JULIAN SALMONN: MY BUCKET LIST, EL CONFITAL
Julian Salmonn has to pay his dues, but eventually the stars align to allow him to cross off the infamous and dangerous El Confital from his bucket list.
Words: Julian Salmonn // Photos: Benjamin Boerez @photomedano
TENERIFE – AN ADOPTED HOME
The Canary Island of Tenerife has been my adopted home and training ground for over 10 years now. The World Cup spot of El Cabezo offers almost perfect conditions year round, but should you seek it, Tenerife has some extreme challenges in store for windsurfers.
BUCKET LIST
The wave in El Confital is right at the top of my windsurfing bucket list, but it is quite fickle as it only works with a south swell, while the wind is almost never coming from the right direction to sail it, add to this that the spot is predominately dominated by surfers and bodyboards and you quickly realise just how much luck you need to be able to make a dream, a reality.
CONSEQUENCES
Despite its close proximity to the World Cup spot of El Cabezo, this spot needs and provides a very different setup. El Confital is a much more challenging/dangerous wave compared to El Cabezo as it possesses a serious amount of power – often with a pitching lip that is more than ready to claim any unsuspecting passengers. If you fall here, you must be prepared for the consequences of being washed over a razor sharp molten rock reef. However, when all the elements and risk taking align, you can be rewarded with simply fantastic conditions, even if only for a brief window.
Even when El Confital is producing these few and far between perfect moments, it presents a real challenge for windsurfers to be able to score it due to everything needing to fall into place at exactly the right time… the wind, the tides, local bodyboarders/surfers, to even start to contemplate daring a session.
ENTIRE AT YOUR OWN PERIL
At low tide the spot is so dangerous that even the bodyboarders avoid the peak because even the small waves “suck” the reef completely dry and the wave then breaks directly onto the rocks – for want of a better word it is unsurfable!
NO TIME TO LOSE
The Friday in question, I received a call from a friend of mine, who told me that he thought the spot could work, however, given the fickle nature of the spot, we would need to hurry. Without even a moment’s thought, I hurriedly began packing my equipment, eager not to waste even the slightest opportunity of sailing this spot, while my friend, and photographer, Benjamin, needed absolutely no convincing about joining this impromptu mission.
WEAPONS OF CHOICE
With no time to waste, I quickly selected my trusty GUNSAILS 5.0 and Bruch Boards 94L as my weapons of choice, before we attempted to scurry down the rocky entry, which was the first of many challenges throughout the day.
The spot certainly isn’t easy to “read” from the water… the very beginning of the wave breaks directly onto the rocks, so here, the most you can do on this very short section is a turn, or an aerial, as the second half of the wave hammers directly onto the reef, which is exactly why there were no bodyboarders or surfers taking their chances on that day.
EASING MY WAY IN
With this treacherous setup in mind, I initially decided on taking a slightly smaller wave for a “warm up” as my game plan. Of course, I also had the photographer in mind, and I wanted to show him exactly what was possible here. However, on just my second wave, I couldn’t resist trying an aerial, but I was a little too deep to make it over the section. For the first time I realised just how much this spot punishes even the smallest of mistakes. There really isn’t much margin for error, as I quickly found out while stood in ankle-deep water on the reef, wondering what I’d gotten myself into.
IMPACT ZONE
When my board hit the rocks, I was then catapulted forwards, and soon found myself between the sail and the reef in shallow water. Not exactly an ideal situation shall we say. Fortunately, I escaped without injury, but the same couldn’t be said of my board as the reef had more than left its mark on it. After a quick regroup, I gathered my equipment and scrambled over the rocks for the first time, but not necessarily the last.
PERSEVERANCE
Despite a tricky start, my motivation to achieve some great photos from this session didn’t wane in the slightest. In fact, if anything, it only spurred me on. I adamantly approached my equipment once more, ready for another crack at it, but the reef had different ideas in mind once again as it visibly snared at me with its razor sharp teeth. On this occasion, the wind deserted me exactly when I needed it the most, which left me without drive, but even worse, in the most critical section of the wave, which I was already becoming far too familiar with. With not much time, nor options, I begrudgingly made the decision to ditch my equipment, while trying to save myself. However, due to the sheer force of the water, and the precariously shallow nature of the reef below me, I was powerless but to watch my sail being almost immediately dismantled into its individual components.
A MOMENT OF LUCK
However, this time around, lady luck was on my side. At first, my gear looked as though it was going to be washed on to the rocks (not so lucky), before it was was sucked into a tiny channel by the vicious current. By the time I reached my equipment, after another lengthy swim, I was further out to sea than I had imagined, so I decided to make the most sensible option, which was to derig what was left of my rig, before paddling back in.
Despite more than a few setbacks, I was still unperturbed and simply refused to give up. I wanted to ride this wave and come out unscathed at least once. So, with my 5.0 now trashed, I grabbed my 5.3m and ventured out again. Finally, the elements were on my side, and I was able to ride this unforgiving and challenging wave until the daylight began to fade with a combination of turns and aerials.
After many trials and tribulations over the course of the day, I eventually exited the water just before nightfall, more than satisfied that I would finally be able to cross El Confital off my bucket list – although I hope to meet you again someday soon. For now though, it’s back home to my trusty and ever reliable El Cabezo.
