The Global Paddling Community

Interview with Corran Addison about the Pororoca trip in Brazil.

This interview was originally produced for the Portuguese web site 'kayaksurf.net' and is published exclusively on Playak in english to make it available to a wider audience. The portuguese version of the interview, with larger versions of some of the photos, is available here.

In April 2005, a group of expert wave-surfing kayakers surfed the Pororoca for the first time in history. The group was accompanied by world renowned photographer Mirco Garoscio and a film crew whose job was to capture the entire adventure for the upcoming extreme sports documentary 'Risking Life'. The film will feature people from around the world participating in extreme sports. It is due for release in January 2006.

The Team

• Rusty Sage (1998 world champion)
• South Africa's Corran Addison (Olympian and three-time world medallist)
• Steve Fisher (2 time world medallist)
• Expert kayaker Diego Valsecchi from Argentina
• Brad Ludden from the USA
• Australia's Dan Campbell-Lloyd (kayaking waterfall world record holder)

The Kayaks

• Brad Ludden - Dagger Crazy 88
• Steve Fisher - Riot Boogie and Modified low rocker Turbo 52
• Dan Campbell - Dragorossi Squashtail
• Corran Addison - Dragorossi Squashtail
• Rusty Sage - Wave Sport Flyer
• Mirco Garoscio - Dragorossi Squashtail
• Diego Valescchi - Dragorossi Fish

The planning

When did you have the idea for this adventure in Brazil?
In 2000 I read about the surfers riding the bore, so I've wanted to do this since then.

The main logistical difficulties?
I don't speak Portuguese, so arranging boats and jet skis, finding out when the bore is in, hotels, drivers etc is not that simple. It took 6 months to get organized. I had a lot of help from David Weber, who was also supposed to be on the trip, but then couldn't make it.

Did you had any support from local paddlers or surfers?
Yes a local surfer called Sergio Laous.

The surfing

Did you feel danger on the wave (lots of trees floating by I suppose)?
Not really danger, just excitement and apprehension. A combination of the wave only coming once a day, and if you come off it you miss the best part of the wave, and then also in the back of your mind, you're part of the food chain out there.

What are the main differences between that wave and an ocean wave?
The wave feels much more like a river wave than an ocean wave, but you're physically moving like in the ocean, and you're watching the shore go buy. It really was a mix of ocean and river wave surfing.

And your kayaks... were they OK for that kind of wave?
I think the Squashtail was the best boat for the wave. Steve and Rusty had dedicated to use surf boats, and Diego had a Fish (rodeo boat). Steve also had a low rocker, but he never used it (too slow) and Diego used the Fish just once. The surf boats were fast, and great for making the sections, but were more limiting in the "rodeo" style tricks that could be done. The Squashtail really seemed to have that balance of being both a surf boat and a rodeo boat, so that was super cool. No one complained about their boats - we all had fun, but looking at the footage, the turning radius of the Squashtail just seemed to be better suited for the wave.

I interviewed Rogério Cruz, Brazilian wave ski champion, and he had already surfed Pororoca. He talked of an incredible power like an endless wave. Is it like that?
I had no idea it had been surfed on a wave ski, that's cool. The wave is very powerful, but it's also fickle. One minute it's big and fast and raging at you, and then suddenly it looses all its power, and becomes very flat and you have to be careful not to wash off. Then it jacks up again, gets back its power, and off you go (if you're still on it). The most frustrating part is that when you come off the wave, you end up sitting on the back side waiting to be picked up, and this can take a long time. Meanwhile the wave is firing, so that's annoying. But it's a logistical issue.

Any advice for other who want to try the Pororoca?
We paid a guy down there in the end to help us out, organize boats and drivers etc. If I had to do it again, I'd use that money to ship a large jet Ski and a driver down there. We spent 10 to 15 minutes waiting to be picked up, and in Montreal, in similar conditions, we get picked up in 30 seconds. This was the main problem. Now that we've been there, know how to go (and with Italian I can communicate with most Portuguese as the languages are very similar), where to go, and how to look for the wave, I'd do it alone. But if you've never been, I think you'd have a very hard time getting everything right, and hiring Sergio is probably the better way to make sure you get some wave time in.

What about the costs of the adventure?
Ironically, it's the most expensive trip I've been on. With flights, hotels, jet skis and motor boats etc, the cost per minute on the weave came out to be about $50 a min to surf. That's a lot of money.

The present and the future

And otherwise, what have you been doing lately?
I've been surfing mostly this year. Some creeking and kayak surfing, but I needed a break, and i want to be a good surfer, so I've been putting in the time and energy, surfing about 5 to 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week. It has also put me in the best shape I've been in since the Olympics. But I have also run some big stuff this year, testing new prototypes (and also inventing a new style of river kayak), and doing my usual R&D and mad scientist routine.

And kayak surfing?
Always. I'll never stop kayaking or kayak surfing. Surfing a kayak is by far my favorite part of kayaking: rivers, oceans, bores, it's all good.

Short term plans?
Back to Italy to work on some new designs, surfing in Montreal and this winter I'll be going to South America several times.

Thanks for this interview Corran.

Text: Luis Pedro Abreu
Photos and Video: Mirco Garoscio

For some still video impressions of the trip, click here.
For more info about Corran, visit www.2imagine.net