Watch: The New Portugal CT Wildcard Can Fucking Fly - Stab Mag

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

2949 Views
Gatien hucks himself into the trades. Frame: Simon Levalois-Bazer

Watch: The New Portugal CT Wildcard Can Fucking Fly

Gatien Delahaye’s masterclass in controlled repetition.

cinema // Mar 10, 2025
Words by Pedro Ramos
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Repetition creates patterns — not necessarily boredom.

Euphemistically titled, Gatien Delahaye’s new edit ‘Wiggles in the Wind’ is unapologetically repetitive. Filmed over three days — same location, same wave, same direction, same conditions — it condenses a very narrow yet well-oiled part of his repertoire into four minutes of runtime.

Priding himself on his consistency, Gatien dishes out a rapid burst of (mostly) backhand finners, blowtails, and airs into the Guadeloupe trades. Downplaying his efforts, he mentions how the conditions on his adopted island make doing airs “super easy.”

At the age of two, Gatien moved with his parents from France to the windward French Caribbean archipelago, where the predominantly easterly swell is often paired with strong winds from the same direction.

Repetition makes perfect. Frame: Simon Levalois-Bazer

While the invisible hand of nature might help make his airs loftier, logic tells us Gatien’s blowtails are anything but easy against the wind and chop.

“I’ve been doing that blowtail reverse since I was a kid,” he says. “I’ve been trying to throw my tail since I was super young, doing chop-ups all over the place and not even doing turns. That’s all I wanted to do.”

If you came here for full-rail carves, you’ll leave a disappointed customer — straight to furiously one-starring Gatien on Yelp. “I’d rather send myself at full speed into a big ramp and onto the flats than do turns,” Gatien says earnestly.

Previously contractually required to spend four months a year in France at the request of his former sponsor, Gatien has been enjoying the perks of being a free agent, living and surfing in a land largely overlooked by the media. “Once we’re here, no one hears about us. We’re on a rock, and no one knows what’s up. There’s no surfing industry over here.”

Carve? Kinda. Frame: Simon Levalois-Bazer

His words carry more relief than lament. “We’re trying to push ourselves and show people that we have waves, and can do just as much as everybody else.” A bit of a contradiction, considering he later tells me his sessions aren’t often filmed. “When I saw the charts, I had to tell Simon, ‘Please, just free up some time over the next few days and let’s go film. I want to make something!’”

All that empty white space on his surfboard comes at a cost. “For now, everything is coming out of my pocket,” he shares. “I’m just trying to create as much content as I can and show people what I’m capable of.”

At home, Gatien hardly goes right. “We get some rights, but we mostly go left,” which, as a self-professed closeted goofyfooter, he seems to enjoy.

A brief, stance-fluid moment. Frame: Simon Levalois-Bazer

Raised on a diet consisting mostly of Dane Reynolds’ Marine Layer clips and Kai Neville productions, contests were never really his cup of tea — despite past contractual obligations. “I was always asked to compete, but in my mind, that’s not really what surfing is about. I’ve always preferred free surfing and dreamed of putting out my own videos.”

Would he ever chase points on his own terms? “I’m going to give myself the chance to do the first three contests of the year. If I get a big result, I’ll keep going. Otherwise, I’ll just stop there and keep creating content.”

His intentions were made quite clear in the clip above.

“I just wanted to drop a banger at the beginning of the year with no stickers on my nose, and show everyone that I’m still going and can still throw my tail.”

But tables do turn. As the highest-ranked European surfer below the qualification line in the 2024 Challenger Series (#25), Gatien received an unexpected call from WSL Tour Manager Renato Hickel, who suggested he pack a cold-weather suitcase and some step-ups for his inclusion in the Portugal event as a wildcard.

In 2023, Gatien received a wildcard into the event but injured his ACL while freesurfing at Carcavelos. He was then replaced by fellow French surfer Tiago Carrique.

If Gatien was doubting his place in competitive surfing, this invite might just postpone his plans to go the freesurfing route exclusively.

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

Fiji Has Its First Professional Surfer, And He’s Unbelievable

16-year-old James Kusitino’s incomprehensible tube lounging leads to a deal with Former.

Jul 6, 2025

Laird Hamilton on The Limitations of Being a Purist, Invention vs. Ownership + Why He Never Had a Sticker Deal 

Untold stories from his How Surfers Get Paid interview.

Jul 4, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 3, 2025

When Surfer’s Eye Is Actually Cancer

Erin Campbell's brutal journey from surf camp dreams to chemo drops, cryotherapy, and surgical horror.

Jul 3, 2025

Surfing’s 2025 Q2 Report

An assessment of surfing's vital signs throughout the second quarter of 2025.

Jul 2, 2025

What Actually Happened to Occy’s Mad Max Plunger Pool In Yeppoon?

Surf Lakes’ brass talks: internet hecklers, the unplugging of the plunger, and the Tom Curren…

Jul 2, 2025

Poor Goofy Foots 

Data shows that the world is stacked against goofs — they even make 15% less money than…

Jul 1, 2025

Britain’s First Wavepool Has Closed — What Really Happened?

Bankruptcy, social media hackings, debts unpaid — and yet, reopening looms.

Jul 1, 2025

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025

Houshmand Bludgeons Field To Win Second CT — Molly Picklum Tastes Blood, Snatches World #1 In Brazil

You can't argue with big surfing — that's Saquarema wrapped.

Jun 29, 2025

37 Years Old And World #1 — What’s Changed For Jordy Smith?

On rediscovering decades old surfboard templates, having a personality on the CT, and why this…

Jun 27, 2025

Tom Lowe Stars in ‘Let Me Live’

The wild, improbable ascent of Britain’s best big-wave surfer.

Jun 27, 2025

Saq Wrap: Italo Celebrates Mid-Heat, Griff Drops A Freestyle, Jordy + Yago Continue BBQing 20-YOs

Top seeds sow ruin, Final 5 starts to crystallize.

Jun 27, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 2

Our seven surviving surfers confront an oddly large California beach break.

Jun 26, 2025

SEOTY: The ‘Once-In-A-Decade’ Caribbean Swell That Kelly Slater Passed On

Michael Dunphy stars in Jimmicane's 'Blue Veil'

Jun 25, 2025

Who Owns Bingin? Legal Fight To Stop Demolition Begins

Eviction notices served for all businesses built on state land.

Jun 25, 2025

Tony Hawk Just Named Hughie Vaughan’s Internet-Breaking Air Because… No One Else Can

89% of our IG poll respondents claimed the 'stale fish flipper' was the best air…

Jun 25, 2025

German Surfers: AN INVESTIGATION

Truth is the light by which the world can see. 

Jun 24, 2025
Advertisement