I got surf.

Surfing is my sport. I went back today for the first time in a few months. Although I am  not the most disciplined surfer, I have gone through a few milestones. 

I am going to pass my drivers License on friday. Fingers crossed, after I will be able to rent a car and go on my own from time to time. This is a three year project in the making. Friday should be another milestone achieved.

The buzz is still there.

Season 3 - Episode 1

Winter is now officially over !

Neighboors are walking around without coats, the birds are back, there is some green coming out of the trees.

This winter, I managed to forget about surfing.  It came back to me, it always does. Once you are in, you are in.

The water right now is sitting at a cold 7-8 Celsius (46 Farenheit), I am waiting for it to warm up at 10 Celsius, at least. Then it's time to suit-up !

 Next week-end. It's back :)

Merry Christmas, Bu

To all my readers from all over the world, I would like to wish you the best time with your families and friends. I wish you peace, warmth and properity for 2012. So here is a truly global statement :


Joyeux Noël, Geseënde Kersfees, Frohe Weihnachten,
.Շնորհավոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ:,শুভ বড়দিন, З Калядамі,Весела Коледа,
 Bon Nadal, 圣诞快乐, 메리 크리스마스, jwaye nowèl,Sretan Božić
Glædelig jul, ¡Feliz Navidad, Häid jõule, Hyvää Joulua, Bo Nadal,
Nadolig Llawen, შობა, Καλά Χριστούγεννα, મેરી ક્રિસમસ,
मेरी क्रिसमस, Boldog Karácsonyt, Selamat Hari Natal, Nollaig Shona,
Gleðileg jól, Buon Natale, メリークリスマス, ಮೆರ್ರಿ ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಮಸ್, Lorem Nativitatis
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus, God jul, С Рождеством, สุขสันต์วันคริสมาสต์
Mutlu Noeller, Feliz Natal !

Matt Meola

This is an incredibly massive surf attack video. It's aggressive, it's artistic, the music is excellent. The surf is absolutely beyond phenomenal. This kid is on the right track. It's fun and uplifting.
Good job el gros, watch tes pipes.

Matt Meola - $100,000 Innersection edit

« Un rêve sans étoiles est un rêve oublié. » - Paul Éluard

4 mois !

J'ai pas pris de vague depuis 4 mois. Je suis complètement éclaté par la vie. Elle me sert toute une vague en ce moment.

Bonne nouvelle, je mets en place en nouveau programme d'entraînement pour le surf. Il a bien neigé, mais aujourd'hui, je souhaite partager avec vous une belle vidéo de surf.

Faut croire que le hasard fait bien les choses !
J'écoute la télé et je découvre qu'un entrepreneur à construit dans la ville de Tenerife, la plus grande vague de surf artificielle au monde, au Siam Water park. Le concept détruit le maeva flow rider de Laval. En prime voici cette vidéo de surf tournée la nuit, afin de démontrer l'excellence de la vague !




Nightsurf from iker elorrieta on Vimeo.

The Choice of the Board

Back to back surfing on saturday and sunday. Saturday was a medium grade surf session. I was struggling ! I was actively looking for a solution to shift my surfing up a notch. So I went back surfing today, and usually I take the go'ol 7'10" bertha NSP board.  Well, today, that board was not available. I had the choice between a 6'4", 6'8" and there was a broken 7'2" board in the corner. My friend Hugo proposed to fix that 7'2" board and it would take 30 minutes. So I said yes. I dont like short board they do not float enough for a tough guy like me. So 7'2" it was. The repair took a solid 42 minutes 37 seconds and I was in need of surfing.

What ensued was the best surfing session and a couple of findings about the logic of the board lenght. So, A shorter board is more responsive. The board allows for greater control in direction. Control is critical in river surfing. A more responsive surf board is good news. I've been surfing that wave for a while and I know what traps are to be avoided.  However , the 7'10" board was not responsive.  Alright, 7'10'' is ok to start with. It's floatability is unparalleled. But that's ok, once you understand the mechanics of surf equilibrium you can sacrifice float for control. That's right.

Now the next choice will be about the form of the board :fish ? quad ? Normal ? I really do not know. I know the answer will come and I will eventually end buying the right board for river surfing.
For now, this week I will be turning the surfing up a notch and I will embarking on a surf marathon, probably go 2-3 times after work in order to maximise the benefits of the new board. 

Good bye 7'10"

Turning around !

Hello Australia :-)

Specific Message addressed to australian friends coming to Canada.  Montreal is a surf destination in summer time. The wave are not gold coast style, but you can still have plenty of fun with technical river surfing. Indeed, we Montrealers are open minded and we have a huge river to surf. That's right, huge. Bring your surf board here, we surf and they are quite expensive. Just wanted to let you guys know. :-)

Yesterday was a great surf session. I gambled that there would be less people during canada day, as everybody is moving here in Quebec because the renting contracts end on july the 1st. Booooya ! No one likes moving. Theses guys found an original way to take of the refrigerator... Gravity takes care of the rest.



Back to surfing, It was a beautiful day. And no one was there !! I had the whole wave to myself from 8:00 to 9:00 PM as I surfed with the sunset. Amazing, it felt eternal. No stress at all.
The wave is harder to surf as the water level is higher than normal. Congratulation to Robert D. for passing his first surf lesson, as of last week !!