NATHAN EADES / ENGLISH VERSION

Nathan Eades / Surfing around South America

PROFILE:

Nathan Eades

age: 30

occupation: teacher

Sponsors: Nookie, Future Waveski, Robson Paddles, Shread ready

paddling since: 4 years old

Main sportive achievements: 3rd place 2009 worlds, South American champ 2010.

Living in Peru since:2010

Main surf spots surfed in there: Punta Hermosa, Chicama, Pacasmayo, Lobitos

Kayaksurf/waveski in South America

South America is home to some of the best surf in the world and Peru is the most consistent spot I have surfed in all my life. When I arrived here, the PE teacher and now good friend of mine Fraser McDowall told me that there were waves in Peru "every day". I did not believe him as I have been to a lot of countries and experienced so many flat days that for a country to have a surfable wave every day is something which I thought was too good to be true. Now I know that he was correct, with the Pacific ocean having so much swell hanging around, there really are waves every day... And when the big swells hit, Chicama and Pacasmayo are only a short flight or overnight bus journey away. Last year when I went home for Christmas I picked up a new wave ski from James Hawker of Future waveski who shaped me the best ski I have ever ridden, so now I have it all, the ultimate playground and the ultimate ski to ride it all with! I strongly urge anybody who is thinking about buying a wave ski to but a future, James takes the time to discuss your requirements with you, then produces you the perfect ski shape with a bomber build quality.

Events you've been involved (Brazil, Argentina...)

Since I arrived, the guys in Brazil have been awesome, inviting me to their south american championships every year and looking after me when I arrive as I have NO Portugese. I am tempted to run the worlds out here in a year or two as there are so many consistent spots with super cheap accommodation and a chilled atmosphere in the line up. Peru is a very cool country and get behind events in a big way so it could end up being a lot of fun for a lot of people Perhaps we could run it in Pacasmayo, then if the big swells hit head an hour south to Chicama... I would love to see the faces of every one once they have surfed for 1 km!!! That wave is incredible!

This week I found out that the Wave ski worlds in Brazil will be ran in April which is the only time that my school would give me a week off so once I have spoken to my boss and he gives me the all clear, I might be able to go and watch the pro's ripping it up and score some waves!

Main needs of those regions (Peru, Ecuador, Chile...) to improve our sport

Peru has a growing Kayking community and my friends who kayak on the rivers have seen shots of me wave skiing and surf kayaking and really want to give it a go. The difficulty is the availability of surf kayaks out here.With the surf and climate of Peru, there could be some very good kayak surfers, very quickly. Maybe Mega should set up a Peru demo fleet, they could be supporting the future world champion!!

Surfers attitude when they see you surfing with paddle... localism?

Peru is a very competitive place with a very high standard of surfers. While I do not not necessarily experience aggressive behavior towards me because I am a goat boater, the line up is competitive and unless you have good surf etiquette and are prepared to compete for waves, you won't get any. In almost 3 years of surfing out here I have experienced one nut case in the water. I was surfing a very localised spot in Lobitos and some guy got pretty crazy...it's an area which is growing rapidly in popularity and the locals are getting fed up with queing for waves which were pretty much empty 5 years ago... This is the same as anywhere else in the world, the more people who surf in a place, the more friction which occurs, other surfing gringos would have got the same reaction regardless to the craft.

Projects for near future...

I used to spend all of my spare time seeking the next adventure or surf destination, but since I arrived in Peru, I have really stopped planning big trips as basically I have a found a home which is perfect for me. I work very hard in the school out here and they demand a lot, but they pay me very well and every 9 weeks I get a big holiday and to top it all off I have January and February off work which is the South American summer. Most years me and a group of friends all get a beach house together in Punta Hermosa and live 5 minutes walk from an incredible reef break so I really am content in Peru. I try not to make too many plans for the future as I like to take opportunities as they arrive and leave myself open for new adventures, but for now I cannot think of a reason why I would want to leave this incredible country, maybe I'll buy a house out here one day who knows.

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