Nadia Erostarbe Geyser (Zarautz, Basque Country; 24 years) will make history for Spanish surfing from this Monday. More than 12,000 kilometers from home, on the north coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the young Basque surfer will face one of the most iconic waves on the planet, Banzai Pipeline. The Championship Tour (CT) of the World Surf League (WSL) of 2025, which would be the ATP circuit of the Surf, starts in with a test comparable to the Grand Slam of the tennis, at the height of Wimbledon or Roland Garros. The athlete, who already obtained the first Olympic diploma of the Spanish surfing in Paris 2024, will become the first woman who accesses the elite of the discipline.
Ask. When and how did he find out that he will be among the best surfers on the planet?
Answer. I woke up will do a week and when I went to remove the alarm, I saw that I had a lost call and a message from the CT director. “Call me when you can.” I had asked not to hesitate to call me if someone was injured [sucedió con la francesa Johanne Defay]. I knew it was the first replacement for the circuit and the first thing he told me was: “You have to be in Hawaii for the 22nd.” They were a couple of intense days to close everything, with many emotions for being able to compete in such an important championship. The first call I made was Aitz [Aranburu] To ask for advice with the tables and wave.
P. What does it mean to be able to compete in such a test?
R. Being with the best in the world is what all athletes are looking for. Having also the opportunity to compete in Pipeline, one of the most important and unique events in the world, is special. Taking a good wave here is a privilege. Women have been competing in this wave for only four years and, seeing the level and show last year, it motivates me even more to come here and give everything.
P. She is the first Spanish woman to get among the best in the world, and there are only 18 positions …
R. Being the first is incredible, being able to have that distinction. I am sure that in the future there will be many more Spanish girls who access the elite, but being the first is beautiful and very special.
P. His neighbor Aritz Aranburu was the only one who had accessed the elite so far …
R. It goes for generations. It is not easy to obtain good results in competition, although there are great surfers in Spain such as Natxo González, which has been dedicated to large waves. The Spaniards are doing well in several Júnior World Cups, so more partners will arrive at the elite.
P. Who hooked her to surf?
R. The family. My parents and older sister also surf and be in the water allowed us to play sports and spend time with family. With three years I was already uploaded to a table, and I think I did it to copy my sister. Then, over time, I saw that it was very competitive, that I liked to win, so I went to compete near home and the good results made me consider trying to live from this.
P. I guess being from Zarautz, it is natural to feel called by the ocean …
R. Yes. We are a town that is above the sea and that has always had a lot The best in the world. That turned on the flame so that I would like to be a professional surfer.
P. When did he realize that he could make a career in this discipline?
R. When you are young you think that everything is much easier and all this is not so expensive. With 15 years I was fifth in the European Sub-21. I thought I could get very high, but when I left Europe I realized that the level was much higher. There were years when a manga did not happen and I spent all the money traveling around the world. Those moments were hard, I really stated whether it was possible to live on it.
P. And can you?
R. If you are in the circuit it is possible. At this moment I can survive thanks to surfing. I don’t have too many profits, but I can finance trips, competition and do what I like most in this world, surf and travel with friends. This is a bet, since it is not a sport where being the best Spanish or European allows you to live on it.
P. Surf requires physical and technical, but how important is the mental part?
R. It is certainly one of the most important. All facets are necessary, but there is an obvious fact. The best surfers are the ones who believe it most, and those who make a career are the ones who have the greatest mental strength, even more talented surfers than them. It is a curious sport, it is not like the 100 meters smooth, where the fastest wins. Here many factors enter.
P. He faces powerful and dangerous waves, don’t you feel fear?
R. Yes, it is clear. I am afraid of pipeline and I was afraid of Tehaupo’o, the Olympic wave in Tahiti. They are two imposing waves, and here people have died. Seeing how women have taken the most of the opportunity to compete in this type of waves, motivates me to overcome the fears I feel. Once at sea, competing, you feel safe and you don’t think about anything else. Out of competition is when you eat your head.
P. How many hours should it spend in the water in a normal week?
R. Here we depend on the sea. As I was injured, I’ve been back to the water only one month. The ideal, at least, is to be surfing about three hours a day.
P. Face the challenge of the tubes, how do you train a type of waves that are not common in Spain?
R. The secret is to move. We are not used to competing and surfing such good waves. In the Olympic Games, the key was to spend hours on the site. How many more hours accumulate, you are more confident when the competition arrives. In Spain, we move a lot for France looking for tubes and also travel to the Canary Islands, where they are more common.
P. Do you remember the first tube he took in his life?
R. Clear. The first good tube was in Indonesia, in 2022. One good, well, it was in 2023 in Namibia, in Skeleton Bay, one of the best waves on the planet. I was lucky to go there with my partner and friends, and it was until recently the best wave of my life. Then, in Tahiti, I improved that experience.
P. Then, in a couple of years he had to adapt to an unknown type of wave.
R. Yes, exact. They were two years when I dedicated myself to looking for tubes. Namibia, Nicaragua, all to take steps and improve. Tehaupo’o has given me a lot of confidence.
P. And what has you done to make that quality leap?
R. A little of everything. Much is to believe it. Then you have to continue working a lot. Spend time in the water, training, analyzing images and seeing how the best do. You need some talent, but nobody takes the work.
P. What did it mean for you to be games?
R. Before getting there, I did not understand the dimension of the matter. We are not used to so much media attention. It was one of the most seen sports of the games, in a very colorful place and with a special energy. When you see that wave, you may understand better why we spend our lives spinning to find the best waves. The fifth place was the icing on the cake, although as every competitor I would have liked something else, but I was satisfied with my performance.
P. What objectives are marked this year?
R. The first objective is to make a good championship and take good waves. Show me that I deserve to be here. Then, the objective will be permanently classified for the world circuit. It will depend on whether I can compete and do it well in other tests as a replacement and I will not play it in the classification series from June, where I was going very well last year until I was injured and I could not do my best surf in the last two Scoring tests.
