Cover photo: Stefan Matzke

There are those who dedicate their entire lives to surfing waves and never manage to ride a solid wave. There are others who start surfing at 19 and after five years they are riding down giant Nazaré. There are very few of those others, very, very few.

One of them is from the middle of the countryside, from a department far from the sea called Soriano, his name is Pepe Gómez, he works among cows, horses, plantations

After travelling to Hawaii and surfing the dangerous beaches of southern Brazil, Pepe went to Nazaré and yesterday he had some chocolates.

In contact with DUKE, the Uruguayan preferred to keep a low profile, promising a one-on-one meeting later in January. He limited himself to saying that he had just arrived, that he would stay until February and that he was eager to surf after having spent a few months working in the countryside.

He added that the waves he rode on yesterday were “angry,” as the Brazilians say.

He ended by explaining that for him, notes should be given to people who help others and not to him who just went down a few waves.

The big rider from the Uruguayan midfield has landed some bombs in Nazaré and there is more to come.