THE ZAG BRAH GRILL - WHERE WE INTERROGATE THE FAMOUS, THE UNKNOWN, AND THE INFAMOUS.
Cape Town big wave charger Chris Bertish has just come off a hot result in America where he placed 2nd in humongous surf at the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic. The contest saw the biggest, most wild waves ever paddled into during a contest in Oregon and the epic achievement has catapulted him into 4th spot on the current Big Wave World Tour rankings. With Chris’ two favourite big wave events coming up at Mavericks and Todos Santos in the next few months, we thought it would be an opportune time to corner Chrispy and grill him about his latest result at Nelscott, gunning for the Big Wave World Title and where he sees big wave surfing headed...
Interview by Calvin Bradley.
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Zigzag: Chrispy, you’ve just come back from a second place in the Nelscott Reef Big Wave event. There was no live feed, so can you tell us how the waves were for the event?
Chris Bertish: It was the biggest waves ever surfed in Oregon, ever, and it’s the first time its was held as a paddle event only and a Big Wave World Tour contest. The waves were pretty intense. It even took the contest director (Gary Linden) 40 minutes to get out through the shorebreak, on a jet ski, before he was able to call the event on.
The waves are pretty wild and it was pretty intense out there. There were some bombies breaking way out back and reforming onto the inside where we were sitting. It made it tricky to line up and not be in the way of a 20-foot wall of white water coming onto the main reef while it was reforming. You had to try and decide whether you have to bail or turn around and position yourself for the takeoff. I had just come off recovering from having tonsil surgery, so I wasn't really feeling ready for 40-foot waves.
Nelscott Reef - November 2nd 2010...Not your freindliest shorey. (Picture: ©Hallman)
ZZ: So I guess that paddling from the beach was out of the question then?
CB: Not even if you had a motor on the bottom of your board. It was the meanest shorebreak you’ve ever seen in you entire life. We weren’t even sure if we were going to be able to call the event on because of it. In the end it took a half an hour to dodge the inside on a ski and find a little gap through the 20-30ft shorey.
ZZ: The Nelscott Reef event is part of the Big Wave World Tour and the second place moves you up to 4th on the overall rankings. Reckon you can catch No.1 ranked Jamie Sterling and become the next Big Wave World champ?
CB: I came 3rd in the world in the Big Wave World Tour last year and that was sort of like a dream come true. So if I can keep my 4th or go up to 3rd or 2nd I’m pretty stoked with that. I beat Carlos (Carlos Burle – the current Big Wave World Champion) in my semifinal (at Nelscott Reef) so I was pretty stoked on that one. He’s a hard guy to beat. But ja, we’re coming into my two favourite events on the tour, the Mavericks event and the Todos event. I am really hoping to get good results there. To win the championships would be more than my mind could possibly fathom.
ZZ: You’re a bit of a madman, pulling into 20ft closeout barrels without batting an eyelid. How much of your big wave surfing is plain out blindless charging and how much of it is calculated?
CB: I would say in the past I used to be pretty wild and reckless and just go for anything. But over the last three years or so I’ve become a lot more calculated, hence the reason I’m doing a little bit better in contests. Otherwise, I think surfing big waves is a combination of having the balls to go as well as using the wisdom, knowledge and experience that you’ve gained over the years.
Chris Bertish drops into a massive Nelscott bomb.
ZZ: You and Twig were awarded your Bok blazers at this year’s SA Surfing Awards. Do you ever wear it out to the local pub to impress the lesser folks? I know I would…
CB: Hahahaha... Ah dude I haven’t really got the balls to do that yet, but I’m sure there is gonna be some good fancy dress coming this summer where I can wear it out.
ZZ: Okay, I am playing devil’s advocate here… I’m a real scaredy cat when it is over 8-foot and grinding - How much about riding big waves is a skill? Isn’t it pretty straightforward; you paddle in, jump to your feet, take the drop and angle towards the shoulder - Bing-bang-bosh…
CB: While with ‘small wave’ surfing you can do big moves, airs etc, big wave surfing was mainly about positioning yourself - taking off in the right place, being able to take the drop in all different scenarios, going over bumpy sections and try to recalculate your line that you are drawing, and just make sure that you are able to actually make the wave and survive. But now big wave surfing is not only about making the wave, it is also about trying as much as possible to get barreled, gouging a rail turn, doing cutbacks, etc.
ZZ: These days do you get more excited for big waves or perfect waves? What I mean is would you rather paddle out at gigantic Dungeons or ride till your legs turn to jelly at a long tubing pointbreak?
CB: Sheez, I have put all my time and energy into surfing big waves over the years that I’d rather get barreled at a perfect point. I haven’t been able to surf those kinds of waves for ages.
Chris gets hoiked up by his Saffa mates, after being announced the winner of the 2009/10 Mavericks event.
ZZ: The news is that the Half Moon Bay Surf Group have won the rights to host the Mavericks event for the next few years. A lot of the surfers were not digging how the previous guys were running the show, commercializing the event to the max. Is this a new beginning? What is your take on the whole turn around?
CB: I think it’s an absolutely phenomenal change in the running of the event. All of the people involved in big wave surfing had issues with the previous organizers, hence the reason why other people got involved and took over the event. There’s been unanimous support from all the big wave surfers involved in the event because it is now being run for surfers by the surfers, with the support of major sponsors like Barracuda and Jim Beam.
ZZ: Okay, It seems like everything that can be, has been achieved in big wave paddle in surfing. Do you think that there is an elusive 100-footer out there that will be paddled into one day?
CB: Well, last year was definitely a turning point in big wave surfing and now it is very difficult for okes to push the boundaries further than what we have achieved in paddling into waves. I feel nervous and sorry for the new guys coming up that are trying to improve and better the level that has been set. If anything I think it is going to be the performance on big waves surfing that will go up a notch in the next couple of years. With guys like Kelly Slater getting more involved it’s gonna definitely up the performance level - we’ll just have to wait and see… But towing into a hundred footer, I think it will happen for sure. It can go down at Cortez bank or somewhere else way out to sea.
ZZ: Thanks for the interview Chrispy. Seeing as surfing big waves is serious business, how about we end this off on a less serious note…Tell us a joke?
CB: Hahaha, I’m terrible with jokes. Okay, here goes:
Two big wave surfers walk into a bar, one of them is from the US, the other from SA.
- The American says; ‘I heard you’re competing on the Big Wave World Tour and you’re doing really well. You must have plenty sponsors lining up?’
- The SA guy just laughs…
