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News News Articles Paddling the Pororoca
| Paddling the Pororoca |
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| Written by Eugene Buchanan |
| Thursday, 01 September 2005 06:29 |
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Addison leads first kayak charge on Brazil's legendary tidal bore Paddling with Corran Addison is no bore. But it was this spring as he rounded up a posse to become the first kayakers to ever surf a legendary tidal wave in the heart of Brazil’s Amazon. Called Pororoca, from a Tupi Indian term meaning “mighty noise,” the wave forms twice a day for four days straight when perfect conditions allow a flooded river to meet the incoming spring tide. Offering rides of up to two hours, the tidal bore was first surfed in 1997, but never in a kayak. “Ever since I first heard of it it’s been my dream to surf it in a kayak,” says Addison, who rounded up Rusty Sage, Steve Fisher and Dan Campbell to join him on the expedition. “Though locals had seen people surf it on surfboards, they had their doubts that we’d be able to surf it in kayaks.” The wave arrives at high tide, barreling up the swollen river, tearing trees from their roots and basically destroying anything in its path. “You hear it coming nearly 20 minutes before you see it,” says Addison. “Despite all of our big-water experience, seeing a kilometer-wide, two-meter-high wave barreling down at you is pretty spectacular.” Despite a few close calls with mud-stuck and broken-down motor boats, the foursome managed to surf the monolith for three days using motorboats and jetskis for tow-in access. “It can only be surfed during the morning session, so every day is a battle to maximize your time on it,” says Addison, adding that the motor boats had to be in perfect position for the kayakers to catch it. “Fear of washing off stopped us from pushing ourselves too hard—we’d rather have nice long rides than push the technical envelope. If you fell off you had to wait for the boats to come pick you up again while your friends were busy surfing their way upstream.” —To see and/or order a video of the wave, visit www.2imagine.net. —edb Originally Published, Paddler September-October 2005 |
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