RIP Hugues Oyarzabal: A Life Well Surfed

It is with sadness that Stab learned of the untimely passing of Hugues Oyarzabal.

Born in Biriatou in the mid ’80s, it was at nearby Hendaye that Hugues fell in love with surfing at the age of 11. By 16, he had become a professional freesurfer — an uncommon job title in his part of the world at the time.

While the term core lord gets thrown around rather lightly these days, none of the Oyarzabal folklore was faux-core. He was a Basque Country standout in all conditions, finding comfort anywhere from Hossegor’s rip bowls, to tall and hollow Mundaka, and the XXL outer reefs of the region. He also pioneered Vanthrax, an oft-deemed unsurfable left slab near Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

The only place he logged more water time than at home was in Indonesia — no surprise for a goofyfooter with a vested interest in the inside of waves. A notable presence at Desert Point and a familiar sight on the Bukit Peninsula, he even adopted the Balinese name for a firstborn son, Wayan, which, combined with his initials, formed his self-created acronym: WHO.

It could be said that Hugues occupied a space akin to Ozzy Wright in the Antipodes and Nathan Fletcher in the U.S. His DIY spirit made him an accidental POV pioneer — before GoPros infested the top third of (mostly) epoxy surfboards worldwide, he was paddling out with a camera and battery in a homemade waterproof backpack.

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He was eventually presented with the first-ever GoPro Award in 2012 by Kelly Slater, in the presence of the world’s best surfers in Hawaii.

Hugues carved his own path with intensity. That was part of what made him so idiosyncratic — and sometimes got him into trouble. He was open about his ADHD and the different ways he tried to manage it, but that boundless energy also fueled his creativity. He fully embraced the democratization of content production, making and sharing his own films with the world.

Before putting an end to his life at the age of 40, Hugues had been sharing his love of surfing with his daughter, Kailani, since she was three years old. Our hearts are with her and all those who loved him.

Hugues’ story is a cautionary tale and a reminder to always check in on those closest to you.