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Talent
Arthur Bourbon
Like Reunion Island and Tahiti, the Caribbean has fast become another fertile talent pool for French surfers in the last couple of years. Arthur Bourbon stands tall among a new generation of surfers from the island of Guadeloupe whose sights are for the first time firmly fixed on the WQS. Born in Guadeloupe into a family of surfers (both his mum and dad surf), Arthur first tried surfing aged five. Since then he has worked his way up through the ranks, doing local contests, nationals and rounding his school years off by joining the Pole France (French surf team) before passing his baccalaureate in 2005.
Hector Menendez
Originally from Oviedo, midway along the north coast of Spain, Hector’s now been living in Fuerteventura for ten years. Currently he’s studying biology in La Laguna, Tenerife (although admits he’s ‘taking it easy’ this year) where island life suits him fine. ‘Life’s great in Fuerteventura and there’s not much to complain about in Tenerife either, the people are cool in both places.’ His first taste of surfing came at Doniños in Galicia aged 6 on a windsurf board.
Mario Azurza
"Mario's got a really smooth style," reckons friend, team-mate and fellow Zarautz homeboy Aritz Aranburu, speaking in the office of the town's surfclub. "He’s really good at reading the wave, good positioning, and with how skinny he is, he surfs like Rob Machado." (Mario laughs).
Caroline Sarran
"There's still a long way to go yet," reckons Caroline Sarran on her surfing career, a prudent statement from someone who's about to become the most successful female surfer in Europe. From a lengthy list of competitive highs one particular performance stands out: Cloudbreak 2004, aged 19, Caroline received a wildcard for the WCT event and took the opportunity talent nearly all the way, winning the trials and ending fifth in the main event taking out now seven-time World Champ Layne Beachley on the way.
Romain Laulhé
It’s as Romain makes his way from a contest in South Africa to another in Portugal that he finally finds a few minutes to answer our questions. This young entrepreneur, as he likes to call himself, turned pro a few years ago and already has a pretty hectic timetable for someone his age.
Reubyn Ash
Reubyn Ash has been a shining beacon in an average sea ever since the day he put his toes in the chilly north Cornish waters around his hometown of Bude. He’s won pretty much everything going since the age of 12. He has more championship wins than fingers. He’s landed more 360 airs than he has toes and drops turns with a style the envy of, dare I say it, every surfer in the nation.
Jean-Jacques Billard
Getting here: I started surfing when I was 12 in Rio de Janeiro. My mum’s Brazilian and my dad’s French. My mum used to surf so that’s how I got into it. Then my parents split up and I came to France with my mum in 1996. Initially we moved to Paris but I hated it there and the following year I moved back to Brazil to live with my dad for a year.
Nicolau von Rupp
This may all sound a bit familiar, a young German goofyfoot from Portugal, sponsored by Quiksilver, causing a stir in the Juniors… Nicolau von Rupp’s story so far sounds remarkably similar to a certain M. Lipke’s. He’s another one of those Euro golden boys, whose parents of mixed nationalities moved to a warm, wavey part of the Continent to breed rippers.
João Guedes
Born in Cascais, João moved to Porto with his family shortly afterwards and started surfing with his dad at four-years-old. He still lives in Portugal’s second city, close to some classic empty line-ups and far away from the big crowds. The drawback to that is being away from the best surfers in the main surfing areas; Lisbon, Cascais, Ericeira, and Peniche.
Duru the Damager
You can tell Joan Duru is serious about his surfing. He has the support of his whole family too, who continuously drive him around from spot to spot, videoing him for later scrutiny. As a member of the best surf club in France with one of the finest beach breaks in the world on his doorstep, it’s plain to see why a successful pro career is in the making.
Made Adi Putra ‘Bol’
With his uncle running the Komala Indah hotel right by Kuta Beach when he was a boy, Bol befriended many of the foreign visitors, and it was only a matter of time before one of them gave him a snapped board which he fixed up and began riding. That first board stayed in one piece for over two years, and would prove to be a major turning point in a ten-year-old Balinese kid’s life.
Emiliano Cataldi
Emi Cataldi started surfing twenty years ago at a beach break south of the Eternal City, and has never looked back: “My dad took me to ride some glassy little waves on our windsurf boards, I’ve never set foot back on a windsurf board since,” Emi recalls. Unsurprisingly, surfing in Italy requires a fair bit of driving around, chasing generally short-lived swells all over the famous bootleg.
Josh Ward
Not really one for encounters of the coloured jersey, Josh Ward prefers to spend his time free-surfing for photos, or lifeguarding at Chapel Porth near his home in St Agnes, Cornwall. ‘I work the summer season here to save up,’ Josh explains, ‘And then it’s off to warmer climes in the autumn.’
Hugues Oyarzabal
Originating from the frontier town of Biriatou, Hugues learned to surf at the nearby beach of Hendaye, and soon developed a taste for all types of waves, “I’m always looking to try different things. I hate the idea of having a surf routine. For example, I’ll surf a single fin at Lafiténia one day, boost airs at a beachbreak another, or take a gun and go to Guéthary or somewhere. I like mixing it up.”
Norman Landa
Norman Landa hails from the classy Basque city of San Sebastian – famous for hot she-mulleted senoritas, tapas and late night partying. The soft rollers of the La Concha bay gave him his very first rides at around age 5 or 6, but Norman remembers at first that his whole family bar his mum were set against it.