Big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner (Germany) and I had a busy winter chasing huge swells around Europe. Documented in this video are a few action clips from two of the heaviest sessions we surfed. Mixed in with the action are two training sessions we filmed in Nuremberg, Germany–Sebastian’s hometown. Road cycling is a big part of our training program as is boxing. The surfing action is filmed at Praia do Norte, Nazaré. This was the first full season of surfing we got in Nazaré. I scored one of the best tube rides to date on the Portuguese beach in late December, 2012.
The new year triggered two huge swells throughout January and the Atlantic had awoken! Unfortunately, so had a bronchitis infection on Sebastian’s lung. Meeting back in Nazaré, we played key roles in the most documented big wave session in Europe this year. We surfed and rescued one another out at Nazaré on the 13th of January–the same day Shane Dorian pushed us both to paddle into the biggest waves to date in Europe. Sebastian’s role was to make it out of bed, still ill, and keep the rest of the boys and me safe, making crucial rescues on the jet ski.
One week later, we flew into Ireland and touched down in the snow at Belfast International Airport. We had made the journey psyching up to surf in the Mullaghmore big wave event. The contest day came and conditions were inconsistent with set waves breaking over 15 feet in height every 45 minutes. Not enough waves to go around and run an event in one day meant staff had to call the event off until a bigger more favorable day. A few jet skis launched to go surf anyway. Sebastian surfed a draining tube this session, riding the 20-foot barrel the entire length of the reef just to get eaten by her at the last minute!
Winter 2013/2014 is what we are focusing on now. As the video states, we are preparing ourselves to take on the biggest waves on this continent. The tallest wave on the planet was surfed off Nazaré in 2011 and we would love to have our names in the Guinness Book of World Records. Time will tell.
Sebastian Steudtner is also credited with the creation of this video and text as the whole endeavor was a team effort.
The team: Tom Butler (left) and Sebastian Steudtner (right) on a mission. Photo: Vitor Estrelinha
Fruits of the trip. Sebastian Steudtner on a bomb at Mullaghmore Heads, Ireland. Photo: cmcleod.com
