Watch: Scoring Giant Waves In Ireland Is No Easy Feat
Nobody ever said being a professional big-wave surfer was going to be easy. Forget the surf itself, sometimes just getting to the beach is a challenge. Case in point, Portugal's Nic Von Rupp and traveling partner Maui's Torrey Meister's mission to massive Mullaghmore Headin in Ireland.
Once the swell forecast came into sharp focus and it was clear just how big the waves were going to be in the Emerald Isles, Von Rupp and Meister pulled the trigger and headed to the airport. Desperately hunting down a flight, they got there at 9:00am and didn't actually sit down on a plane for another 12 hours.
In total, Von Rupp and Meister would spend 48 hours in transit before finally arriving at the Irish big-wave spot. Sleep deprived and highly caffeinated, the two friends paddled out and gave a go.
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Von Rupp ultimately came away with three waves, Meister had to settle for a face full of reef and some battle scares to share with the boys back on Maui.
"If you think being a pro surfer is easy, it just shows you how much of a f--king grind this sh-t is. To come all the way here, sleep three hours, travel 48 hours, and then get here and catch three waves, or smash your face, it's a learning curve, you never know," cackled Von Rupp when it was all over.
So, for those wondering what it's like to chase a giant Atlantic swell halfway across Europe on the spur of the moment and come away with a few good waves, or at least a few good stories, spend eight minutes with Von Rupp and Meister for the full behind-the-scenes experience. "It's as grindy as it gets," testifies Von Rupp.
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With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.