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Thursday 1 November 2012

Blind Faith.

An inspirational story for a Thursday Morning...

There isn't often a story that warms the heart so much while simultaneously reminding you just how crap your surfing. The story of Derek Rabelo however, manages just that. Derek first exploded in to the surfing world's consciousness when back in the early part of 2012 when the father of Pro Surfer Makau Rothman got talking to a blind man on the Hawaiian North Shore. The blind man told Makau's farther that he surfed. Amazed Makau's father immediately called up his son, Makau came, gave the man a board to surf with and took the blind Derek Rabelo out at Pipeline.


Pipeline is a formidable break, they hold the final world ASP event of each season and is not an easy place to ride. Now imagine you're blind... Ye its fucking impossible. But no its not. Derek picked up a couple of waves no problem and tucked in for a couple of barrels. I've never been barreled so Derek can, very literary, surf better than me with his eyes closed.Then factor in that Derek has only been surfing 2 1/2 years (rub salt in that wound why don't you) and your jaw may just hit the floor.. 

Hopefully Slater forgave Derek dropping in on him.
Derek has now surfed with pretty much every big name in surfing including 11 time world ASP champion Ke11y Slater, uber intense big wave maniac Laird Hamilton and has a feature length film Beyond Sight about him in production at the moment (trailer below). The guy is nothing short of incredible. He gets towed in to waves that would make me temporarily warm my wetsuit before sobbing and paddling as fast as I could in to shore. 


In the words of a well known sports brand "Impossible is nothing". 

Ant

@antnewsom89

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