Wakeboarding
See Nikolas Plytas run his dream line in a magical moonscape
In a new video, Water on the Moon, waterski and wakeboard pro Nikolas Plytas takes on a surreal playground of canyons, caves and tunnels in Greece. Here's how he did it.
With a résumé that includes tricking on a shipwreck and riding both water and snow in a combined session, Nikolas Plytas is a watersport visionary. His new idea was to create a video that would portray his strong connection with the sea, and he knew where he wanted to do it. That was on the Greek shores at Milos, where the dramatic chalk-white rocks and twisted caves form a lunar landscape that contrasts with the azure blue of the water.
“The idea of making my dream line in this place was something magical,” he says.
The problem was, how? At first, Plytas couldn’t quite figure out the best way to pull a run together.
“Then I went to bed and I didn’t sleep – I just created lines all through the night,” he recalls. “When I got up, all the shots I wanted to make were in my head and I wrote them down exactly.”
I had never in my life ridden something so aggressive
The storyboard was one thing, but Plytas soon realised the shoot would be the biggest challenge of his life, and custom technical gear was essential. Fortunately, he found the perfect partners. Prada Linea Rossa provided high-performance clothing, and when it came to the board, he worked with the Luna Rossa Team – winner of the Prada Cup at the last America’s Cup – to create a custom build specifically for the purpose.
Check out the video below to see how Water on the Moon was created.
4 min
Nikolas Plytas goes extreme riding in Greece
Go behind the scenes as Nikolas Plytas rides through a surreal playground of canyons, caves and tunnels.
“I knew I would have to do everything as fast as I could for the shots, so the goal for the board was to be responsive, to go fast, and to be able to land from a high drop,” he describes.
Riding the rocks at Gerakas beach on Milos Island
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
Plytas seen from above at Sarakiniko beach
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
“Luna Rossa came up with a shape and from the first time I saw it, I liked it. The board is more narrow than a wakeboard and with sharper edges. It’s really stiff in order to have full control,” Plytas explains, noting that his inspirations for the design included a variety of sports including directional snowboarding, surfing and trick waterskiing.
The idea of making my dream line in this place was something magical
When it came time to try it, Plytas says: “I had never in my life ridden something so aggressive. But when I got used to it, I really enjoyed its response. In the end, it felt like it was a part of my body.”
The project also required intense physical conditioning, he explains: “There are a lot of impacts, I so had to train really well to meet the creative challenge I’d given myself."
Moving through unforgiving features with just centimetres to spare, reaction time was critical. Fortunately, Plytas could call upon the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center who gave him a regimen of exercises to train his reaction skills.
“Then I did a lot of strengthening for my legs and lower back to be able to absorb the impact of one of the high drops I made – the highest I’ve ever done in my life,” he says, describing a jaw-dropping slow-motion shot in the video.
Plytas used an electric winch for sustainability
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
Going airborne in the moonscape
© Alex Grymanis/Red Bull Content Pool
Plytas also worked on strengthening his neck, particularly for a sequence where he flies off rocks at speed, releasing from his board to hit the water and continue barefoot. The challenges kept coming right to the end when Plytas finished his barefoot ride and let go of the tow-rope to suddenly decelerate and walk onto the sand.
“It was scary because I was going probably around 50kph just about three meters away from the beach,” he reveals.
In all, the 90-second video took four full days to shoot, with Plytas repeating runs until he perfected them – all using an electric winch for sustainability.
“It was super-tiring, but the whole team behind the scenes were great and I was so focused,” he says. “I made everything I had originally planned to do when I designed that line and I’m extremely happy.”