Ramón Navarro Makes History by Surfing Frigid Waters of Antarctica
"All my life I had direct contact with the sea; my father is an artisanal fisherman and I spent all of my childhood with the waves of Punta de Lobos, Chile. This has made me a man of the sea." -- professional big wave surfer, Ramón Navarro
Chilean professional big wave surfer Ramón Navarro recently went on a dangerous surfing expedition to Antarctica where he faced the challenges of frigid temperatures and bad weather all for the love of the sport, and to make history.
How was it?
"Absolutely gnarly. So dangerous," he said.
He's a surfer and explorer, and he likes uncharted waters and the challenge of riding colossal waves in uncharted territory.
Navarro and fellow surfer Dan Malloy, and a huge support team backed by Red Bull and Patagonia, traveled from Navarro's home in Chile to the South Shetland Islands, according to The Huffington Post. They had to be patient during their two-week expedition among the chunks of ice and adorable penguins and seals as they waited for safe conditions.
While the waves weren't monsterous like Navarro was wishing for, he eventually conquered at least three new waves that had never been surfed before.
"We made history anyways," he added.
Navarro has made records and surfed waves that have reached six or seven feet high in Chile in the area between Algarrobo and El Quisco.
Navarro launched "Busca Gigantes," a program of mini-documentaries on surfnavarro.com that capture him taking on different swells and waves with a team of three cameramen and two photographers.
"He is now on the big wave world tour and travels the world surfing the biggest waves you'll ever see. And even though Ramon rides waves that should leave any normal person gleaming with confidence, Ramon stays humble -- just like the sea."
Check out Navarro's Antarctic challenge.