The first big-wave tow-in in Antarctica
Stories behind the photo · 01
In December 2013, Ramón Navarro invited me on a Red Bull expedition to Chilean Antarctica. It was Ramón and Dan Malloy, both Patagonia surfers. The theory sounded perfect: if the storms that send swell to Chile are born down there, that's where the giant wave to tow into had to be.
Leaving Puerto Williams
We sailed from Puerto Williams on the Aquiles, a Chilean Navy ship. We managed to bring the jet skis and all our gear on board, which was key for what we wanted to do. The sailors were great, and with so few of us on board, the ship almost felt like ours.
The Drake
That lasted until we passed Cape Horn and entered the Drake Passage. We got it at its wildest. From the bridge we watched waves roll over us, and I saw career sailors throwing up. I still got my camera out. Albatrosses and other birds followed us the whole crossing, flying right alongside the ship.
What nobody tells you about Antarctica
About four days later we arrived. First a whale showed up, then the penguins. And then came the surprise: there are no waves in Antarctica… unless there's a storm. We expected to find the biggest waves right where they're born, but down there the sea only comes alive with wind, snow and fog.
Storm day
So we waited for the storm. It came on the last day. The ship's crane lowered the jet skis and we headed out. I was on the back of the ski with the camera, snow falling on me, my fingers so frozen I couldn't press the shutter button: I had to fire it by pushing with my whole hand. Ramón caught a couple of big ones.
Lost in the fog
Then the fog swallowed us. We had no idea where the way back in was. There were rocks and icebergs everywhere, and leopard seals swimming around us, one of Antarctica's top predators. Luckily, they never got aggressive. In the end, the GPS found our way back.
Back on land we were all shaken by what had happened, but calm. And we had the photos.
Bonus track: Metallica in Antarctica
And as if Antarctica hadn't surprised us enough: on December 8, 2013, we got lucky enough to see Metallica at Argentina's Carlini Base. It was the "Freeze 'Em All" show, which made them the first band to play on all seven continents, for about 120 people, with headphones instead of speakers so as not to make noise on the white continent. We went looking for waves and ended up at a Metallica concert in Antarctica.
This is what I do: go where the story is and come back with the images. If you've got a project in mind, let's talk.
Comments