Beyond the crowds

I have found a new passion for surfing in completely remote places, discovering new waves that perhaps no one has ever surfed and feeling the adrenaline of doing something for the first time.

It was then that the saga of searching the map for possible beaches began. Seeing if it was safe to surf, trying to guess if the wave works or not, discovering the best tide, the best swell direction, the wind condition and so much more.

It’s all about the DISCOVERY, that's the word for this phase of my surfing (and life as well). Dealing with that fear of all the risks that “new” involves, along with the dream of surfing a perfect wave all alone. So forget the forecast, beach cam, the help from people to say where there are rocks or dangerous currents. No parking, no shower after surf and often no phone signal in case of an accident. Some would call it madness, some would call it a dream.

“No parking, no shower after surf and often no phone signal in case of an accident…”

First of all, just to be clear, I've definitely never been the type of person who enjoys long walks or heavy trails. I know many people who like it, and I even admire them, but honestly, I never understood much why they did all that effort. I always felt more comfortable paddling for 3 hours than walking for 30 minutes. But life can be ironic. My frustration in surfing in the midst of large crowds, often seeing fights and stress, and lack of respect for others and nature, made me want to escape from everything and reconnect with the true essence of surfing. That I believe everyone can have their own, but everyone agrees that the true spirit of surfing is far from screaming, frowning and violence in the lineup, right?

“But life can be ironic and my frustration in surfing in the midst of large crowds, made me want to escape from everything and reconnect with the true essence of surfing…”

It was then, together with my partner, we discovered a little piece of paradise, somewhere on the “European coastline”, a beach that seems to have come straight out of the movie "Lord of the Rings". At first glance, it looked like Indonesian perfection with cold water. Perfect lines, a right on one side, a left on the other and a giant channel in the middle to reach the outside without even wetting my hair. It sounds like a fisherman's story but I'll prove it in my next video!

“At first glance, it looked like Indonesian perfection with cold water…”

However, on that day we didn't have a board and I was just tackling the trail. "But of course, we're going to come back here with a board this week". So that's when the saga began!

There we went 5 attempts, after doing the trail, arriving at the beach and seeing that the conditions didn't fit, again, and again. Where is the “Indonesian perfection” we saw? Sometimes very big or very small, sometimes closeouts, too high tide or a lot of stones in the low tide... And that vision of the perfect lefts breaking by effortlessly didn’t get out of my head.

Finally, after some frustrating attempts, the stars aligned and everything came together. Right tide, right wind, right swell. It seems simple, but having these two extreme forces of nature collaborate is not common in some places.

“There we went 5 attempts, after doing the trail, arriving at the beach and seeing that the conditions didn't fit, again, and again…”

I felt what I haven't felt for a long time! A complete sense of freedom, me and nature, me and the endorphins rushing through my blood. A mixture of fear and pleasure, I didn't know if I was surfing, dancing, or meditating. No crowd in front of me getting in the way, no worries about the hierarchy of the locals, no stress, just surfing… Just the pure essence! How it is, or how it should be.

And the question remains if our planet is covered 70% by water, how many perfect waves are still completely left untouched?

“Just the pure essence! How it is, or how it should be…”

PS: I'm going to show you everything in my first video soon on my upcoming youtube channel about this new hunger for remote places around the world.

Last but not least, there's no point in asking because I won't tell you where it is hahahaha. Go out and explore. Finding it is half the fun. I wish for perfect remote waves for those who have read this far!