Yannick Anton
Big Wave Rider Yannick Anton lives on Fuerteventura. He comes from a sailing family, started windsurfing at the age of 9 near his home town Nice (French Riviera).
In 1998 he began to compete and travelled throughout Europe and North Africa,
searching for the best wave conditions. In 2001 he entered the PWA. He was
regularly placed top 3 in the jumping discipline. In January 2006, during the
London Boat Show, he performed the first ever indoor double forward loop.
Following an injury break, he spent some months mountain walking and camping in the Alps and decided to move to Fuerteventura to find some stability. He is wave-riding almost every day and taking part in some extreme competitions.
Yannick lives in a house with solar panels, no need for
additional energy sources. He wave-rides for CleanOceanProject.org, supports their philosophy and
campaigns and he is a really nice guy, positive and open minded. If he is not
out there chasing big waves he works in his windsurf school on Fuerteventura.
Following an injury break, he spent some months mountain walking and camping in the Alps and decided to move to Fuerteventura to find some stability. He is wave-riding almost every day and taking part in some extreme competitions.
Kepa Acero
A surfer of note, this energetic globetrotter
from the Basque Region of Spain lives his life in a constant state of motion
and stoke, where borders and the things they imply simply don’t warrant
recognition. His enthusiasm is contagious and has spread to the thousands who
regularly tune in to watch installments of his homemade video productions that
treat viewers like friends, taking them on a long journey to enlightenment—one
funny, touching, obscure interaction at a time.
Janni Hönscheid
Janni, 21 years old, was born on an island in the north sea called Sylt, but at the age of 2 weeks
her parents
moved to Fuerteventura, where she grew up in a house
right next to the ocean. Naturally, she grew into the beach lifestyle and when she
first stood up on a wave at the age of 10 she fell in love with surfing
and the freedom of the sea.
Janni made the 1st place in the Longboard Woman German
Champs 2012 and 2nd place in the Open Woman German Champs 2012, but she isn’t
the most competitive person. She rather explores places and surfs all by herself.
She loves enjoying the sea everyday, and when the swell goes smaller, she nose-rides
on her longboard or SUPs. She does Yoga to stay flexible and likes jogging.
To finance her journeys she works as a freelance model. Janni hopes to see an
oil free world, where even surf boards are made without oil.
El Pks: Jose
Luciano Casillas Dorta
El Pecas, master of the Canaries.
They call him ‘El Pecas’. He’s Luciano Casillas, born
in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in 1972. His family was struggling for economical
wealth. Basic emotions had to be covered, showing a weakness was impossible. In
this environment, El Pecas became an introverted kid.
He lived his emotions in the water, and in drugs: Marihuana,
Cocaine, Extasy. In the nights, he saw the darkest places of Europe, during the
days he surfed with the best surfers of the world: Martin Potter, Matt Hoy,
Timmy Curran, Kelly Slater. His life was an action movie, he saw all hospitals
in Canaries.
One day, during a break from hospital, he surfed with
Timmy Curran in Lanzarote. Timmy told him to read the Bible and to continue
surfing – nothing else. Pks didn’t
return to hospital, he followed the advice. His life changed. He married, got a
son, works a lot for the church and lives in Fuerteventura. Pks surfs every day
and wherever he appears, he has the respect. This summer coma productions made
a film about his life: https://vimeo.com/38864964
Pks knows what is means to be out of balance – he
doesn’t want to see the Canaries covered with oil, but wants to see his son
growing up with renewable energies.
Tony Butt
A doctor and his passion for big Swells: Tony Butt is one of those guys you won’t connect with big (meaning really big) waves when meeting him for the first time. Inconspicuously dressed, humble in his appearance, unpretentiously when talking about himself and his achievements. But under the surface… Tony has a PhD in Physical Oceanography, does wave forecasting for various publications, is author of several books related to surf science and works as a volunteer for various environmental groups such as Surfers Against Sewage. But first and foremost he is a big wave surfer.
Tony spent a better part of his life chasing
the biggest swells on the European Continent, scoring some world’s first along
the northwestern tip of Spain. But he really doesn’t like tow-in surfing and
contests at all.
Maía Andrés
María is professional windsurfer and graphic designer. When she was 8 years old, her bothers
founded a windsurf school in La Bahía, where María learned to windsurf. She fell in love with the ocean and the waves and spent her money on flights to the Canaries and Hawaii. Today, she competes in slalom and wave riding and works as a graphic designer. She’s happy to do what she loves to do and to learn every day.
She wants to
protect and preserve the environment and she does not believe that oil drilling
is a solution for the economical problems in Spain.
Lazi Ruediger
Ladislaus "Lazi" Ruedegger was born in 1989 in Viena but is living in Fuerteventura since he’s 2 years old. He’s a professional surfer, Quicksilver-rider, and besides surfing likes diving, fishing, music, and party. He knows the ocean beneath its surface.
Lazi wants to protect the sea-life, the
dolphins, whales, and other fishes. He loves La Vaca Azul, the local Restaurant
in El Cotillo, Fuerteventura, where the fishermen drop their fish to be cooked
the same day. He does not believe that as many people will be employed by oil
ships, as are employed by fishing, cooking, and serving of sea-food.
Pablo Valencia (FortyFeet)
Pablo is Spanish SUP-champion, he lives on
Fuerteventura, loves to kite-surf, bodysurf, and long-board. He knows every sand
particle of the coast and every person in the water. He wants to experience the
ocean in every possible way. The last thing he wants is to see, is his island
facing an oil spill.
Nicole Boronat
Stephane Etienne and Nicole Boronat are one of the nicest windsurfers’ couple. They helped promote windsurfing in the world and seized the top rankings during their PWA years.
Stephane and Nicole have organised the
Fuerteventura Experience, an invitational event, and dedicated time for CleanOceanProject.org.
Nicole says: “When I was at school, I always wanted to
skate, to be with my friends in the skatepark; I was feeling I was part of a
mixture between sport, art, culture, music.”
Born in Paris Nicole’s career began with her first skate national
title at the age of 16. Skateboarding brought her to surfing, windsurfing, and
SUP. At age 24 she was a professional windsurfer.
She packed her bags and followed her boyfriend Stephane Etienne (pro
windsurfer, surfer) to Tarifa.
Nicole says: “When I was at school, I always wanted to
skate, to be with my friends in the skatepark; I was feeling I was part of a
mixture between sport, art, culture, music.”
Born in Paris Nicole’s career began with her first skate national
title at the age of 16. Skateboarding brought her to surfing, windsurfing, and
SUP. At age 24 she was a professional windsurfer.
She packed her bags and followed her boyfriend Stephane Etienne (pro
windsurfer, surfer) to Tarifa.
She loves the ocean because of the freedom it provides. She
wants to give what’s inside of her. She wants to make a good impression on the
kids, on the people, wants to motivate and refuel their dreams.
Stephane Etienne 
Stephane Etienne grew up in Africa, Tunez, until the age of
11 when his family decided to go to France, Almanarre. He started surfing and
windsurfing. With 16, he became a lifeguard in Biarritz. At the age of 20, he
decided to move to Tarifa to become a professional windsurfer.
He now lives in Fuerteventura and enjoys the conditions of surfing and windsurfing in his European Hawaii.
He says: ”Competition is nice, but you can promote ocean activities through different ways.” He wants to windsurf and Stand up paddle the best he ever can. And he wants to protect the environment from greed.
Jose Maria Cabrera
Hernandez
Nayra Alonso
Nayra wants to wave-ride against oil, because she is
pregnant and she wants her child to grow up in a sustainable environment.
Nayra was born in1979, in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
She spent the summers in Fuerteventura, in las Payitas and saw the windsurfers.
In high school, she tried windsurfing and since then she didn’t stop. She
bought her first gear, and drove to the beach. She started going to Vargas and
learned wave riding. Nayra became addicted to the sport. She competes since
2001.
