The Wedge. The name in itself doesn’t even sound that threatening to those who have no idea what it means. To those who do — the mental picture is already there. That peaking triangle being powered by a mass of water. Bodies over bodies flying. It’s a circus freak show. Because let’s be honest here: you don’t go there to surf. You go there to get massacred.
Stephan Figueiredo is a Brazilian surfer who like’s getting barreled just as much as he likes getting thrown around. It has always been his dream to surf this wave. How many surfers can actually say their dream is to surf the Wedge? When we pulled up, I though, “It’s so small, the swell hasn’t even hit yet.” That is its first trick. The berm is so low, the waves sit below it, constantly crashing against the sand creating the perfect deadly platform for spectators and photographers to get washed up. As I walked closer I began hearing it, and finally I saw the fireworks of white water shooting into the sky.
This video of Stephan was my way of investigating why on Earth would someone want to surf the Wedge. After his first wave, I understood what all the hype was about. I never knew if he was going to make it or not. In the end it was just as thrilling to watch him eat it as it was to see him catch a miraculous barrel. These were the results.
