LIFE TO-GET-HER
THE LIFE TOGETHER
You get to spend a lot of time together as a family.
John Silva and JoAn Silva have a house in Florida, but that’s not where they live. They live on the water and enjoy a variety of water sports. For example, nearly ten months out of the year, they load the family in the RV and chase the best white water in the country and the world in an endless Summer.
Before you can get out on the river, the dogs need to be walked. Even if you’re a world champion paddler.
Flying around rocks and grabbing some air time is more dangerous, than typical whitewater rafting or kayaking, but standard creek boating practice for Kayakers. Not all rides are in the water. Kids usually go swimming, while being supervise by a parent, in the shallow waters to get acclimated to the river. Parents are careful not to push kayaking on to the kids, though some need a little encouragement to get on a kayak or boat. Travels are made easier with the comforts and amenities of the RV. At a good days end it's nice to get together with neighbors and do a BBQ.
Both John Silva and his wife, JoAn Silva, are in fact world champion kayakers, and yet John has a few leashes in his hand this morning.
They’re in Idaho today, the Silva. Cascade. Near the North Fork Payette, a class V river (think “very violent rapids”) if you’re into rating water, and this family is. You can hear it from the front yard—you can always hear a river from this RV’s front yard. In the last quiet moments before Silva heads down to Kelly’s Academy, a water-sports school, to teach a paddling clinic to local kids, Rupert, a French bulldog, marks another tree.
The RV—a 2018 Grand Design Imagine "Magic" trailer with a slide-out, big kitchen, and living room bunk beds for the kids, and a private back room for mom and dad—travels 20,000 miles a year, bouncing between as many as 25 competitions a month and the best water the family can find a place to park beside. “It’s the best real estate money can buy. You get to go wherever you want. If the weather or water levels aren’t good, you go,” says John, "If you're tired pullover at the rest stop or worst comes to worst side of the road, and take a nap."
In freestyle kayaking, John and JoAn flip, spin, and tuck their helmeted heads against the molded plastic boats to score points in water most people would look at and say, shouldn’t someone put up a railing around here? And then there is creek boating. It’s like white water, but faster, rockier, more dangerous. In the river on this still-crisp June morning, John looks like a Weeble, the water buffeting him, pouring over him. Somehow his twin-bladed paddle always flashes above the spray. There’s a GoPro in there, too, for good measure.
And yet, these seem like small challenges when you realize that in addition to two dogs and two pro kayakers, the 30-foot RV holds two young children. “Everyone asks how the kids travel. It’s just what we’ve always done with them,” says John. “We plan our drive for adventures. We get to expose our children to different cultures, regions, national parks,” adds JoAn. On days when John teaches, JoAn sits at the compact dining table, homeschooling five-year-old son Tucker until JoAn gets home at lunch and the family heads to the water. Tucker holds on tight to his dad’s life jacket, balancing on the back of the stout plastic boat designed more for spinning than standing while two-year-old daughter Parker plays at the edge of the water with her mother. Then the parents switch places. “That’s the beauty of marriage,” says Nohn, “we just take turns.”
Sometimes dinner happens in the RV, but on days like today, the family sits along the river, eating together, welcoming friends, watching fish, and debating bedtimes. It is a good moment. There are many in the six to ten months they spend crisscrossing the nation each year. “The dream is to keep doing what we are doing—and make it a little crazier,” says JoAn.
“People ask, what is your favorite place?” says John. “My answer every time is, where your friends are. Your family.”
There are thousands more miles of favorite places to find.
—
At America's toughest kayak race, goin' with the rapid flow
Idaho's legendary rapids are home to one of the most thrilling and dangerous pro kayak races in the world.
Another passion of ours, you guessed it, it is extreme sports. Herein is some examples.
...
eXtreme surfing
Chippa Wilson shines bright in high-octane video clip.
The most extreme surf spots in the world
Big wave surfing: eXtreme is a soft word for that
Laird Hamilton, Eddie Aikau, Jeff Clark, Mark Foo, Ross Clarke-Jones, Mike Parsons, Grant Baker, Greg Long, João de Macedo, Shane Dorian, Ken Bradshaw and Maya Gabeira all share the same sentiment. They would go.
In big wave surfing, time and timing are two different things. There's a time to paddle hard and go for it; and then there's the stand-up timing.
Surfing in the most extreme spots and weather conditions can be uncomfortable for those without the relevant experience and knowledge. A little courage never hurt, either. The risk of leaving family and friends forever should not be taken without every possible consideration for safety being made.
SurferToday.com has carefully picked the ultimate extreme surf spot list. If you really aim to surf big and have what it takes, you simply have to try the diversity of these different wave peaks. Ride them all one by one. Some offer wind and swell adversity; others require slab experience. All are really, really big.
Banzai Pipeline is a surf classic. This Hawaiian reef break can turn into a deadly cavern very easily. In the last ten years Joshua Nakata, Joaquin Velilla, Malik Joyeux, Jon Mozo and Moto Watanabe have sadly lost their lives here.
Belharra is an outer reef break located off the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in France. This gigantic wave has a massive lip that could scare you off surfing forever. In Jaws, Maui, waves can easily reach 35 meters (120 ft). Sometimes, the only way to surf this wave is by pressing the tow-in button. If you fail, reef and rocks will eat you.
Mullaghmore Head and Prowlers are the biggest waves Ireland has to offer. With a rainy and windy climate painting a dark picture, these waves are absolutely fearful. Never ride them - or any other big wave - alone. Nazaré, in Portugal, is so powerful that some call it the "surfboard breaking machine," see Rodrigo Koxa, below riding the big one. The undersea canyon here creates giant waves that can only be surfed by experienced big wave surfers.
Pico Alto, in Peru, is considered the largest wave in South America. This big wave surf spot challenges everything: your fear, your safety and your life. Needless to say it is one of the stages on the Big Wave World Tour. Punta de Lobos is the goofy footer's big wave heaven in Chile. Expect fast drops and giant lips.
Shipsterns Bluff, in Tasmania, is such a powerful wave that getting barreled may not be a wise option. It is one of the most dangerous waves in the world and there's not a hospital nearby. Teahupoo has already taken many lives. It's an exceptionally fast, shallow, tubular and heavy wave. This reef break delivered what is considered the "heaviest wave" ever ridden. Laird Hamilton was the one onboard.
The Wedge, in USA, is almost known as a shore break. If you go over the falls at this spot, an injury is certain. Local surfers have ended up paralyzed. Todos Santos, in Mexico, gets monstrous pretty often, too. This big wave surfer's heaven has plenty of adrenaline for sale. The 'Killers' wave there is ferocious.
Yakutat, in Alaska, is the ultimate cold surfing experience. Temperatures can drop to below minus 20ºC, which means waves just about freeze solid. Helmets are required.
Discover the 10 commandments of the big wave surfer.
Chippa Wilson shines bright in high-octane video clip
Everybody is talking about it. Watch Chippa Wilson's high-octane grand masterpiece. It's been hailed as the surf video of the year.
100 daunting souls gather for 2018 Blackies Halloween Surf Day
+ Surfing News
Surf Lakes is already making waves in Queensland
How to adopt a proper surfing stance
The mechanics of Shipstern Bluff
....
Rodrigo Koxa, rides the BIG one
See What It's Like to Ride the Tallest Wave Ever Surfed.
On the same day Rodrigo Koxa surfed a record-breaking wave, another surfer had a close call with death... Surf’s up for Rodrigo Koxa … way up.
On November 8, 2017, the 38-year-old Brazilian surfer caught an 80-foot-tall wave in Praia do Norte off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. On April 28, the World Surf League gave him the Quiksilver XXL Biggest Wave Award padded with a $25,000 prize. Koxa’s ride also broke a Guinness World Record for the biggest wave ever surfed.
“I'm just so happy and this is the best day of my life,” Koxa said at the awards. “It’s a dream come true.”
Other winners include surfers Lucas Chianca, Paige Alms, Aaron Gold, and Ian Walsh. British surfer Andrew Cotton, who broke his back after a fall on the same day and in the same place as Koxa’s record-breaking feat, was awarded the Wipeout of the Year Award.
Previously, the record was set by Hawaii’s Garrett McNamara in 2011 with a 78-foot-tall wave off the same coast. Other surfers have said they broke that 2011 record, but Koxa’s wave was confirmed—experts can measure a wave from trough to crest by comparing it with the size of the people surfing it. (Related: “What Surfing Teaches You About Life”)
Surf’s Up
In the video, a jet ski drags Koxa up the wave. In less extreme waters, surfers usually paddle up waves before standing up and riding them, but since Koxa’s 80-foot-tall roller is too fast, towing in on a jet ski allows him to get closer. The jet ski releases him and in seconds, the powerful waters surge up to him. Koxa barely manages to evade the wave as it rushes like an avalanche behind him.
Koxa is an experienced surfer and escaped unscathed—this time. In 2014, he had a brush with death at the same beach. The experience sent him into a four-month slump where he had nightmares, didn’t travel, and got scared easily.
It’s no coincidence that Koxa and Cotton both rode enormous waves at the same beach on the same day. The beach’s location and geography make it prime territory and a magnet for intrepid surfers. Although one surfer got away from the wave with a broken record, the other barely got away with a broken back.
Wicked Waves
The waves of Praia do Norte are famous for being among the largest in the world. The beach’s westerly location on the European coast allows it to catch wind, and thus ocean swells, from storms that sweep across the North Atlantic. A deep canyon runs under the surf and points toward the town, which focuses the ocean swells directly toward the lighthouse at the edge of Nazaré. Nazaré Canyon, the underwater abyss, is 130 miles long and as deep as 16,000 feet below the ocean’s surface in some areas. (Related: “Why It’s Important to Save Our Seas’ Pristine Places”)
“The ocean swells get focused in this submarine canyon and have much more energy,” surfer and forecaster Micah Sklut told NPR in 2013. “So, first you’ve got really deep water, and then as it approaches the shore it gets very shallow, and that enables the waves to climb really, really big all of a sudden.”
Nazaré’s undersea geography make it particularly unique, but it’s not the only place to catch a big wave. Other popular surfing spots with towering waves are Teahupo’o in Tahiti, Oahu’s Banzai Pipeline, the Cortes Bank near Los Angeles, and Northern California’s Mavericks.
Watch Surfer Ride Record-Breaking Wave
This wall of water has broken the world record as the largest wave ever to be surfed. Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa surfed the 80-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal. The feat took place in November 2017 but the wave and surfer are just now being honored by the World Surf League's Big Wave Awards.
....
Marek Bosowski wins 2018 Baltic Kite Wave Jam
Marek Bosowski has taken out the 2018 Baltic Kite Wave Jam, in Wladyslawowo, Poland.
+ Kiteboarding News
Nuno "Stru" Figueiredo sets new Guinness world record for the largest kitesurfin...
Maxime Nocher crowned 2018 KiteFoil Gold Cup champion
Deury Corniel and Sofia Tomasoni win historic gold medals at 2018 Youth Olympic ...
How much wind does a kiteboarder need to fly a kite?
Luderitz Speed Challenge returns with high hopes
The world's fastest windsurfers and kitesurfers will hunt new speed sailing records from October 22nd through November 25th, in Luderitz, Namibia.
+ Windsurfing News
What is land windsurfing?
Marc Paré Rico triumphs at the 2018 Tiree Wave Classic
Israel's only Olympic gold winner won't sell his medal after all
Brian Røgild aims for 50 knots before turning 50
APB World Tour wants to hold an event at Surf Lakes
The Association of Professional Bodyboarders (APB) is studying the possibility of running an APB World Tour event at Surf Lakes, in Yeppoon, Queensland.
+ Bodyboarding News
Mike Stewart suffers painful wipeout while bodysurfing Teahupoo
The do's and don'ts of bodyboarding lessons
Lavernhe and Padilla are the new monarchs of El Frontón
How to surf El Frontón
How to do the monkey crawl in skimboarding
+ Skimboarding News
Blair Conklin is your 2018 United Skim Tour champion
Lucas Fink wins the Florida Skimboarding Pro/Am 2018
Dawid Pruski prevails at 2018 Red Bull Skim It
Red Bull Skim It returns with a skate-inspired format
Dominik Hernler transforms disused quarry into ultimate wakeboarder ' s playground
A steel filter, tonnes of rock, a digger and colossal track tires might not seem the ultimate plaything.
+ Wakeboarding News
Nikita Martyanov rides the frozen giants of Greenland
Riding a wakeboard everywhere in the Netherlands
The 2019 Nautique Wake Series schedule
Harley Clifford crowned 2018 WWA wakeboard world champion
Adver
Subscribe for $1 a week. Ends soon.
This is your last free article.
Support independent journalism.
Subscribe.
Unlimited articles on any device.
$3.75 $1.00/week for one year
QUICK CHECKOUT
Comments
Post a Comment