Suddenly, when he reaches the peak of the wave, alone, without his brother -bounced by the waves at the entrance-, a couple of jet skis with experienced surfers approach. And they tell him that the day is not ripe for surfing like this, paddling, without a motorcycle company to help him -to enter and catch the wave- and help him -if there is a fall or accident-. They suggest that he leave, but he stays, true to his determination and faith. He waits for his time and he succeeds: he goes down a couple of waves.
“That day I fulfilled my dream. And I earned the respect of everyone in Nazaré. They doubted my surfing and my personality. They didn’t know me. They asked me where I was from and when I told them from Argentina, they were even more surprised. They looked at me as if to say ‘this crazy man, what is he doing here?‘. And even more so without a jet ski… That day it’s like they said ‘if this kid gets rowing, by his own, one day like that, that’s it… He’s one of us. Then everyone greeted me in town, including (Garrett) McNamara, a pioneer in Nazaré and a myth in big waves”, explains this 1m68 and 72 kilos boy who gained fame in these months and that generated the attention of Quiksilver, the company with subsidiary in Argentina that hired him.
“It was very exciting. So it is the brand worldwide. And because it is one of the most supportive of big wave surfing. That he notices you means that you did things well and had results. It is a huge motivation. This year I hope to go for more, I want to return to Nazaré”he acknowledges, smiling.
The path has not been quick or easy to become the first Argentine in the mecca of the XXL waves. “I started surfing when I was six years old, in Playa Grande, with my old man, Cachito. He never insisted or pressured me, I wanted to and I insisted. The same as going to tournaments”recalls Juan Cruz, who found in his essence the need to go for bigger waves and greater adrenaline. “Since I was a child I liked that.
In Mardel I was always in the background, waiting for the biggest one, even if I caught only two in one session. The same thing happened to me when I was skateboarding with friends: I was always going down the steepest descents. I also remember that, as a boy, they gave me a video of big waves and I spent the whole time watching it. He was addictive, he still is today…”, he says.
Little by little he began to travel until his first great challenge arrived, at the age of 22, in Puerto Escondido (Mexico), another very demanding spot. “I arrived very prepared, physically and mentally. I trained freediving in the pool, I paddled on planks… Many of those I asked about the place told me ‘just the same, on your first time, you’ll never surf great’. And I surfed big,” she says. The first wave of him remembers it well.
“I waited for him and a forehand squared me perfectly, he would have 7/8 meters. I remember thinking ‘all the effort I made is defined here’. I rowed, I jumped in and I did it. I couldn’t fail. For me and because when you are in those places, the few who are by your side are looking at you. You can’t let her pass. Nor fall. If it happens, the locals won’t let you catch any more waves. There or in Hawaii. Surfing is like that,” she explains.
Falls or tumble –wipeout in English- are common in surfing but in big waves they are more demanding and dangerous. “I have not had so many, because although I have courage, I know where I am getting into and I am aware. But on that first trip I had several blows because when you gain confidence, sometimes you let go too much and risk more. I had several scares, especially in shallow places, where you hit the bottom. Or with the table.
Or, sometimes, when the set comes – three big waves in a row – and you decide to go inside, to pass it, and the waves fall on your head. It’s exasperating and you think ‘who sent me to get here’. But, at one point, I like it and take the positive. Because they put me to the test, they make me realize how prepared I am and I trust myself a lot”, she acknowledges.
JC likes to train a lot physically to “feel strong, compact, like armor, because a romp can take off an arm”, but the mental is just as or more important. “I like to meditate before big swells. I also work on apnea, because you can be underwater for up to 30 seconds and you have to hold on”, he adds.
Fear, he assures, is always there, “especially the first times in a place, but just like nerves, that feeling is necessary: it keeps you alert and puts a brake on you. I don’t think much either because it takes away my energy. I know it’s a risky sport, but I calculate a lot of things. It is not that we are crazy, as people believe. You risk, yes, but there is also a lot of preparation, ”she says.
Nazaré was special. “I needed to go there, it was my goal, my motivation. Being with the best in the best waves. That motivated me. But I knew that it is very difficult to arrive and be in that select group that gets there, ”he says. And, the place, he earned it. “I didn’t know anyone and I got into it with my brother, paddling… They liked it. Then Vinicius dos Santos, the Brazilian who is now fighting for the validation of the world record, invited me to the high-performance center there. Luckily they endorsed me, I entered through the front door. It’s not easy. They are cool but, at the same time, very competitive. They have to see something in you. The same thing happened to me with Lucas Chumbo, just the other Brazilian who is fighting for the world record. Another one who helped me a lot…”, he details. The search for great photos and videos, not to mention records, are everything to them. “They prefer that to playing the big wave circuit,” he says.
To get into places like this you need special boards, boards about three meters (9 or 10 feet) if you swim and 1m80 -with straps- if a motorcycle leaves you in the wave (it’s called tow-in). “The neoprene suit must be thick (4-3) because the water is cold, you must wear booties, an impact vest and a flotation vest with four carbon dioxide bottles –between 25 and 38 grams-“, he informs. All this hinders mobility in the water.
To get to the wave, paddling, takes about 20 minutes and if you want to avoid it, a motorcycle service costs between 500 and 2000 euros, depending on how big the sea is that day. When you’re inside, you have to be very vigilant, he explains. “The waves are unpredictable unlike other famous places like Jaws (Hawaii) and Mavericks (California). In addition there is a lot of current and killer stones of 25 meters. There were never deaths but there were major accidents. If you fall, the bikes have seconds to get you out because others are behind you. It is even common for motorcycles to tip over when they look for you… Of course I had my doubts before I got involved, but the motivation was greater.
Trust is essential. It is not that one should be crazy. On the contrary, you have to be much saner than people think. There is a degree of madness and even addiction to it, but much more than preparation, ”she details.
For what he did in Nazaré, Garcia Castanon He won an invitation to go to the Big Wave World Cup in Spain, which was held in January, but he could not attend because he works as a lifeguard in Mar del Plata and they did not extend the license he had. For this 2022 she has goals.
“It is difficult to get another invitation because there are few places and tournaments, but my goal is to return to Nazaré in October. The wave season runs from November to March. It is possible that, in the middle of the year, I will also take a trip, to Tahiti or Puerto Escondido”, she closes. Last year was like a new awakening for Juan Cruz and now he wants to go for more. He knows that he has the courage but that his level of surfing and preparation allow it. Of “crazy” he has little.
Source: Ambito
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