NUNO SANTOS – Surfer PART TWO

I just saw your photos that you posted of Andrew Cotton. Were you there when he suffered the massive accident several years ago?

NUNO: I was there. Andrew has been having some major injuries. Proof that its no… how do you say… it’s no play in the park. This is serious stuff. Cotty knows it very well.

KEANE: Those were amazing photos. They were zoomed in so you had no idea how big the wave actually was. Andrew Cotton is in the sled with a huge wave behind as you accelerate away!

NUNO: It’s typical routine. It’s normal procedure. It’s very common for this to happen so you're just waiting for your partner to go into the sled and climb into the sled as fast as he can and you need to give him some time for that and then you just put on full throttle and just shoot out of there and you deal with all that chaos with white water coming from all directions. It is something that is a skill that you gain after some years which is kind of like taking your time and learning how to drive on that chaotic inside so it's an experience that you gain plus it’s never, it’s not something that you acquire. It’s something that you’re always being tested because the outline of the beach changes quite a lot because of the beach break. So what happened last week, it’s not going to happen this week so you always have to keep an eye on what’s happening. And keep your game and keep your training so you know more or less what you have to do.

Jet ski teamS

NUNO: There are teams in Nazaré. Everything is organized in teams. And that’s probably the most difficult thing to do here in Nazaré. Surround yourself with people you trust and build this relationship with those people and just make it happen. Because again unless you have a lot of money and you can come and pay some guy to do safety for you and you just pay as much as you have to for as long as you have to. The best way to do it is actually to come and then spend your time and put your efforts in, and then start building relationships and start building a team and working together with someone else because probably that’s one of the interesting things I find at Nazaré. It’s not a solo mission, not at all. I mean a lot places in the world you can go with your board, you can paddle out alone and just get your waves and come back. Not such a thing here at Nazaré. It’s always a team mission. Always. That kind of changes the rules of big wave surfing. I think it changed the rules of big wave surfing a little bit.

What is the speed of the waves?

NUNO: There is a physical principle which is the bigger the wave, the higher the speed. So waves for example, tsunamis can travel at 500 miles per hour in the open ocean. I’m not sure of the speed of the wave because when the waves get in closer to shore they slow down a little bit. But I would say that we have very powerful skis and we cannot keep up with the waves. They go faster than the jet skis. That’s why many times we slingshot our partner because the angular speed.. it’s the best way to get your partner to the wave because racing the waves is sometimes, even with very powerful jet skis it’s not possible. So I would say the waves move very, very fast.

After picking the guy up in the surf, the wave has lost its power, is it much slower so you can accelerate out, away from the wave?

NUNO: You always need to consider what kind of jet ski you have, what kind of machine you are driving and obviously what the wave is doing. The way it broke and…

For example… Sometimes there’s just so much white water that the ski loses its traction, you just don’t go anywhere. So you always have to keep that in mind and I would say that even after the wave breaking and dissipating its energy there is still a lot of energy there.

It should not be underestimated, so even after breaking, the wave can still be dangerous, and that white water can still do a lot of harm.

So you have to understand what kind of machine you are driving , the limitations of that machine and the understanding what you can do. One always having in mind that you are driving a jet ski and you should always do things in a very safe way so you don’t have two guys down and the jet ski down. There is already a guy down, so make sure that when you move you not going to miss your man or your not going to screw up because otherwise you have two guys and one jet ski out and that’s a big problem. That’s just putting more chaos and more problems into the situation. You don’t want to be a problem, you want to be the solution. A calculated decision.

Does Portugal have a restriction on jet ski power like the US has?

NUNO: It has for ages depending on your age. But if you are a grown up and you have the driver license there is not limitation. You can actually drive the jet skis. Our jet skis are state of the art coming from the different brands. Some guys even put more power into jet skis. So there is no limitation for power. But not everything is power. You can have 1000 horsepower on your jet ski, it’s not because of that you do any better. Because like Formula One it’s not because you can put, I don’t know how many horsepower in your engine you are going to be faster. It’s not all about horsepower. You put too much horsepower, you don’t control it anymore, you lose control of the machine.

The US coast guard has a limit of 65 mph on jet skis

NUNO: They are super fast like a road bike. We don’t have those limitations here in Portugal. When I am navigating with a jet ski in big waves you never reach full speed. It’s impossible. Cause there is always chops in the water, there’s always waves. Going full throttle, I’m not going to say it’s impossible, you lose total control of the machine. So it’s one of the reasons we cannot keep up with the waves. The jet ski at full throttle I’m pretty sure that it can go the same speed as the waves. But the conditions of the ocean are not clean. You can drive the jet ski at that speed if you have clean water, nice surface where you can fly down but on big waves that just not a possibility.

Finally, on the subject of Nuno and his amazing violin music

KEANE: What is the violin and bow made of?

NUNO: Carbon fiber violin and bow!

KEANE: “Wow!”

NUNO: It’s a violin that can endure the water and it’s not a problem with that. The bow is also made of carbon fiber. So I would say that everything is waterproof!

Was the violin specially made for you and has this been done before?

NUNO: Yea it’s been done before. The technology of carbon fiber has been used for a few years now and some time ago there was actually a trend. There were a lot of musicians, even high level musicians buying a carbon fiber violin and other instruments, guitars and all because everybody was impressed with the quality of the sounds that the instrument produced with carbon fiber. It is true the instruments can have a high quality of sound. In my case I would say it’s not that kind of instrument. It's just a carbon fiber instrument. I bought the violin and I’ve done some adaptations and some things so it’s a little more prepared for the waves.

KEANE: Is the finish different than raw carbon fiber?

NUNO: I would say it’s similar. Just carbon fiber with the resin.

KEANE: Do you have your violin nearby to show me?

NUNO: No, it’s actually in my car outside. LAUGHS...I have it in my car because I’m hoping that tomorrow is a day that I can try to do some recordings.

I’ve already prepared everything for tomorrow.

So you are going to Nazaré?

NUNO: Probably going to be Nazaré tomorrow. For tomorrow I would say we are going to have between 10-12 foot waves. Not very large waves but still some fun size. A good day to try some stuff that I’ve been planning. But yea, I’m pretty sure that anytime soon there is a swell coming again. So we’ve been having swells non stop since October. We’ve had like probably so far maybe 6, 7 relevant swells which is almost one per week.

So describe how you are towed out while holding the violin?

That’s very simple, just hold on to the rope that attaches to the jet ski.

And then like the normal way getting into a wave and being towed by the jet ski. I have the violin in my hand and the bow and I just let go of the rope and I just start going down the face of the wave and playing the violin. It’s actually quite simple.

(both of us laughing)

KEANE: Other people would say that is terrifying.

NUNO: Maybe so yeah, but it’s not really, you know, the big challenge of it all is it to make things work. There is always a small issue that fails. There is always this little thing that gets into, for example. Last time I went out a string broke. And actually one of the strings that I really needed to play what I wanted, what I had to play. So then you have to have all the team there. I need to ask my teammates, hey guys: I really want to do this tomorrow. Can you guys, can we do this. To do that, that means my teammates will not be able to do what they have planned or what they want to do. So it’s kind of like give and take so. That is the difficulty not having the time and the conditions and making sure that the string doesn’t snap or some ridiculous thing that can happen. So forget to turn on the Go Pro sometimes. You’re going down the wave and then you suddenly realize…. “ahhh I forgot to turn on the Go Pro."

Really small details. I’ve been playing the violin not only surfing big waves but also in big mountains and it’s exactly the same. I’ve climbed Mont Blanc which is the highest mountain in Europe some time ago and I forgot the tuning fork in base camp and we got to the summit and the violin was totally out of tune because of the pressure differences and the temperature and all. Completely out of tune and there I am at 5000 meters altitude and it’s cold, windy and it’s not comfortable and you’re getting cold and… I forgot the tuning fork! And I didn’t have an aid to tune my violin so I was there for a good 10 minutes trying to tune up the violin, just trying to make something. And in the end I played what I could and it sounds like….

I’m not even going to publish this. It’s too off. Those little details is what makes it difficult. Once everything is perfect, going down the big wave playing the violin or climbing and and playing on the summit or some big mountain. It’s actually a very a very enjoyable moment for me.

When you wipe out can you lose your instrument and the bow?

NUNO: That obvious can happen, but that’s the other thing. If I’m going down a big wave, I’m not going to wipe out. That’s for sure. I have to be sure that I’m going to make this wave 100%. There is no… maybe I can make it.. It’s about choosing the right wave and making sure you have the right people around you. They know what they are doing. You know what you are doing. My teammates know exactly when they come to pick me up, to rescue me, the first thing they get is the violin.

(laughs)

I raise it above my head, the violin. They rescue the violin. We call it the rescue the violin technique. And I jump into the sled with the board and the bow. They are driving with one hand, the violin in the other hand and it’s ridiculous. Sometimes you just have huge wave chasing us and I'm thinking: look at that. This is ridiculous. He has to drive with one hand just to save the violin.

(Nuno laughs again)

What is the largest wave you have surfed at Nazaré?

I’ve surfed some solid waves. Something between the 60, 70 foot range. Something on that level.

KEANE: Were you filmed doing that?

NUNO: Yea I got a couple photos and couple films on it.

NUNO: I’m a humble guy. So every time I do a little production… I don’t do it that much because as you know it’s expensive to do and paying a guy to be there with a drone and some guy filming you, it’s take quite a lot of money. I don’t do it all the time. Sometimes I know that a couple of friends are filming in water so I’ll try to use that once they are there. If you don’t have someone dedicated to you, you are not sure you are going to get the shots. It’s a challenge. I have some photos playing the violin in very big waves but the thing is that you don’t see the violin because the waves are so big. It’s easier sometimes to show the smaller waves. It just gives you a better perception. So maybe that’s probably the best way for a first approach. Every time I show a photo when I’m on a big wave, everyone is like really? What? You can hardly see the violin. Sometimes you can hardly see the person.

The Nazaré wave makes suRfers look like little specs in the pHOTO

KEANE: Have you had and shark experiences while surfing?

NUNO: No, we do not have sharks here. I mean there are sharks but they don’t come close to shore. I have never seen a shark here in Nazaré. A lot of places I have been to there are no sharks either. I’ve been surfing mostly here in Europe. I surfed a little bit in South America so, but have never seen a shark. So that is not something that is part of my reality. I know that the guys in Hawaii, the guys in Australia have to deal with that reality, but it’s not a problem here. Here the problem is actually the size of the waves, so obviously the danger of the beach break conditions. That’s the big problem.

On Nuno’s messages of making the world a better place

KEANE: As you accomplish these goals, people will listen to you. Think about that?

NUNO: You know Keane, maybe so. Maybe they will but I’m not sure anymore. Every day that goes by I do question that. I’ll keep on doing that for sure. But if people don’t listen to it, I’ll just keep on doing it anyway. It’s not a problem. I do think people, our societies are not prepared to face reality at the moment. Some people will listen to it for sure but most people will not. Most people will not pay attention to what is important. So yea, you should keep on cleaning that floor of that room, but a lot of people will keep on littering. That’s how it’s going to go. Eventually we can teach our kids to start changing that. That is the hope that I have.

On the Covid-19 lockdowns

NUNO: Make sure that your life can continue and make sure you have projects and things happening around you that keep you busy, keep you motivated and keep you healthy. That’s it. Nothing is going to change. You cannot change the world. This is probably the same reply to what I just said. Nothing is going to change the world. Things are just going to keep going the same. You can do a little bit and obviously you can hope that will change a little bit. Do it because you believe in it, but not with the hope that it’s going to change the world.

Younger generations are trying hardER now

NUNO: Well Keane, I was at the university for 10 years. I was a professor in the university in the central part of the country. I know our youth more or less. I’ve been with them for 10 years. I was not surprised by what I saw. I was not impressed by what I saw. But I’m not blaming these young people at all. They’re just like us. But they lack examples. They lack time to think about life. They are forced to make decisions what they don’t know, what they want to do. They are forced to do things, they are not sure they want to do them or not. We are just poisoning them with more and more stuff that is probably not that good. We are poisoning our younger generations with technology that is not necessary. A lot of the technology that we have nowadays is to feed industries. Not necessary for the world.

KEANE: Like the phones we are on now, right?

(Laughter)

NUNO: Exactly. We are all getting a little bit of that poison and we are giving it to our kids. And if you go to food, the amount of sugar that is available now…I saw a lot. I saw some interesting people with very critical thinking. Very young people. I would say, this guy is going to be an amazing guy when he gets older or she is going to be an amazing woman when she gets older that’s for sure but I saw a lot of kids without knowing what they wanted to do with their lives. Just like floating around. They were studying at the university just because you know… what should I do with my life. They were not sure if they wanted to be there. They were not putting an effort into it. Because they had no motivation. Because they have no examples. They didn’t have much to believe in. But at the same time there were some kids with good attitude. With good behavior and maybe those will be the ones that can do something about it.

We are not putting enough time and effort into the next generations and this is the problem. The most important work. We are not giving enough time. We are not giving enough of our time to the next generation. Everybody is too busy making money to educate the next generations. And that will have a price and obviously you are right. There is a lot of good things happening from the younger generations but we are not making an effort as a society and as individuals. We are not making an effort into the education of our future citizens and that’s what I believe and I was very disappointed in the educational system and that’s why I decided to leave the educational system

I was part of it for 10 years. Actually a little more but when I started seeing reality. And I know the European reality more or less and I was not impressed with what I saw. We keep creating people… We keep on educating employees. We are not educating people. We are educating future employees. And even that is not interesting. We are not teaching kids to grow their own business. We are teaching them to be employees. To look for a job. To have skills that can give you a job. This is not creating an individual. This is not educating a person. This is just providing people with certain amount of skills to perform a job. The whole education system is like that. And it’s too bad. So I’m sorry. So now you understand why my friends sometimes that are like…. I am very critical opinion and certain aspects of people get a little. "Oh Nuno is always criticizing everything." And I’ve seen it with my own eyes. That’s why I say it.

KEANE: We should see the positive in everything

NUNO: I just had a very important idea which is despite all, keep a positive thinking and a positive attitude. And that is the great challenge. You see things that are not nice but you cannot give. You always have to look at the bright side of life and that is a good challenge. And probably the mountains and the surfing give me that good feeling to get back into the fight. I’m very critical but I like to believe in certain things. Little by little we do our certain parts and we feel happy with that.

KEANE: You have this beautiful dream and journey people will see as you go on.

Nuno laughs…

NUNO: I’m not sure a lot of people will be happy to listen.

KEANE: The first time I heard your music it was so moving and beautiful.

You touch people in such a way.

NUNO: Thank you….

KEANE: You are welcome. To have you at the wedding must be amazing.

NUNO: Yea, I’m grateful for that.