Bianca Valenti is a Superwoman. On Sunday, she was the only female surfer in the water at Puerto Escondido and paddled into two of the biggest waves of the day. I hesitate to call this the biggest wave that a woman has ever paddled into at Zicatela, but in my years of capturing men and women paddle into massive Puerto, this is definitely one of the biggest I’ve seen. It also might be the biggest paddle wave of the year thus far, man or woman.
“¡Viva Mexico!” said Valenti in an Instagram post about the wave. “Came down to celebrate last week’s equal pay announcement. Feels like a weight is lifted. And I am thankful to [be] here focusing on these amazing BIG waves!!!”
With sets well into the 35-50-foot range, local legend Coco Nogales called the swell that served up Bianca’s wave, “definitely the biggest swell of the year.”
“[Bianca] charges!” Nogales told The Inertia. “Happy to see her going next level! She is gnarly! Respect! Also good motivation for all the other girls that surf big waves and the ones who want to learn how to surf big [waves]. Pure motivation.”
It’s clear that after being crowned champion here during July’s Puerto Escondido Cup, Valenti has all the confidence she needs to push herself and her limits. She is one of the most driven and confident people I know, and it really does show through her surfing. I kinda feel empowered just watching her.
