Note submitted by Vissla 

Jonathan Gubbins is free as a bird; one day he is seen in Namibia, another in Hawaii, another in Chopes and another in Indonesia. His agenda is dictated by the tides and he offers no resistance when travelling from one place to another.

As he never set limits in this regard, his name and talent grew worldwide to the point of being considered one of the most intubated human beings on the planet.

The coronavirus has now tied him up, in his apartment facing the perfect waves of La Isla, Gubbins is with his two children and his wife Sandra. He cannot surf by decree, he cannot go out even to the corner and of course he cannot travel through the tubes of the planet; he cannot follow the routine that he chose as a job.

Locking this individual up must not be easy in times of coronavirus, but he knows that staying home is how this pandemic will end.

In the following paragraphs, one of the most traveled surfers on the planet shares how he is surviving the lockdown that aims to end the pandemic.   

What is your philosophy during this quarantine?
We must abide by the rules for the common good. See the positive side, which ultimately means taking advantage of our close family, children, wife, and rethinking some actions that we take on a daily basis that may in some way contribute to what is happening.

How do you maintain control?
Every day that passes is more difficult. However, I have a nice house, children, food, I see the sea. I have a lot to be thankful for. Now I have been watching a lot of the material I have made over the years, the videos and waiting for this to end so I can come back stronger and better.

Have you lost it?
Sometimes it's strange to lose your freedom and life as you imagined it from one moment to the next.

Even though you like barrel waves, it can't be easy to see La Isla breaking every day with no one in the water. How do you feel about it?
Of course, I live 50 metres from La Isla and the beach. This whole month has been nice and sunny. There is a lot of desire, but it makes no sense to do it if there is a ban, either everyone or no one.

It would have been interesting to have some kind of permit for those of us who live in front, like they do with the fishermen, but there are several of us and I am not a health expert, so they should make the decisions.

And as far as travel goes, you've probably already traveled to a couple of places by now, so how do you control yourself?
That's what hurts the most. I had big plans with Teahupo'o and Namibia, I was also thinking of doing something in Western Australia. Maybe this will be the year I spend more time in Peru, I hope it's a great year for Panic Point and I get to do a lot of warm-ups. I'm still waiting for those trips but the current situation is totally uncertain.

Which analysts or specialists do you take into account when planning your next trip? There are some offers that seem attractive, airlines that sell tickets for 150 days from now (when everything is supposed to be over) very cheaply… Have you made plans?
I haven't made any plans. I want to think about the health of my loved ones first. This virus can be lethal for our parents and grandparents. I'll wait a while to make decisions. However, most of the countries I travel to have closed their borders.

You are the father of two children, and you surely know that grandparents need to be taken care of with the coronavirus. How are you coping with quarantine when it's just you and Sandra?
Exactly, I don't see anyone other than my family. I haven't even gone out shopping. It's strange, I've never had the quality of time I've spent with my children before in my life. I have a lot of fun with them.

What activity has “worked” for you with children?
Joking around all day, prank after prank, playing games, watching movies, we have a hamster and we joke around with it, etc.

"I have never had the quality of time I have spent with my children before in my life"

How long do you think this will last?
I think it will be difficult until June because countries will probably have their borders closed and travel will not be possible. It seems that the year in general will be very uncertain, unfortunately.

How tempted have you been to go into the water and break the quarantine?
There is desire, but seeing all the people who die, the suffering, how all this grows, the truth is that I would feel very bad running, not because I see that there is a risk but because I would feel little solidarity.

Did you do it in some secret way that we would never have found out?
No, more than two weeks straight without running.

How high is your level of desire to go into the water?
One thousand percent. With the water and the family, I wouldn't want for anything. I'd sign that, even if it's not tubular (laughs).

"It would have been interesting to have some kind of permit for those of us who live in front, like they do with the fishermen, but there are several of us and I am not a health expert, so they should make the decisions."

What reflections or notes do you make about what is happening?
I think the path we take as surfers is the right one. We want to be in the sea, in nature, enjoying ourselves with friends and family, in the waves.

Material things are just a means to do what we like the most. I think that if the world were surfers we wouldn't be where we are. This is a criticism of consumerism, of growing without limits, to zero concern for the planet, to individualism over the collective, to venerate plastic and false culture, etc.

We are all more or less to blame and it is time, we have the opportunity to change this situation.

What are you most looking forward to doing once this is over?
Getting into the water, traveling with the family, running as many tubes as I can. Because what makes us happy are the moments, the experience, what we have lived, nothing more.