Nathan Florence, deep and steep (but totally complete), Teahupoo

It was day two of the biggest swell of the Teahupoo season (April until October) just past and, how about that lil Florence boy! Eighteen years old! Ain’t he the studious one? “It was late-ish afternoon when this nugget showed up,” says the photographer, Domenic Mosqueira, a former model as has been discussed in this magazine before, who now butters his bread with watershots of Teahupoo. “A solid 10-foot wave hit the reef and Nathan turned and went for it. He was late and we thought he was probably going to get pitched. He managed to get under the lip, slide down the face with his fins above his head. Impressive to see him not only manage the drop but have that Florence-esque skill to have his fins catch and then stand tall. Someone, a Teahupoo regular and charger, said, ‘That was the best drop I’ve seen since Andy!’”

Nathan ain’t one to blow his horn. “Ahhh, this wave’s like an eight-footer,” he says. “Paddling into bigger waves is basically really scary, but when you’re with a bunch of your friends you’re all pushing each other, ain’t a better high in the world.”

The scariest thing about Teahupoo, he says, “is the closeout right that you could get stuck in. You’re lucky if you make it to the lagoon but if you get caught in that current, you’re getting mutant slabs on your head in knee-high water.”

The club beneath his feet (the wind beneath his wings!), was an unusual creation by Stretch, from Santa Cruz in California. “It’s a 6’3” to 6’8 “– it literally says that on the bottom – cork board. The thing paddles like a bigger board but then is loose once you’re in the wave. I give Nathan Fletcher and Stretch a lot of respect for coming up with that model. It’s crazy!”

Says Domenic, “Nathan has become a force to be reckoned with at Teauhpoo!”