It had been 20 years since I made the trip, so I was so excited to be invited to the 1st N-MEN trip of 2021. I was giddy with excitement as I rummaged through my stuff to find what was left of my downhill/glory hole set up. What I came up with was a set of 100mm, 89A kryptonic wheels, my old ass 169’s with giant risers, and a board that was a warped from sitting for so long.
Confusion water cameraman Sean Wood checks in from the road, risking his life just to get you this epic footage from the razor sharp coral reef of Tahiti.
“Almost died today filmin…… was hangin too far inside behind the boats and skiis to get the tow guys coming out of the barrell. Committed to the veiwfinder and didnt realize the whole reef was closing out…. swam under 3 15 footers breaking in knee deep water…. light as a feather, stiff as a board! only a bloody nose from the pressure.”
After sleeping in the rental car on the beach after the Pirate Ship Beers & Brats party, I awoke freezing bloody cold in the parking lot of world renowned surf spot HOSSEGOR. There happened to be a world championship surf contest underway just up the beach from where we were parked. After a coffee and Pain au Chocolate, we rolled up through the dunes and checked out some of the best competitive surfers in the world surfing one of the best beach breaks. The waves weren’t ALL TIME, it really gets good at Hossegor, but good enough for a short video clip and a few photos… then we packed up and headed away from the scene, to rural Basque Country.