Rik: Good idea with the film project. We plan to do something similar with Faith21. We want to start filming a lot at the north sea and than make a Euro-Africa DVD, but that will take a couple of more years I guess. I actually only surf in Schveningen and Wijk and up to now never had any problem with surfers. In Wijk there already was the odd – sometimes also heavy – case of localism. Sure, it is the wrong way to prevent people from surfing with beatings, but there is always two points of view. You have to realize that some surfers – especially german ones – behave totally unacceptable. When I sleep in my van on the parking lot, drunk in the evening terrorizing other people, leave the place completely trahed and than let myself fins forward be swept through the lineup and thereby bringing other people in danger, than you can´t really blame the locals when they´re in a bad mood. Nevertheless violence is the wrong solution.

datrip: Ah yes, that problem with these jerks at the surf spots we now also have in Denmark. The larger the amount of surfers, the higher is the probability of some idiots amongst them. Now you are at least semi local at some places on earth. Did you develop certain strategies to get accepted and climb the ladder in lineup ranking, means getting better waves?

Rik: Nah, I´m not that competitive and don´t have to sit on top permanently. I think, the most important thing for getting the waves that one wants, is to reach a general good level of surfing. If you show respect and don´t behave like a complete idiot it should be possible to get one´s waves everywhere. On the other hand I also had sessions at J-bay or Snappers where I had three waves in two hours because on a single wave there were already 4 guys dropping in. That´s not my ideal of a relaxed session.

datrip: You came to surfing via windsurfing. What´s the actual status of these two passions? If you had the choice between solid waves with 20 knots sideshore winds or the same wave with a light offshore breeze, what would you prefer?

Rik: 4 hours surfing perfect offshore conditons in the morning, at noon a session of windsurfing with the 4.5 sail and in the evening, with dropping winds again a little surf session.

datrip: Man, are you fit! Any dream destinations that you want to travel to soon?

Rik: In a week I´ll be in Morocco and during summer I plan to spend some weeks in Indonesia, which already waters my mouth! Otherwise I´d like to get back to Central America or Mexico as soon as possible, but I guess I have to wait one or two more years for that.

Two weeks later:

Rik: I just came back from Morocco!!! I was in paradise!!! :)

datrip: I´m happy that you had fun in Morocco! Must have been one of the best winters ever (2006/2007) in Europe surfwise. Where have you been?

We´re almost done with the interview. Here´s just a few standard questions:

- how old are you?

- do you have family?

- do you want to have children?

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