NEWS: NEW TEAM RIDER !!!

We are pleased to welcome an expert of big wave surfing to our team of riders! David Rodal Santiago, originally from Tenerife, will now be equipped with GONG stand up paddle boards to ride the swell mountains that break on his north shore.

David is a very experienced big wave rider whose talent is recognized in the community as evidenced by his nominations for the Billabong XXL Awards. He was among the first Europeans to be nominated in this prestigious ceremony and was the very first in the Monster Tube category. He is now fully dedicated to riding big waves in SUP as he explains in this interview.

Welcome to team David! Let’s start with the beginnings 😉 How did you start surfing and what are the spots and surfboards that made the surfer you have become today?

I come from a village in the north of Tenerife. Everyone is surfing there. My dad and uncle started out with wooden boards… I grew up surrounded by boards, so starting to surf was normal for me. Like my dad and uncle, I started with these same wooden boards… I remember the first board I got for myself. It was very big and thick, I could barely move it. It was impossible for me to sink it for a duck dive.

Today I try to surf as much as possible. Like all surfers, I check the forecasts and I go to the best spots. I try to surf every day. If the conditions aren’t great I just go out on a bigger board. Now I live in Lanzarote where I am lucky enough to be able to surf almost every day.

How did you evolve towards the bigger waves?

In the region where I live, there have always been big surfers. We got to know them very young and wanted to imitate them. As we grew up, they took us and we took bigger and bigger waves. I remember the fear that went through us and the sensations we had when catching what we thought at the time to be big waves. The distance of the spots from the coast contributed a lot to this mix of sensations. I also remember with special affection the first time we did a “tow-in” session. We saw images like this in a magazine and decided to reproduce them, but instead of a jetski we used a Zodiac, a rope and a bar to pull the surfer. We almost lost the boat but we were able to catch 3 waves!

After these beginnings, what were the key sessions? The ones where you stepped things up in big wave surfing?

There were a lot of landmark sessions. Above all, there was the discovery of a new spot where a session holds an important place for me. In the north of Tenerife there’s a reef far from the coast and even further from the harbor where it’s possible to put the jet skis in the water. We had heard about it for a long time and could see it from the shore when the reef was working. We went there several times until we learned the right conditions to be able to surf it. We saw the incredible potential that this spot had. We surfed it several times and we thought we had already reached its full potential, until ideal conditions presented themselves… perfect wind, perfect direction…, but according to the forecast it should not have been bigger than what we had already surfed on this spot. When we left the harbor there was hardly any swell. When we got there the size had increased but the waves weren’t particularly big. The first two waves were nice but not huge. I thought the session was not going to give much more. As it was carnival week, I even dressed up as a cow for fun before taking a third wave… but when I let the rope go in the third wave I realized how big it was, I was able to set myself in the tube but at the end it closed and I was almost drowned by the weight of the costume… but hey… it was worth it… hahahahaha. With this wave, I was nominated for the Billabong XXL in the Master Tube category, being the first European to do so.

There is another session that I particularly remember. It happened last winter in Lanzarote. A spot that we had already surfed before. We knew that very specific conditions could be incredible… We had been waiting for years and this winter all the planets aligned… direction, size, wind. We tried to paddle in the waves, but the size kept increasing and the wind was offshore too. It was impossible to catch a wave so we decided to tow-in… it was amazing… perfect waves and huge tubes… I hope I can score this spot again.

How often do you have conditions for big wave surfing?

It’s well known that the Canary Islands have powerful waves. On the other hand, we know less that there are many spots with big waves. This is the advantage of our archipelago, the spots are numerous and we can choose one island or the other depending on the conditions. In winter, I don’t usually travel much outside the islands, we have a lot of good places with few people and a lot more still to be discovered, so we have a lot of work here ;). What I’m trying to do is travel to the southern hemisphere in the summer, especially Indonesia. There are several spots in Mexico and Polynesia that I would like to surf and I hope to go there soon. In summer the waves in the Canaries are not very big and the trade winds do not help.

Your main goal today is to SUP in huge waves. Why are you oriented towards SUP rather than tow-in?

Being part of the beginnings of a sport like SUP and living its development in big waves is something incredible and unique. I like to try different spots with waves of all sizes but especially big ones with tubes to show what is possible in SUP. It’s an incredible motivation for me.

How do you organize yourself when a big swell is forecasted?

We’re a team. There are people from various disciplines, traditional surfing, windsurfing and me with SUP. Together we decide where the best conditions will be. A week before we check the possibilities. At the latest three days before we have to decide, in case we have to move to other islands. The logistics are complicated because we always try to go there with at least one jet-ski. The spots are quite far from the coast and the nearest harbor is several kilometers away, we usually use two or three jet-skis and an assistance boat. We are fortunate to always have the support of local photographers, who are very, very crazy 😉 and a lot of rthese sessions are photographed from the water…

What are the qualities of a good SUP shape to charge big waves?

For the big waves I use a gun SUP. This is similar in shape to traditional guns, but with a few minor modifications for me to stand up and still retain handling, grip and good paddle speed. The volume is shifted a bit towards the center of the board and you have to limit the thickness of the rails by gradually gaining thickness. They always have hulls in V-shape without a concave.

In the small surf, I look for maneuverability and grip like a shortboard. Fine tails and a balanced and progressive width for good grip in vertical waves. That’s what I’m glad to find in Patrice’s shapes.

What will your GONG quiver look like?

I will try to have a full 7’2-10ft quiver so I can take on all types of waves. The first GONG boards to enter my quiver were the 7’2 x 24 MILF and a 7’2 x 24 of 65 liter Alley FSP Pro Model. On the custom version as on the production model, Patrice’s shape is doing wonders! They are fast and super manoeuvrable. This is the closest thing to a SUP shortboard in terms of handling and grip.

How do you deal with the fear factor?

The moment you surf, you don’t feel fear. The adrenaline is so strong that you forget it. You are focused on the wave. You feel fear when you get out of the water and see the pics. At this moment you realize how risky it really was. The biggest fears I have felt were on the jet ski though, when it comes to rescuing a partner… You know a friend’s life is in your hands… The tension is huge.

What goals have you set for yourself in big wave surfing?

Trying to be on all possible swells ;)… Even if I also enjoy the sessions on smaller waves on remote spots on the islands with few people, just to enjoy the scenery and especially sharing those moments with friends… I have to admit that there are a few places that really prevent me from sleeping! 😉 I can’t stop thinking about it, in the meantime I try to be in the water as much as possible and practice daily freediving and go to the gym. Safety begins with your physical condition.

Water is your element. What are the other ways for you to enjoy the ocean?

I love fishing and spearfishing which is an amazing workout. I also practice windsurfing, swimming and recently I got into wing foiling… it’s a spectacular sport that keeps you in shape. In addition it’s an alternative for days when there are no waves with wind. There are also all the possibilities offered by the foil, especially tow-in in big waves … The possibilities are endless … I think I will become addicted to it too …;)

Thank you so much