SHANE DORIAN, BENJAMIN SANCHIS & ERIC REBIERE PADDLE INTO EUROPEAN SURF HISTORY
Friday 18 Jan, 2013 (Hossegor France,)
Billabong
Adventure Division’s latest project to the Portugal’s big-wave spot of
Nazaré has resulted in Shane Dorian, Eric Rebiere and Benjamin Sanchis
surfing some of the biggest waves ever paddled into in Europe. On Friday
11th January, all three surfers caught some giant waves, with Dorian
flying in from his home in Hawaii for the one day and further cementing
his reputation as the premier big-wave surfer in the world.
“As far as intensity, power and size goes you could compare this wave to anywhere, whether it’s Cortez Bank, Jaws or Mavericks,” Dorian said afterwards. “The
waves I saw today were absolutely enormous and if you had paddled into
the biggest waves today, you would have paddled into the biggest wave
ever paddled. I have no doubt about that.”
Over
the last few years Nazaré has become recognized as one of the premier
big wave locations in the world. It was here that Hawaiian Garret
McNamara rode a wave in May 2012 that has been registered as the biggest
wave ever surfed, measuring at 78 feet high.
McNamara
used jetski assistance to catch the wave however, while Dorian, Sanchis
and Rebiere elected to paddle the infamous wave, a beachbreak with no
real channels or defined peak.
“It is so scary and so dangerous, but it has everything,” said Dorian. “It’s
super intense, super technical, big, gnarly, spooky, you know all
things we love about big wave surfing. And to surf it with Eric and
Sancho, who are a classic guys and did so well out there, was really
special. François Leits and the Billabong Adventure Division also made
it all happen so I’m just super stoked to have been a part of it.”
“This is just the start for us,” said Rebiere. “That
was the first time I had paddled Nazaré at that size. Both Sancho and I
learned a lot from Shane, from his equipment to his whole approach. We
are keen to keep paddling this wave and keep improving. The potential is
huge.”
While
Nazaré has come to the forefront of the big wave surfing over the last
few years, its offshore deepwater canyon concentrating huge swells onto
the break, this session was historic in terms of paddling. Dorian,
Sanchis and Rebiere proved that one of Europe and the world’s best and
most gnarly big wave spots can be approached with paddle power only.
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