Windsurfing legend Jason Polakow went on a tour of the South Pacific during the summer – only to ride slap-bang into the year's best surf and was competing for waves with 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater. Check out these images from Cloudbreak in Fiji and relive the Aussie's blood, sweat and tears (of joy) in this photostory!
Pro rider Jason Polakow took a summer trip to some of the finest spots in the Pacific Ocean to ride big waves such as Teahupoo, Tahiti and Cloudbreak on the west of Fiji. Jason was the first windsurfer to ride the latter spot and enjoyed every second of it. Well, almost: For a short but frightening moment, he was reminded of his near fatal wipeout last year at Jaws.
Jason: “I'd responded to Baptist Gossein’s invitation to come surf Teahupoo on Tahiti and after a few days there, I saw that things were moving on the side of Fiji.”
“As there was no wind, I went on tow-in surfing and I took at the outset a nice bomb that put me at ease … We were quiet and only a few caught some good ones. Then more and more people went out, including big names like Kelly Slater, who had made this special trip like me. Minutes after, the spot had become completely crowded with 30 boats and surfers across the water as the waves continued to grow.”
“Going back over the lip of a roller, the wave caught the back of my jet ski boom. Unbalanced, I knew it was going to go wrong and tried to relax before breaking up. But while falling, my head hit my rig and my board, I don’t really know, and I found myself under water, completely disoriented. Back to the surface after long seconds, I saw a 15-foot monster. I barely had time to catch my breath and I left already into the washing machine. I then saw the nightmare scenario of last year in Jaws .”
“Then a guy on the safety jet-ski came to pick me out of there but I started to panic a little because there was blood all around me. I was completely struck, burst and I couldn't see out of my right eye. It was an opening above the lid that was bleeding profusely and after a few minutes of rest, I decided to go back out.”
“I was still exhausted and mentally confused from my fall but I was already getting a new sail ready because I knew I'd regret it if I didn’t go. In the end I sailed until sunset.”
Read the entire interview and listen to JP’s travel podcast on Windsurfjournal.com
Photos © Bruno Lemos and Stuart Gibson / Red Bull Content Pool
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