Note submitted by Rip Curl Chile

Joaquín del Castillo left the Lima night aerials championship straight to the airport to go on the adventure of competing in the Rip Curl Pro The Search that will take place tomorrow Monday in Chile.

After two planes and a ferry, the Peruvian arrived at Isla Grande de Chiloé to find a rough and very cold sea, but with hope: “It's quite small. But tomorrow it promises to be good,” he told DUKE.

In the following paragraphs he comments a little about the beginning of this adventure.

Your first impressions of the place?
The place is beautiful, the descent to the wave is a journey between plants with thorns and slopes with slippery mud.

And the water temperature? 

I've never been in such a cold place

What does the wave look like? Potential for a good day?
The truth is that today was quite small and I couldn't see the shape of the wave, but the reef and the setting lend themselves to it being epic.


And how are you feeling for this event? You just won an ALAS…
The truth is that I feel very confident. I have been training a lot and I have my surfing under control.

And talk about competing in such cold conditions, how do you think it affects you?
The sea conditions and the equipment used are totally different and complicated.

Wow, is it that cold then?
Yes, for me it does (laughs)! Yes, the truth is that they are extreme conditions and that makes performance very difficult.

Who do you see as the favorite?
And there are many favorites, but I think that on a wave that the vast majority has not surfed, it varies a lot who has more chances of winning.

How does it feel to be on that quest in such a far away place?
It feels like a journey and just because it's not warm doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, on the contrary, I'm amazed by the visuals and the sea here on this island.