Stab Magazine | Ace Buchan has Rio fever!

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

384 Views

Ace Buchan has Rio fever!

Brazilians are adorably passionate about Brazil. Their love don’t stop at the border! So when Ace Buchan played another piece in an unlikely but slowly-forming rivalry against Gabriel Medina at Arpoador, he wasn’t just surfing against Gabs. Ace came off better, scooping a surprise 9 right at heat’s-end. Since being in Rio, Ace has also marvelled […]

news // Mar 8, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Brazilians are adorably passionate about Brazil. Their love don’t stop at the border! So when Ace Buchan played another piece in an unlikely but slowly-forming rivalry against Gabriel Medina at Arpoador, he wasn’t just surfing against Gabs. Ace came off better, scooping a surprise 9 right at heat’s-end. Since being in Rio, Ace has also marvelled at the view from the all-seeing Cristo Redentor statue and flirted with the idea of making a guinea pig outta Occy. Ace was stepping out of a churrascaria (Brazilian steak house, with more meat) when a call from Stab made it through. We had the Central-Coaster paint us a fleeting picture of Rio, from his viewpoint, right now.

Stab: It looks kinda dreamy over there!
Ace Buchan: As long as the sun’s out, it’s so nice. You just surf in trunks. The water’s a little bit dirty ’cause there’s small rivers running out here and there, but it’s so fun. We surfed this morning out the front of the hotel at Barra Da Tijuca (the primary contest site). It has wedgy little peaks ’cause there’s a coupla islands out the back that break the waves up. The day before the event was really good, wedgy barrels. Right in front of the hotel is really fun and there’s a mental wedge up in the corner, but apparently it’s completely off-limits and you can’t surf it ’cause of the locals. Even the Hurley guy who’s looking after us here, he’s from the other end of the beach and he’s not allowed to surf it. No-one’s been up and surfed it yet. We’ve been trying to get Occy to surf it ’cause if anyone can surf it, it’ll be Occy. See if he can break the ice for us. Actually, I think some of the girls went to try and surf it ’cause they didn’t know, and they got sent in.

What about the contest setup on day one? Arpoador had a pretty sick little left wedging off the rock. It was just about finding them. Brazil’s always got those weird Brazilian lumps in all the waves. It’s never quite what it seems – there’s always a little bit of backwash or something. It was a bit of a battle up against that rock but once you lucked into one it was definitely super rippable.

It looked a little like Snapper in that you took off on the rock and had to guess which ones were gonna stand up. F’sure. It’s a little bit of a gamble. You can kinda tell which ones are gonna be the bombs. But all the fans are standing right there on the rocks, screaming at the Brazilian guys, telling them which waves to take in Portuguese. It’s pretty funny. It’s a good atmosphere, it’s fun surfing in that.

Surfing against Gabriel Medina must’ve been like surfing against a whole country. Yeah, they get behind any of the Brazilians, but obviously Gabby has a lot of hype right now. And so he should, he surfs amazingly. It was good to have heat with him because we had a heat at Lowers in the semis last weekend and I got smoked. So, I was psyched to get a chance to surf against him again, especially over here. But y’know, those little rivalries are what make sport exciting. Seeing people match up or seeing teams have battles. So it was good, he surfed a good heat and then I got a chance at the end and made the most of it, I got that 9. That’s what we do it for, to have those wins right at the end that feel so good. It always feels nice to get a win first round, too.

An unlikely rivalry between two goofys, one rookie and one veteran! But, what else happens in Rio? I’m just having fun, I have my best mate over here and I’m hanging with (Matt) Wilko, (Mitch) Rossy, Yades (Nicol) and (Brett) Simpo. Rio’s awesome, it’s such a vibrant place. When the waves are fun you’re psyched to surf. You hear a lot of people bag the place but I’ve always loved coming here. It’s just cool ’cause there’s plenty going on and it’s good to come to Rio now and get to experience a bit more of what Brazil’s about, compared to when we’ve had events at other spots in Brazil in the past. Sometimes it’s easier to get a feel for the culture in a big city like this. Today we went up and did the whole Christ the Redeemer statue thing, which was insane. It’s such an amazing view up there. And the churrascarias are outta this world. – Elliot Struck

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Full Frame: Scandinavia Is Surfing’s Next Frontier

A 30-hour drive, bathymetric maps, and 10 years of searching yield surfing's newest discovery.

Mar 29, 2024

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024
Advertisement