Fins broken, leash snapped, all worth it. Punta de Lobos.
So to fill you in, Punta de Lobos is a world famous wave. It can hold swell from 6ft to…well god only knows how big, but 30ft waves are not uncommon. It can do this because of that solid rock shelf and the sand bar it developes.
The day we paddled out, it was about 8-12ft waves. However, the most dangerous part about Lobos is the entry. It’s considered one of the sketchiest entries into a surf break in the world. You have to clammer down the cliff side and stand on the first edge of rocks, preferably at low tide so you can see most of the rocks. Then, at the right time, you have to jump in with your board and immediately start paddling between these giant rocks, through a small channel, to get to the big main rock shelf on the other side. This is where those two giant towers stand.
At this point, it gets even sketchier. You have to walk around to the other side of the rock and watch the waves very carefully. You’re waiting for a break between the sets, because where you dive in is inside of where the waves are breaking at their heaviest, right in front of a ton of rocks, waiting to annihilate you. If a set too big comes rolling through, you have to run behind the rock and stand strong while the water rushes past you. Luckily, it wasn’t that big that day so we were able to stand watching the whole time, just holding our ground while an occasional wave rushed water around us.
Let me break and say that I would not have attempted any of this if it weren’t for Cristian Cvetreznik. He’s paddled out here countless times, including the day previous when it was up to 17ft faces.
He led me through step by step, but after the last step, there is no more coaching. You just paddle for your life.
A set seems to die down, he figured this is the perfect opportunity, so we go. I was only 2 steps behind him and that was 2 steps too many.
The moment I hit the water, I paddle once and feel (and hear quite loud) my board hits a rock underneath me. It stalls me just enough for 2 sizeable waves to come rolling through. I know that at any moment I could hit any one of the staggering rocks behind me, but there’s no time to be scared. I duck dive as much as I can, get rattled, realize I’m okay, and keep paddling as the next one does the same.
It takes me about 2 min to get out of the inside, and an additional 4min to get outside the lineup. I’m exhausted, my heart is racing, but I’m okay.
I did it. I jumped off The Morros without injury. Most surfers in the world will never be able to say they even attempted it. Yet, thanks to Cristian, I can. Couldn’t be more grateful for that guy!
Lesson: Don’t stop. No matter how scared you may be or how likely you are to fail, don’t stop. When the moment truly matters, you paddle to the words of Nicolas from Con Con,
"For fear! For fear!"
…
So, of course this is where I realize my two outside fins are broken. Not something I want when attempting to surf the waves that were rolling through. So I sit and enjoy the best seat in the house while some highly skilled locals shred those suckers.
Just as I was getting comfortable, Cristian paddles for a wave and, I’m not entirely sure what happened, but his leash snaps and he’s now stranded without a board in the worst place to be, as a few waves behind him roll right on top of him, shoving him in even further. He swims out of the inside as we try to figure out what to do.
It’s a long way back to the beach. There are 3 points that you can catch this wave from. We’re all the way out at the first (The Morros) about 1km from the beach. With rocks on the inside of you the whole way.
We contemplate for about a minute, when he tells me, “Watch out behind you!”
A big cleanup set comes pummeling through. I duck dive and paddle out of it, look back and Cristian is way too far inside and getting closer to the rocks. I see his head for a moment, then he disappears behind a wave.
The rest I couldn’t see, but when he got washed in, he saw his board smashed against the rocks, but in one piece. So of course, he decides he’s gonna go get it. Even with these big waves smashing anything in their path against the rocks. He makes it to his board and uses it as a shield as another wave picks him up and throws him down. Luckily he not only misses the rocks around him, but he somehow lands his feet on a rock, so when the water washed away, he’s standing high and dry above the water looking victorious.
He clammers to the beach, climbs the cliff and whistles out to tell me he’s okay.
I breathe a huge sigh of relief and finally relax. I’m now too far back to catch anything out at The Morros.
I begin paddling in, accepting that I won’t be catching any waves that day, but I have a hell of a story to tell.
Then it came. Just as I was way outside of the 3rd point (El Diamante) this 9ft wall stands up behind me and the only thing I can do is paddle for it. I catch it, the fins hold, and I surf one of the longest waves of my life. Something like 30 seconds of cutbacks, turns, and cramps in my hips. The wave was so long, my legs started giving out on me. I rode it to the beach, fell into the water, and thanked Lobos for the blessing.
She’s mean and strong and quite moody, but when she gives, she gifts big.