Ibon Amatriain p2

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datrip: Surfing slabs with tow in has become a new way of surfing massive waves. What’s the difference between surfing big waves and slabs?

Ibon: For surfing big waves one needs confidence and some technique. For surfing slabs you need confidence and a lot of technique.

datrip: When we see big wave surfing at the north shore of Spain we still see mostly waves with big height. Are there also slab type waves that we will see presented in the future 

Ibon: Concerning the slab type waves I´m sure that there are many more than we know now. I´s just a few years since we started to search for them and we allready have found some. In a few years we will know many more slabs in the area, for sure! 

datrip: This year we have seen some pictures of very impressive big waves from the north shore of Spain, but they failed to enter the final of the Billabong XXL. Does the region and the local surfers have the potential to one day win the XXL awards?

Ibon: Playa Gris has been two times in the final of the Billabong XXL during the last two years. That’s the proof that the wave and the surfers have the capability to succeed. In the Atlantic there have been documented some of the highest waves with more than 17 meters.

Once these waves reach the coast they can get even bigger. It’s evident, that this coast has a lot of potential. It’s just a question of somebody being at the right time at the right place, which is – I assure you – much more complicated than it seams.

datrip: Ibon, thanks a lot for the interview!