I was pretty bummed when it was time to return home from a trip to Baja not too long ago. Five weeks of scoring epic surf and then poof, time to get back to Belgium, working my day job, paying the bills, and delivering food around town in cold and rainy weather.
I was frustrated just thinking about all the waves I was leaving behind, knowing there were also other places in the world where it’d be pumping while I was stuck far, far away from it all. I texted a friend from Holland, Roy van Eijk, to let him know I was coming back in Europe and that he should hit me up anytime he wanted to go on a trip. He agreed and I went back to my life. The forecasts didn’t look too promising, though, and I was beginning to lose hope for scoring any more waves this winter.
Then one busy Friday night I got a text from Ron. “Hey Damian, it looks like its gonna be pumping in France we should go!” I went to check the charts and sure enough, the forecast called for three straight days of solid surf. It would be well worth the drive. The next morning I woke up and started getting ready for the 12-14 drive to paradise.
We slept about four hours when we’d finally arrived, grabbed a coffee, and scrubbed the ice off our frozen windshield for our quick drive to La Graviere. The lines were stacked along the horizon, so we immediately ran down the sand dunes and were greeted with sick barrels lined up everywhere. The locals said it was the best they’d seen so far in 2018. Big smiles were everywhere and even with a crowded lineup, everybody was pretty chill about it. Good waves can do that sometimes.
Unfortunately, as all trips do, ours came to an end after surfing from dawn to dusk. We always go home with a smile but at the same time still wanting more.
