Party on the waves: one of the best surfers in the world visited Mar del Plata

Thursday came to sea ​​of ​​silver and quickly got into surfing with the Quiksilver and Roxy team, over the weekend he gave a chair in a demo he did with his girlfriend (Makala Smith), also a talented surfer, to close the Ala Moana Longboard Fest, an elite tournament that meant the first date of the Argentine circuit of long boards that took place in the Chapatrapa spa and on its last day accepted a challenge of fernando aguerre. The man from Mar del Plata, responsible for making surfing Olympic, had a board built similar to the ones used 100 years ago by his reference, Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian who is considered the father of modern surfing. We are talking about a simple plank of wood, wide and long, that weighs 40 kilos, when an average longboard does not exceed 10. It was hard to get it to Waikiki beach and its limitations, especially its weight, worried everyone. How will he manage to maneuver it? Nieblas took him into the water with total naturalness, he passed the breaker and surfed waves, among dozens of surfers, as if he were a modern board. All without pita. Shocking.

Andy actually wowed at every turn. Outside and inside the sea. Extravagant, charismatic, he showed off his sense of humor and simple and relaxed way of being at all times, without airs of a star, respecting, thanking and feeling the privilege of having been specially invited by Quiksilver Argentina. He enjoyed the food, especially the meat, and the warm treatment of the Argentines, to whom he quickly adapted, and ended up giving a talk for boys at the surf academy at the Honu Beach resort. Of course, nothing that happened was coincidence. What we enjoy in these lands has to do with its essence and roots…

Descendant of a Native American tribe, the historically subjugated and unrecognized Acjachemen Juaneños, Nieblas struck up surfing on his own. Despite being from California, an iconic spot for this sport, he just went on a trip to Hawaii when he urged his parents to get into the water. No one in his family surfed, but he, at the age of eight, asked to rent a board and went to a beach with a calm wave. When he was able to stand up for the first time, he was flashed and didn’t stop anymore. But, of course, as a good boy who was not born in a golden cradle, he continued as he could. At first with a board that he found in a garbage can. He learned by watching, he never took a class, but he immediately discovered his special connection with the sea that explains a unique style that generates reminiscences with the legendary Gerry López. Andy is a special case: it’s not often that someone rises to the top starting from such a low base, later than usual, with no family to advise them and with so few resources. And, in his case, due to his talent and uniqueness, he is called to mark an era.

There is no doubt that Andy was born for this. It is clear to see him handle his longboard -boards of more than 2m75- as if it were a short one, read the sea like few others and show such a special sensitivity in the water that sometimes allows him to take waves even without paddling… Already on the board, never stop creating. “When I surf my mind is blank, I let myself go and everything comes naturally”, admits. He is literally an artist who walks back and forth, spins and even seems to dance, even changing directions on the wave. He prefers to have fun in the water, although he has competed, winning the Duct Tape Invitational three times, the most prestigious longboard tournament created by Joel Tudor, the greatest longboarder in history. Precisely some believe that Nieblas is the continuity of him, nothing less.

He also shows a high level of surfing with short boards, something that can be enjoyed -as well as his charisma- in his documentary Spam, but he prefers the long ones. “Longboarding chose me, not the other way around,” he admitted while enjoying the Longboard Fest, an event presented by Ford, sponsored by Quiksilver and Roxy, which had the best exponents of this discipline nationwide (45 registered). The winners of each category were Martín Pérez, Evelyn Gontier (both in Open), Marco Calandra and Vera Jaricz (in Junior), but the 700 people who gathered in Chapatrapa to appreciate surfing from the cliffs enjoyed everything, to the rhythm of the music of a DJ and on a day that threatened rain but gave away beautiful moments of sunshine. Not to mention the riders and guests, who had breakfast, lunch and a hydration sector, with a living room set up for the occasion in the highest sector of the cliff.

The event also had the live presence of the radio program Perros de la Calle and the surf gathering was completed at night, in the patio of Ala Moana de Chapa, with an epic improvised recital. They played Lost Marplas, the sons of Flavio Cianciarulo with the presence of the bassist from the Cadillacs but, suddenly, a friend of the house, from Aguerre and Ala Moana, Fernando Ruiz Diaz, he went on stage to meet his friend again and there was a very special moment. The 120 guests exploded with León Santillán’s version and then they were ecstatic when they both began to jam, to play chained songs. Nothing was coincidence. Surfing brought them together and they displayed a very special talent.

Downstage one of those who enjoyed the most was Nieblas, dancing and with a smile drawn on his face. “My visit could not have been better. I found very good vibes. I found the people very friendly and warm, I loved the food, especially the meat, I was surprised by the surf and beach culture they have, with similarities to the California style. I enjoyed every moment, the way I like it, both in the water and outside”Andy recounted. They were very special days. Actually a real surf party in Chapa and Mardel.