Surphang Magazine
Issue 14
Proudly presents
The Pro Show From Lanza With Love Speedy gonzalez! Tenerife Time Champ Chats Bauduin Bags It!
Brits abroad
Ace Fuerteventura
Surphang Magazine
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'Perfection is often sought but rarely achieved.' What makes something perfect? An interesting question you might think. But don't worry we're not going to get all philosophical on you! The answer is easy after all – to coin another phrase 'it's all in the eye of the beholder!' For some a small, fun onshore day at Famara could give the perfect ramps for some big airs whilst for others clean offshore condtions and lovely barrels at Lobos could give some tube time perfection. But what really matters is our constant desire to search out our own picture of perfection and if you can seek and achieve at the same time, then you know you're onto a winner!
So this issue is full of surfers with that ultimate desire to seek out their very own pictures of perfection. 'The Pro Show' profiles Jonathan Gonzalez who gives us his take on how surfing can aspire to perfection. Spanish Champion Alex Bauduin chats with us about his near perfect lifestyle in 'Champ Chats.' Meanwhile, on his recent trip, four times British Champ Harry Timson has found his perfect spot to surf at Papelillo in Lanzarote so shares it with us. And we ourselves have been hoping for better luck this time round as we went looking for perfect waves in Tenerife. The only question left then is whether any of us achieved our very own perfection. To find out simply keep reading and perhaps it will inspire some perfection seeking of your own! What it's all about.... waves! Photo: Stu Gaston
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This Issue's Features
The Pro Show
Champ Chats
On a quick dash over to Tenerife, we managed to catch up with local legend and pro Jonathan Gonzalez.
To many it would seem that Alex Bauduin lives the perfect lifestyle – it's certainly paid of for this Spanish Champion!
Speedy gonzalez!
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Bauduin Bags It!
From Lanza With Love Harry Timson joined Will Davey in Lanzarote where he found a perfect left at Papelillo so they now tell us more in 'Hot Spots.'
This Issue
Tenerife Time
Brits abroad
Ace Fuerteventura
We've been back to Tenerife. The question is did we score any perfect waves this time round – read on to find out!
Some Brits live abroad – can't blame them really! Here's two talented such surfers who are loving life in wave rich lands!
We've heard it can be fun over in Fuerteventura too. So local photographer Christiane Hartl gives us all 'The Goss!'
El Quemao can kick up some killer barrels.... Photo: Stu Gaston
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Welcome to
The Pro Show Speedy Gonzalez! Words & Photos: stu gaston
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SM Jonathan 'Speedy' Gonzalez shoots his tail high into the air.
It is often said that the Canary Islands are Europes's equivalent to Hawaii. In that case, Jonathan Gonzalez is the Canary Island's equivalent to John John Florence! Currently considered to be the islands' best known surfing superstar and certainly one of Europe's very finest surfers, Jonathan has claimed a fair few QS event wins in his career so far and is the islands' best hope of getting a surfer onto the World Tour, even if, and completely opposite to John John Florence, that will be typically true to the islands' lifestyle and very much in its own time!
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Growing up on the west coast of Tenerife, Jonathan's local break, Alcala, is rated as one of the best surfing spots on the island. So although he may be considered a quiet, thoughtful kind of guy on land, as soon as his board hits the water, it's obvious that his surfing is anything but as he brings out an impressive range of technical moves and tricks. Indeed,with his large repertoire of stylish moves, he picked up the award for the best trick during the 2012 edition of the Nixon Surf Challenge.
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SM Jonathan Gonzalez can give an impressive air show.
The Pro Show
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The Pro Show Diferent to traditional competitions, the Nixon Surf Challenge billed itself as being all about having fun in a relaxed atmosphere while showcasing the skills and creativity of some of the world's top upcoming surfers. With a peer-judged scoring system, it was the surfers themselves who decided who would go home with the much sought-after trophy. Showing of some red-hot surfing action, Jonathan was one of the stand out surfers of the entire event.
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SM Jonathan Gonzalez getting vertical on his backhand attack.
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With such competitive accomplishments to his name, many wonder why Jonathan Gonzalez hasn't yet been a name we've seen on Tour. Certainly, at 32, Jonathan's been on the QS a long time, so does he feel the goal of qualifying seems closer or further away? Probably harder but not necessarily further away, you set your own goals and anyone with a very competitive spirit and above average talent can make the tour as we’ve seen in the past. In my case I’m most likely missing some of that killer competitive edge but failing to qualify for the tour isn’t going to stop me from being happy.
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Jonathan Gonzalez jumping off a fun looking ramp.
The Pro Show
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The Pro Show Certainly, with the high levels of surfing we've seen on tour in the past few months, that killer competitive edge seems to matter more than ever. It all seems to come down to that some some guys manage to surf better in heats while others the opposite. So how does Jonathan feel in terms of the percentage of his best surfing he might surf during a heat? If we measured it in percentage terms then it wouldn’t be very high because I have found that in free surfing contest formats where you’re not asked to surf under pressure, for example the Nixon Challenge then I usually fair better than in the traditional 30-minute best-two-wave format. In my case it’s most likely because I feel more relaxed and am just amped to surf without any pressure rather than nervous about making foolish wave priority mistakes or whatever.
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SM Jonathan jumps through a tidy air reverse!
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Gonzalez gouging out a stylish carve!
The Pro Show
Being relaxed and just amped to surf, apart from being a fundamental part of the way Canarians approach surfing, is surely what it's all about and not just the competitiveness of the ASP World Tour. So how does Jonathan address the balance? What is good surfing today? Where will surfing go in ten years? I think in a sense surfing will return to more open-face rail surfing with a smoother style, cleaner lines and better looking, of course all this will be mixed with amazing airs, but not the technical tricks we often see guys doing today with very little style. At least that’s what I’m thinking right now. I’d much prefer to watch a video part filled with great style and fow than just a series of one-manoeuvre waves, there’s no comparison.
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The Pro Show So to the future then. Having been a significant European surfer for the past decade and more, what does Jonathan see as his legacy for surfing in the Canary Islands? After all, it seems seems like there hasn’t been a whole load of young surfers come through from the Canaries compared to say, Reunion Island in the past few years. Why’s that then? Well actually we’re beginning to see a good group of 10- to 15-year-old kids who I think will go far. I’ve always said that there’s a lot of talent but never the know-how to exploit it and brands have nearly always focused on those surfers living closest to France. That said sometimes we have been known to turn away from opportunities, I really hope that this new generation goes far.
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SM Jonathan Gonzalez getting his tail high once more!
Jonathan Gonzalez has certainly been an inspirational ambassador to surfing in the Canary Islands and Europe as well over the recent years. It only remains to be seen as to whether the next generation of surfers live up to the mark of following in his footsteps!
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Champ Chats Bauduin Bags It! Words & Photos: stu gaston
How many of us dream of heading of to surf those sun drenched spots with perfect waves all day long, pretty much every day of the year, let alone living there. So how fortunate is fifteen year old Billabong sponsored rider Alex Bauduin who lives overlooking Playa da las Americas in Tenerife where he gets to surf some of the best waves this southern most of the Canary Islands has to ofer. Well it's certainly a lifestyle that has paid of for Alex as not only is he a talented young surfer, but he's also currently the Under 16 Spanish Champion! Whilst on a recent trip to Tenerife then, we decided we had to catch up with him for a chat.
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SM Alex Bauduin having a fun surf at La Derecha, Tenerife.
So Alex, it could be said you’re living the dream! How then did you actually get into surfing? It was my sister. She’s six years older than me and she started and told me I had to as well or she wouldn’t speak to me anymore! But our aunt surfs too and she now lives in the Philippines. My sister’s been lucky enough to spend some time over there.
So does surfing run in the family? Not really, it’s just me, my sister and my aunt. But my grandad’s an architect and he’s actually built an awesome house out on the North Shore so I’m really hoping I can get to go and meet him one day and surf some of the best waves in the world.
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You’re keen to travel the world and surf Pipeline one day then. But so far, where have you managed to get away to? Well I’ve been to France the past two years. Last year just for a short trip to Anglet as I’d made it to the European finals of the Volcom VQS Championships in the Under 14s. I won the event back at Famara in Lanzarote but unfortunately wasn’t so lucky in France. The year before that I got to go over there for a few weeks in September but that trip was much luckier as I was in Hossegor the same time as the Quiksilver Pro. I met Dane, Kelly, Mick and Julian and just getting to watch all those top guys surfing massive gnarly barrels really made the whole trip for me. I spent the rest of the time surfing an amazing right hand beach break just north of Hossegor itself – so trips like that really make me want to travel even more! Hopefully in a couple of years time when I’m a bit older I can get away more. But for now, I’m quite happy surfing at home and the other islands from time to time.
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SM It's into the air for Alex at Las Palmeras, Tenerife.
CHAMP CHATS
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CHAMP CHATS
So you live in the southern corner of Tenerife. What’s the surf scene like down there? Well we’ve got loads of diferent types of waves. There’s Weko which is a really heavy barrel that works on a north east swell. Most of the winter we get north swells so it’s on most days. Then there’s ten perfect spots from one end of Las Americas to the other with an amazing right hander at Derecha which has to be my favourite wave. In summer on a south swell, La Fitenia can give some sick air sections. So apart from the odd few days, we’ve got amazing waves almost all year round. The vibe in the water can be dominated a bit by the locals but we get all the good waves anyway.
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SM Alex Bauduin carving up his favourite spot, La Derecha in Tenerife.
Funny you mention dominating; you yourself have been dominating the contest scene both over in the Canary Islands and mainland Spain. Tell us a bit more about your past seasons. Well it was two years ago when I had my first win at the Volcom contest in Famara and that was great. After that I won my age group in three of the four Canarian Circuit contests, the first at Gran Canaria and the third and fourth ones at spots in Tenerife. I made third place in the second contest which meant I took the Under 14 title over all. I’d only actually been surfing for a few years before that so I was stoked to have won something so soon.
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And of course you're now the Under 16 Spanish Champion. Talk us through that contest. Well first of all you had to qualify to do the championships and I won the Nationals at Cadiz which meant I got to surf in the Championships in Galicia in October. Conditions for the contest weren’t great but I managed to get through five heats to make the final which went well and I ended up winning with two high scores. You have to overcome some solid surfing from your contenders to win a national title. How do you rate your surfing peers over in the Canaries, Spain and even Europe at the moment? Yeh there’s some really good surfers over here in the Canaries like Saul Torres and then there’s Natxo Gonzales ripping over in mainland Spain. Course as for the whole of Europe there’s some amazing surfers my age like Leonardo Fioravanti.
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SM Alex riding high at Alcala.
CHAMP CHATS
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CHAMP CHATS
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SM Alex works the wave at Alcala.
Now you've achieved your first title then, what's next? What are your goals for 2013? This year I want to head over and do the European Pro Juniors so I’m focusing on doing as well as I can in those. So as we said, you're already living the dream in Tenerife but what's your idea of a perfect trip then? Where would you want to go? Mentawaiis because there’s absolutely the best waves over there.
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Finally, where do you see yourself in five to ten years time then? I’d like to be European Champion while I’m still competing at Junior level but also to have a really good sponsor to help support me in getting as far as I can. Of course I'd also like to be travelling to places like Hawaii and the Mentawaiis and surf some of the best waves around the world!
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SM Alex Bauduin bags a nice air reverse at Las Palmeras.
CHAMP CHATS
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From Lanza With Love Words & Most Photos: stu gaston
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SM Harry Timson having fun on a small, onshore day at Famara, Lanzarote.
Hot Spots
If four times British Champion Harry Timson sent home a postcard every time he travelled away, his mum could probably wallpaper the entire house with them! Fortunately, Charlotte Timson has much better taste than that – she also knows how much travelling has helped her son become the phenomenal force in the future of British surfing that young Hazza has proven himself to be. So when this winter he chose to spend six weeks staying with fellow GB Junior Squad member Will Davey's family in Lanzarote, we knew we had to join them to find out how they rated the waves in Europe's answer to Hawaii!
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Hot Spots
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SM Harry picking out a small fun Famaran peak for punting.
Famara
Will and his family live in Famara on the North-West side of the island, the perfect spot for picking up any swell coming in off the Atlantic. So even on those small days, there would be punch to the waves to get Harry punting!
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Famara Famara itself lies at the southern edge of the beach, facing in a more northerly direction, making it a swell magnet but also more susceptible to onshore winds. Nonetheless, it's a favoured spot for the island's surfers.
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surf at Famara, Lanzarote. SM Fun Photo: The Davey Family
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM Harry Timson takes flight at Famara.
Famara Harry also enjoyed some fun sessions at Famara, mostly on those days when just a small swell was running as the classic beach break gave some well placed ramps from which Harry could bust his ever growing trademark aerial repertoire.
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Famara The beauty of Famara is plain for all to see but to a surfer, it's much more that just the view! From Famara in the south, looking straight across to the island of La Graciosa, the beach sweeps gently around for a good few miles until it ends facing due west under the towering cliffs that continue on to the Mirador del Rio. With swells mostly coming in from the West or North-West, there's always somewhere along this stretch of coast that will be working!
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across to La Graciosa from Famara. SM Looking Photo: The Davey Family
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM As the sun sets on Famara, Harry Timson soars tail high.
Famara Regardless of the conditions, Famara was certainly a firm favourite for Harry, simply because of its perfect puntability, even when the waves were small!
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La Santa Famara may well be a favoured spot for the island's surfers but when it's working, it's La Santa that they all live for! From the infamous El Quemao to the far right point break of Derecha, there's always a solid wave to be found somewhere at La Santa!
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SM La Santa looking good enough to surf!
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM Harry grabs himself a puntable peak at La Santa.
La Santa On a good swell, The Slab itself can pack a hefty punch as its peak offers both lefts and rights perfect for punting!
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La Santa
It's no wonder then that local boy Will Davey loves The Slab: 'The reason I like The Slab most is because there's always a wave you can surf. No matter what the swell is like or the wind, there is something to surf. It's also my favourite wave because it's a left and a right with good air sections!'
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SM Will Davey whacks out a tidy backhand air at The Slab.
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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A big day at La Santa.
La Santa But on those few occasions when La Santa sees a heavy sea really rolling in, then the best spot to surf is the slightly more sheltered Middle Peak where the huge rollers off the right reform into a much more manageable lefthander.
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La Santa
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SM Will Davey brings out his backhand attack at La Santa's Middle Peak.
Hot Spots
This inside Middle Peak may not be what La Santa is famous for but it can offer a fun lefthander, ideal for honing backhand and forehand skills alike.
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Hot Spots
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SM Harry works the left at La Santa.
La Santa Being a lefthander makes it a goofy footer's playground and certainly Harry Timson was having as much fun as he could!
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La Santa
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SM Harry had some fun on the left at La Santa too!
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM Lots of La Santa style fun actually!
La Santa Despite being a fun peak, Harry would always eye out that gem of a wave and deliver the goods to get shot of the session!
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La Santa
Fun aside, the Middle Peak is also a good training wave and it's no wonder that Will Davey's backhand is feared by his competing peers as he's got plenty of powerful lefthanders to hone his waveriding skills.
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SM Meanwhile Will continued to work the wave with his backhand attack.
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM From Papelillo, you can look back over the western side of Lanzarote.
Papelillo Although La Santa may be the wave for which Lanzarote is well known, there are many much lesser known breaks that could easily hold their own on the quality peak stakes. One of those such peaks is Papelillo.
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Papelillo Papelillo lies further north than Famara under the towering cliffs that face due west and thus offer it considerable protection from the prevailing North Westerlies. So if there's a good swell running, you're almost guaranteed a good fun wave!
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SM Harry Timson pulls something else out of his bag of tricks at Papelillo.
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM As well as plenty of punting fun, Harry found the odd barrel too!
Papelillo
This is one of the main reasons why Harry Timson quickly fell in love with this spot, but not the only reason! Surprisingly it was something far closer to home:
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Papelillo 'I like surfing at Papelillo because it's so fun and it's like a warm version of Tolcarne Wedge! And that's probably my favourite spot at home, when I'm there!'
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SM From Tolcarne to Papelillo... where would you rather be?
Hot Spots
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Hot Spots
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SM Harry Timson taking his tail high above his perfect peak at Papelillo.
Papelillo 'Had some sick sessions there and it's just so much fun! No hassle from bodyboarders either! I love lefts and airs so it was a perfect combination, a goofy footers heaven!' So a great mix of three of Lanzarote's 'Hot Spots' but of course the big question is did Harry find his perfect wave? Well hopefully you'll agree, his shots speak for themselves!
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Tenerife Time Words & Photos: stu gaston
The Canary Islands are the best place to head in Europe over the winter months if you're looking for fun, sun and surf. You'd have to be pretty unlucky to get to any one of the four main islands and find it flat at this time of year when the Atlantic is at its most active! Well, turn back twelve months and that's exactly where I found myself – sat on La Fitenia beach in the south of Tenerife willing the half foot waves to build into something better! So when local Pro Junior surfer Lewis Leadbetter and Spanish Under 16 Champion Alex Bauduin invited me back for a second chance to see what Tenerife has to offer, I didn't have to think twice – anywhere was better than home!!
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SM A promising swell starts to show at Las Palmeras, Tenerife.
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surphangaway At first though it looked like being a repeat performance! The forecast initially showed no decent swells but typically plenty of North Easterly winds and so I feared the worse. Our first days didn't bode too well either with trips to the north of the island becoming nothing more than a wild goose chase (or at least a jellyfish hunt as is common for the seas around the islands!). In despair after an eight hour round trip, we returned to the western coast and the island's best reef break, Alcala. After an early morning check when any hints of a swell hadn't materialised, we were now met by the promising signs of something that looked like real waves – Lewis, Alex and local surfer Nacho were in there like swimwear!
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A sight for sore eyes as the swell starts to show at Alcala.
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After spending six months out of the water last year due to a serious knee injury, Lewis Leadbetter has spent every waking moment for the most recent five months in the water getting back to the level at which he'd been. Safe to say, he's definitely back on form and as the swell at Alcala built and the tide filled in, he was grabbing every opportunity to go big in front of the lens!
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SM Lewis Leadbetter likes getting in some air time.
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surphangaway Having spent eight hours driving around the island of Tenerife, imagine my delight as I sat in the sun watching waves like this roll in off the Atlantic at Alcala! Things were starting to look promising for the rest of the week!
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SM As the swell builds, Alcala starts to look like a perfectly shaped peak.
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As the sun began to set at the end of what turned out to be a good first day, the three lads kept going higher and higher, keeping the shutter button busy!
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SM Nacho Sebastian Roman rises nicely above the wave.
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surphangaway Although the three of them soon no longer had the peak to themselves, at least this meant the locals deemed it good enough to be worth surfing and one local who was soon to go in certainly upped the anti in the water!
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SM Alcala picking up to perfection on the incoming swell.
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Local legend Jonathan Gonzalez learnt to surf at Alcala and so when he paddled out to the peak, we all had two things confirmed for us. Firstly that this pulse of swell was perfect for this peak and secondly that things in the water were really about to hot up! Time to go big or go home!
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SM Jonathan Gonzalez goes for it at his local, Alcala.
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surphangaway Next morning it was indeed back home for Lewis, Alex and Nacho but only because their own local break, Las Americas was itself producing some perfect peaks all along the beach! From El Derecha right along to Las Palmeras, the westerly swell was now really doing its thing and creating nothing less than a surfer's playground. So they began with the first session of the day at Alex's favourite, El Derecha.
A welcome sight at El Derecha, Tenerife.
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Nacho needed no excuse to get carving and show how this perfect right hander has helped him become one of the island's top junior surfers.
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SM Nacho kicks out an impressive spray of fan at Derecha.
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Meanwhile, Lewis was typically punting all over the place but keeping a keen eye on his proximity to the rocks protruding at low tide with no intention of repeating his experience of only eleven months before.
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SM Lewis loves his local breaks, grabbing every chance to be out there making the most of it!
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For Alex, although four years younger than his surfing companions, with El Derecha being his favourite wave of all his local spots, he was easily holding his own and proving why he's current Spanish Under 16 Champion!
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SM Alex Bauduin has honed his skills at Derecha over the years.
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Nonetheless, Nacho concluded a great morning session with some powerful carving, keenly aware of his ambitions to do well on the European Pro Junior circuit during the summer of 2013.
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SM Nacho Sebastian Roman works the right at Derecha.
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For the afternoon, with high tide approaching, it was time to head along to Las Palmeras, perfect for punting and brilliant for backgrounds – so I was in my element shooting here! Thankfully the lads didn't disappoint either!
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SM Lewis Leadbetter loves to punt at Las Palmeras.
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From parasoles to flagpoles, there was plenty going on to add some interest to what can sometimes be such a tedious task – I mean, sitting in the sun shooting surfers having fun all day can be quite a tiring pass time you know!
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SM Nacho notches up some air time too.
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No chance of getting bored during this session though as although the waves were smaller at this end of the beach, the puntability rating was most definitely much higher!
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SM Lewis punting all over the place.
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surphangaway On the third day, after enjoying the best of the swell at their local breaks the day before, it was time to travel west again to make the most of what was left at Alcala. Tenerife's top reef break once again came up with the goods leaving me with three frothing teenagers ready to hit the water and go big in front of the lens!
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SM Alcala looking lush!
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Nacho put his powerful style of surfing into practice again, carving up the righthanders.
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SM Nacho with a nice carve at Alcala.
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Lewis meanwhile kept grabbing every opportunity to eye out a nice section and get himself high into the air!
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SM Lewis liking the air sections.
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Lewis landing a rather well executed air reverse!
surphangaway And all his efforts certainly paid off when he pulled this textbook perfect air reverse out of the bag making it third day lucky for Lewis!
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surphangaway
The fourth and final day of my trip to Tenerife was a mixed bag to say the least. Another pulse of swell but from a slightly different direction didn't quite get the breaks of Las Americas firing as they had done earlier in the week and to add to the frustration, what seemed like a plague of jellyfish had pushed in instead. So no sooner did my crew decide to head out at Derecha then they were heading back in with the fear of being stung. This meant there was only one option left – eat pizza while waiting for the tide to push in and pray that Las Palmeras might do its thing!
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SM Another promising swell starts to show at Las Palmeras, Tenerife.
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And finally the repeat performance I'd been expecting did indeed put in an appearance! For a year ago, my last shoot in Tenerife had seen a small pulse of swell hit and kick Las Palmeras into life, offering up some small fun sections for Lewis to punt off and so here we found ourselves once again!
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SM Lewis Leadbetter in fine punting form at Las Palmeras.
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Compared with the perfection we'd found earlier in the week, this session was sadly lacking but in terms of Lewis's determination to end my time in Tenerife on a high, then this shoot definitely delivered the goods!
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SM Lewis spends as much time riding above the wave as he does actually on it!
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After all, how many perfectly executed punts do you see over a perfectly shaped wave like this one? So my Tenerife time was nearing its end and I was more than happy that we had found our own perfect waves this time around!
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SM Lewis goes for one last punt!
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Brits abroad Words & Photos: stu gaston
Lewis Leadbetter
There's nothing new about Brits deciding to leave our temperate shores and head for somewhere warmer but just recently there have been a fair few upcoming British surfers who have returned to our shores and taken the UK Pro Surfing Tour by surprise – Will Davey became the Under 16 Tour Champion in 2011 and Lewis Leadbetter gave the 2010 Pro Junior Champion a run for his money at a crucial point of the contest. So we decided it was time to find out more about these upcoming Brits who seem to be benefitting from a life abroad.
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SM It's no wonder Lewis Leadbetter is loving life with waves lke this!
Hot Shots
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Lewis Leadbetter
Age: 19 Years surfing: 5-6 Where you live: Las Americas, Tenerife Sponsors: Chanclasurf, Nexo Surfboards Local break/s: Las Palmeras
Favourite surfers? John John Florence, Julian Wilson, Dane Reynolds Favourite places to surf? Mentawaii & South Sumatra Favourite surf movies? Who is JOB & Dear Suburbia Favourite surf tricks? Barrels and Airs Favourite board? Nexo Bullseye 5'5�
What got you into surfing? A friend When and how did you become sponsored? Through competing and people seeing me surf What moment are you most proud of in your surfing career so far? Getting blown out a stand up barrel in Bank Vaults (Mentawaii) 119 -
SM Lewis likes barrels just as much as airs!
Hot Shots
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Lewis Leadbetter
Who in surfing inspires you most? All the local rippers
What do you prefer, free surfing or competitions and why? Free surfing but comps are fun as well What song motivates you before a surf? Spaceman - Hardwell When and where was your best surf session? The Peak, South Sumatra
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SM Lewis goes for another big punt!
Hot Shots What's the worst wipeout of your life? Landing an air wrong and breaking my knee... worst moment of my life! What do you do when you don't surf? Gym, party, travel Do you train as well as surf? Yes!
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Lewis Leadbetter
And if you didn't surf at all, what sport would you play? If I lived somewhere with snow, it would be snowboarding! If you had unlimited money, what would you buy? A boat to travel round Indo and find the best secret spots ever! What's the healthiest thing you ate today? Pasta with tuna What's your most overused word? Man! 123 -
SM Lewis has developed a powerful style over the few years he's been surfing!
Hot Shots
What's your goal for the next year? I go where the wind takes me haha so no plans! And what about the future? Live life to the full Where do you see yourself in five to ten years time? In a mirror (always the smart guy, Editor)
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Will Davey
Age: 17 Years surfing: 5-6 years Where you live: Famara, Lanzarote Sponsors: Clayton Surfboards Local break/s: La Santa, San Juan Favourite surfer? Dane Reynolds and John John Florence Favourite place to surf? Home (Famara) Favourite surf movie? Lost Atlas Favourite surf trick? Barrel Favourite board? Clayton Dredger 5'10” x 18”¼ x 2”¼
What got you into surfing? My dad infuenced me a lot since I was young but also where I live and all my friends surf When and how did you become sponsored? Quiksilver sponsored me after a contest for a few years but I'm now looking for a new sponsor as they had to cut their team due to budgets What moment are you most proud of in your surfing career so far? Probably when I won my first comp
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SM Will Davey grabs every chance he can to surf!
Hot Shots
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Will Davey
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SM Will surfing one of the waves at his favourite La Santa.
Hot Shots
Who in surfing inspires you most? John John because he always surprises me What do you prefer, free surfing or competitions and why? I like freesurfing because I have fun and there's no pressure but competition is fun because you have to push yourself What song motivates you before a surf? Would have to be Radioactive by Imagine Dragon When and where was your best surf session? It was San Juan – there was no one in the water and I surfed with some really good friends all day in boardshorts What's the worst wipeout of your life? I haven't really had one that's scared me What do you do when you don't surf? I either go fishing or play ping pong all day Do you train as well as surf? Yes I train twice a week
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Will Davey
And if you didn't surf at all, what sport would you play? If I didn't surf I would most likely be playing football If you had unlimited money, what would you buy? I would buy a house at all the best surf spots in the world so I could travel back and forth What's the healthiest thing you ate today? An apple What's your most overused word? Sick!! 129 -
SM Will simply surfing and enjoying life!
Hot Shots
What's your goal for the next year? My goal is to compete as much as I can and do well And what about the future? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years time? I would like to see myself surfing, travelling and enjoying life!
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Ace Fuerteventura Words: stu gaston; Photos: Christiane Hartl
Undoubtedly, the Canary Islands have some of the best spots for surfing in the whole of Europe with the volcanic landscape forming some amazing reef breaks all around the diferent islands. But for many there's one spot that stands head and shoulders above the rest – Los Lobos. So we get all the goss on this infamous spot and the rest of the island of Fuerteventura from local photographer and German Junior Team mum, Christiane Hartl.
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The Goss
'This shot shows the long right hander at Los Lobos which is very famous – everyone loves this wave!'
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'This is a shot of a northshore wave taken from La Concava in Fuerteventura.In the background you can see Lanzarote.'
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The Goss
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Of course Christiane Hartl isn't a surf photographer by chance – she happens to have a surfing son, Noah Gonzalez Hartl who is a member of the German Junior Surfing team as well as being a previous German Junior Champion. So it's no wonder that Chris is kept busy shooting and knows the breaks of Fuerteventura so well!
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The Goss
'Here's Noah in a tube at La Concava, a good wave with rights and lefts in the north of the island.'
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'Noah in another tube at La Concava, his favourite wave for tube riding in the north of Fuerteventura.'
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The Goss
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'Noah in the tube again at La Concava'
The Goss
With waves like this, it's not hard to see why La Concava is Noah's favourite wave in Fuerteventura!
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The Goss
'This is in the south of the island. When you arrive on the hill, you can see Cofete Beach though this day was only small.'
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The Goss
'This is a secret spot in the south, another of Noah's favourite tube riding waves.'
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The Goss
'Although it's known as Secretos,everyone knows about it and so when there's swell in the south, every surfer from the north heads down there to surf the tubes they're so good!'
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T H E G A L L E R Y
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Harry Timson finding perfection at Papelillo, Lanzarote! Photo: Stu Gaston
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Jonathan Gonzalez gets that tail high in the sky! Photo: Stu Gaston
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T H E G A L L E R Y
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El Quemao firing up at La Santa, Lanzarote Photo: Stu Gaston
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Harry Timson taking a quick punt at La Santa. Photo: Stu Gaston
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T H E G A L L E R Y
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Harry Timson working the wave at La Santa. Photo: Stu Gaston
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Jonathan Gonzalez tearing up his local break, Alcala, Tenerife. Photo: Stu Gaston
T H E G A L L E R Y
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Surphang Magazine
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Harry Timson found perfection at Papelillo, then Indo must be beyond his wildest dreams! SM IfPhoto: Vince Timson
Next Issue Well, after all that we hope you'll agree that SURPHANG FOURTEEN just got our second year off to a great start and gave you much more from your monthly surfing magazine! And while we've been busy putting all that together, our ever growing family of fine SURPHANG contributing photographers has been off around the world going the distance to capture many more moments of awe inspiring surfing! From adventures in southern surfing spots to globe trotting trips as far away as southern Asia, we've got another awesome selection of shots to share with you in the next issue so be sure to check it out at the same time as Spring makes a welcome return to our shores! Bring on sunshine and surf!
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Thanks for reading the Fourteenth issue of
Surphang Magazine