Natxo González is guaranteed in the CT: “I am very confident and I am going all out”
Interview with the new member of the elite of the world big wave circuit who wrote an epic in Nazaré and went from having no ranking to getting into the top 10
Natxo González entered the elite of big waves thanks to an impeccable performance at the Nazaré Challenge that placed him in third place in the event but above all in the coveted top 10 of the ranking.
He knew at all times that this opportunity could guarantee him a place in the elite of world surfing again and everything was set up for that to happen based on confidence, intelligence in the competition, and courage, of course. Natxo took some bombs and thus placed himself in the third place he needed to climb from not having a ranking to fulfilling his dream.
Just over a year earlier, he had surfed the day of the Nazaré Challenge without jet skis and almost without light, in the early morning, those huge waves that scared the heaviest big riders on the planet. That session, along with others in the heaviest spots in the world, gave him the opportunity in this year's Nazaré Challenge. He did not waste it and returned to the elite.
This is what he had to say:
It can be safely said that since Aritz you are the first Basque to return to the CT, it is another CT but it is the CT at the end. How does it feel at such a young age to be making history in this way?
It's a dream for me. When I first entered the giant waves tour and I was 19, I felt very inexperienced. I was with older people who were way more experienced than me, and I felt a bit like: "What am I doing here?" But well, this year I've dedicated myself to catching the biggest waves in the world and I feel more experienced, in Jaws, in Ireland, in Nazaré, in Mavericks.
I'm calm, it's a dream come true, it was my main objective. It's been a couple of very hard years because we had to keep going all over the world with the best and try to achieve the "performance of the year" against the best in the world and in the end the jump I had in Nazaré was a stroke of luck for me, something very good for getting into the CT.
I knew it, I was under a lot of pressure, but at the same time I really wanted to get a good result to achieve that dream that I have had all my life, since I started on the Tour, three years ago, until now.
Over the past few days, have you been kind of praying that there wouldn't be a tournament at Mavericks?
I was thinking about not doing it, but I didn't care if they did it or not, that's really the game, that's the competition and if it had been done I would have been delighted to see it and also see what the brothers do because there are people who are on the tour and need points to qualify for next year, so that's why I did want them to do it.
In the end it didn't happen and I qualified and well, several friends left the tour, but that's how it is, you have to fight to stay there. Anyway, luckily it didn't happen and I was able to qualify, all the better.
How was it when you came back from Hawaii and were invited to Nazaré? There must have been a lot of nerves and a lot of running around.
The invitation to Nazaré was something very special for me, it was a unique opportunity to get on the tour and I knew I had to make the most of it. I knew I was the third substitute for Nazaré and halfway through the year two people were injured, so I was the first substitute for the event, it was very possible that I would get in.
Above: Natxo finding a fun (for him) break at Pipe just a few weeks ago. Video: Jon Aspuru
I was in Hawaii, I went for a giant swell at Jaws and then I stayed a little longer with my friends, relaxed and enjoying the island a little after so much nerves. Then I got home and with all the jet lag and everything, I remember that one day I slept for fifteen hours, I got up and my phone was bursting at the seams, I don’t know how many missed calls, from my bosses, from my friends and I thought: “What happened now?”. I knew that a big swell was coming to Nazaré, I woke up at eight in the evening and I got the great news that the day after tomorrow I had to be in Nazaré. At first it was overwhelming, I had to prepare for that, the boards, everything and go there because it takes me eight hours from home to there.
I arrived the day before. It was really nice because whenever you travel on the tour you tend to be quite alone. When you go to Hawaii or other countries you travel alone because it is very expensive and it is difficult to have people with you. This time we made a great team, all my friends went, with all the support in the world, from home too, I tell you about it and it really makes my hair stand on end, it was really nice, a different championship, I knew I had to have a good result, but I was enjoying myself with my friends too. I had to be very focused to have a good championship.
How did you feel during the tournament? You were certainly very driven, without any doubts about going to the biggest tournaments. Was that how it was? Was that how your mind was?
I knew that in the final, for example, I would either finish sixth or finish first. I tried to wait, be very patient and go for the biggest waves. The handicap I had was that compared to the ones outside, it is a wave that I know a little more and I know a little how to move there. I knew perfectly well where the waves were going to break and I played with that in my favor.
Of the four stops we know will be on the 2018 tour, which one are you most excited to surf: Mavs, Nazaré, Peahi or Puerto? And which one do you have the most faith in doing well?
The four stops are incredible, I'm very excited, just surfing six people in each place is a thrill. I'm going to go all out to all of them, now more than ever. With a goal of gaining more experience than usual and giving it my all, with a very clear objective as well, in the longer term, to be world champion since I have the opportunity to be able to be one.
Without a doubt, Puerto is the beach that I like the most, what I don't know is if they are going to do it and how the tour ends up.
Above: Experience worth its weight in gold: Natxo at Mavericks. Freesurfing in the video, now on the world tour.
How are you going to live 2018-2019 now that you know you will have these important challenges? What will change?
In the end, this year I have followed all the biggest swells in the world and it is a constant pressure to focus on all the swells without stopping, it is quite hard. Now that I am on the tour, I am going to try to enjoy it, enjoy all the events and train a lot. Do a very hard pre-season, very strong to be at my best, which is always good. I am very confident and I am going with everything.
Finally, what is Natxo's ultimate goal in this new stage of his life?
The goal is always to be happy and comfortable with yourself, that's the most important thing, when you go in another direction you're already doing badly, so mainly trying to be happy and good is the long-term goal of being world champion and this year gaining a lot of experience and staying on the tour.
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