HONULA’S STORIES: Simone Macera, from Italy to Nazaré giant waves.
Today’s post is about dreams and courage. Honula will tell you the story of Simone Macera, the young Italian bodyboarder who alone challenged Nazaré last 24th of October.
Simone hosted me in his room in Lisbon, in a nice student’s apartment with a stunning view on Tejo river. Big smile, long blond haired, if there wasn’t the Italian accent, Simone would look exactly as your idea of a Californian surfer. I contacted him after watching his video last 24 of October in Nazaré, that gave him notoriety here in Portugal. Everything in Simone suggested the idea of someone completely involved with his passion. We sat down and started talking about him, in a very informal and funny way for almost an hour, before joining some friends of him for a pizza and guitar session.
Enjoy.
Who is Simone Macera?
I am 22 years old, I came from Livorno, in Italy, a city on the Tirrenian sea in Toscana, where I learned to practice my favorite sport, bodyboard. I am studying Political science and international relations at Pisa University, attending the third year of my study course. Initially I started Marine Biology, but then I changed lead by the interest for politics. Last year I came to Lisbon to make my Erasmus experience, and this helped me a lot to surf often Portugal waves while I was already based here.
One million dollar’s question: why bodyboard and not surf?
In the beginning, as a lot of children I started with bodyboard because it was more easy to have a first approach with the waves. Then I tried surfing four years when I was 6 years old. One summer day I was standing with my mother in front of the sea, and every spot of Livorno was completely crowded. So I said to her that in Pancaldi (a famous beach in Livorno — ED.), I used to see a lot of bodyboarders, and I was curious to try bodyboard again. When I went there, I immediately felt around me a sort of radical attitude that was completely different from the one that surfing was able to transmit me. I spent that summer bodyboarding, and I could appreciate how this sport fitted perfectly with the fast, gnarly and short waves of that part of Italian coast.
Did the specific bodyboarding culture attracted you as well?
Yes, as I said before since the beginning bodyboard gave me an idea of an underground culture. I felt as I was part of something different, even different from surfing. I think that during last years there was a big explosion of surfing considering the number of surfers. Surfing became a real trend and entered in advertising or popular imagination on a big scale. It just has a really charming character and there is a lot of interest around it. Bodyboard it is simply less fashionable, but it shares the same values of surf, the same connection with nature and the pleasure to stay in the water with your friend. My hope is that surf and bodyboard will be a first option for every kid, as football or other famous sports.
How did you arrive to big wave surfing?
I think I always had a reckless attitude. Since I was a child I tried to overcome my limits. Someone can say I am a daredevil, but it is my natural predisposition only. When I reach the top, at the same time I fell the need of exploring what there is behind that point. This pushes me always to improve. I started with some big slabs in my hometown. Then I chose to travel in the right places where I could test my skills. At the age of 16 I surfed “El fronton” in Las Palmas the Gran Canaria, one of the hardest and dangerous waves in Europe. After Canary Islands I had the chance to surf Puerto Escondido’s waves in Messico, while there was a big swell. I use to be calm even in difficult situations. It is the greatest pleasure, pure adrenaline, maybe I am not so “normal”!
Do you train specifically for big wave surfing?
Honestly my training is related only to long surfing sessions. The more I am in the water the more I fell confident with my skills. Sometimes I use to make some exercises at home and when I am in Livorno I make boxing training. I also had underwater training with rocks, but not as a preparation for a specific event. Now I am actually living day by day, just following my passion, and in fact that famous 24 of October I went to Nazaré without planning nothing. But checking forecasts I new that something big was coming…
Talking about that 24 of October in Nazaré, how was the eve of the big Monday?
I went through the waiting time before the big Monday without any anxiety. By the way it has been a weird day, because my German girlfriend and me separated from each other (now they’are together again— ED.). Therefore, I wasn’t in my best mood. It was a rainy day, I remember that I went out with some friend to have dinner in a restaurant, and while we were talking I just said: “Guys, tomorrow is the big day, I am going”. Then I ended the night with a friend, and we took a photo together, joking about the fact that could it be the last photo together! I knew that next day the waves would have been really big, but actually there were different opinions about wind direction, so I didn’t know what to expect.
Finally came the day..
I woke up early without the alarm as usual. I made a fast breakfast and took my car to drive to Nazaré. When I arrived there, they didn’t allow me to reach the shore in a direct way, so I went to the harbour without watching the waves closely, but I could see from far some giant monster sets entering in Nazaré. I asked unsuccessfully for a lift to reach the line up to two jet-ski owners. A fisherman maybe crazier than me accepted to take me to the main peak, and a guy with a SUP (Stand Up Paddle — ED.) that wanted to grab some videos close to the waves, joined us. That guy lent me his life jacket, and this was really important, because maybe it saved my life during the wipe-out on the first wave. I ate something on the boat, and suddenly I was there, between the giants.
You are close to 20 meters waves, now it is only up to you..
Though the adrenaline was pumping, I tried to stay calm and focused while big waves started to arrive from different directions. When you are handling with giant waves, I think you have to overcome the fear by counting on your ability and your knowledge of the ocean. I knew that I couldn’t make any mistakes because I was alone, and no one could help me in case of troubles. I was more scared before arriving on the line-up. When I was there, surrounded by the waves, I found that amazing sensation that I am always looking for, and that only big wave surfing is able to transmit to me. I waited a lot the moment in which I could surf a Nazaré monster, but I made a mistake during my first wave. I went down the water, and when I came up the white foam was everywhere. Foam is pretty similar to the snow, it seems that you can breathe but you can’t. I tried to remain as calm as possible, it was difficult to swim with a board as light as mine. Other jet-skies from the other teams didn’t came to help me, so I had to paddle toward the shore, and then go back to the harbour. This time one of the guys with the jet-ski took me to the line-up again. I was able to surf a few waves, but it has been difficult, because every one was tow-in surfing using jet-skies and I had to paddle by myself into the waves.
That day Garrett McNamara and his crew were in the water: you surfed with them, there were a lot of people with you?
Well, I saw different crew divided in five, maybe six different team of five surfers each. There was McNamara’s team, Toby Cunningham’s team and Maya Gabeira’s team. I already knew them but I didn’t get their support in the water. Anyway it was a pleasure to share that day with them. I can understand that they are fully organized in a properly way to guarantee the safety of each other, so entering alone in the water I had to watch my back by myself.
Do you think there is a sort of rivalry between surf and bodyboard?
No, I don’t think so. Personally I never had serious problems with other surfers. Obviously can happen that someone is pissed off because of me taking a lot of wave, but I think it is just a normal line-up situation, despite rivalry or localism.
Talking about this, we often hear or read bad stories about localism. What is your position about it ?
I think that nowadays surfing changed a lot. We have to think at localism in a different way. First of all because that figure of local surfer who lives the beach is not as strong as it was maybe 10 years ago. Then because surfing now is growing so much, and it is impossible to apply the same localism as in the past. Obviously respect is always necessary on the line-up to avoid problem. I understand that sometimes there are surfers that with their behavior push some locals to overreact, but I do not justify violence on the line-up. It is the opposite of my idea of surfing and life. Most important of all I think that surf is an important financial resource for local people, so it is not recommended to create a bad reputation around a spot or an entire town.
What are you plans for the future?
I don’t know what there will be in the future for me. I am working a lot in order to find a way of balancing studying and bodyboarding. I am looking for the right support in therms of sponsorship to have the chance to travel for improving my skills and to participate in bodyboard contests. I admit that I still do not have the level to compete for example in the APB (World Bodyboarding Tour — ED.), but I think that I have the right attitude in order to work hard and get my chance. It is really difficult without a financial support, not only for traveling or participating to contest, but for the necessary equipment too. I would like to say thanks to JLID in Livorno, that supported me with Mormaii wet suits and other equipment. I would like to join some trials gaining points for the World Tour. What I like the most is bodyboarding, but it isn’t only a matter of passion. I have to say thank you to my family that took a lot of efforts to support me in every way. Thanks to them I could participate in the Sintra Pro here in Portugal, one of the most important events in the World tour, and the first time that I could test myself against experienced bodyboarders. Bodyboard is my life, and I really hope that it will become my work!
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