained.

"Wind speeds near the surface decreased quickly as the afternoon continued."

The combination of a lack of stronger winds and a great distance from shore likely led the kitesurfer to run out of options and become stranded quickly.

MORE TO EXPLORE:

Twin meteor showers to send fireballs streaking through November sky
Tropical Storm Wanda may be the last gasp for hurricane season
Storm leaves city looking like middle of winter on 86-degree day
Eerie fog shrouds Moscow landmarks, cancels hundreds of flights

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

President Trump visits flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

Jul. 11, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Thunderstorms to fuel flash flooding threat in Texas

11 hours ago

Weather News

President Trump visits flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues

9 hours ago

Weather News

Camp Mystic’s owner warned of floods for decades

19 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Is your house in a flood zone? This map has the answer

14 hours ago

Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

18 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

14 hours ago

Weather News

Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrates her first birthday

18 hours ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

18 hours ago

Business

Samsung is looking into more AI devices potentially including earrings...

18 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

1 day ago

AccuWeather Weather News Coast Guard springs into action to save kite surfer
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...