Arnon Dagan (Tabou / Gaastra) is one of the finest slalom sailors on the PWA world tour. He has had an extremely exciting career where he has achieved a huge amount on the PWA slalom tour and when competing in Formula. We caught up with Dagan to find out a little more.

PWA: Firstly, what are your thoughts on the 2011 season and how would you rate your result?
Dagan: "2011 was a hard year for me regarding results and far from what I want and know I can achieve in PWA slalom. However I found comfort in my Formula windsurfing results and this reminded me again that when all parameters are coming together I can be dangerous to anyone including the very top guys in PWA Slalom."

PWA: How long have you been windsurfing?
Dagan: "About 20 years now with some brakes in between."

PWA: Who has been you biggest influence on your sailing?
Dagan: "Apart from the usual windsurfing icons I got my biggest influence from people that made it by themself and didn't come from money. People Like Ross Williams, Peter Volwater, Finian Maynard, Benny Van Der Steen and so on, just guys that made it as a result of pure talent and fighting for doing the sport they love no matter what, and how hard it was and still is. I like to think that if they made it I that can do it too."

PWA: What would you be doing if you weren't windsurfing?
Dagan: "Probably making music or inventing cool projects and trying to make them happen, but you can do all that together with windsurfing as well and that's what I'm trying to do anyway."

PWA: Where is your favorite place to windsurf and why?
Dagan: "I had the best sessions of my life in Maui, Chile and my home beach Bat Galim, Israel the home of the Storm Rider wave event.

PWA: What is your favorite move and why?
Dagan: "I like pushloops because I seem to land them easy (-: but there is nothing like a good bottom turn and top turn on a big wave, hitting the lip full power or leaving some big old spray."

PWA: What move did you find the hardest to learn and why?
Dagan: "For me a normal jibe is still the hardest move in windsurfing. To come out clean and planing every time, in every conditions is harder then a forward loop or other jumps and tricks that I find easy to do.
However I can't do goiters and the rest of the sick stuff the guys are doing today so my answer is compered to my level."

PWA: What new moves are you currently learning?
Dagan: "I am a Slalom sailor so nothing new, but I dream of new wave moves all the time and I have a few in mind, maybe one day I'll be crazy enough to try them."

PWA: How do you learn your moves? Videos? Watching others?
Dagan: "I am a slalom sailor so I just try to figure out why some competitors have advantage over me, what they eat, how they train and so on and then I do my best to change myself and get better in every parameter."