Session of the Season // Northern Hemisphere Summer 2024 // Edouard's Boardmasters Win
It wasn’t much of a summer to shout about in Europe this year in terms of swell or sunshine. One blip of swell and offshore winds did coincide with Newquay’s Boardmasters Festival however, so our session of the season goes to Edouard Delperro for his performance in the finals of the Longboard event on Sunday 11th August, winning his sixth Boardmasters title (and his second in a row, having won it last year, too).
Date: Sunday August 11th 2024
Swell height and period: 2-3 ft @ 11 seconds
Wind direction and strength: 12mph sou’easterly
Location: Fistral Beach, Newquay, UK
Board: 9'2 ED Classic TEC by Torq Surfboards
Wetsuit: 3:2mm NuWave Session Chest Zip Steamer
Can you tell us about this run of swell...
I hadn’t actually seen the sun much this summer because we had a terrible July in France, and even more because I went to Australia for an event where it was full winter and raining at Bells Beach for the first stop of the WSL World Longboard Tour. After that I came home for one week in France before heading out to the USA and it was pretty stormy still and super tricky conditions so not at all welcoming. It was either super small or really big and stormy. So I didn’t surf much the week before I left to go to the USA for the event at Huntington Beach.
I had some good wave in the USA, some classic Californian waves, small but super fun, and then arriving in Newquay it was pretty sunny and super cool, so it was nice to see Newquay as it was that day on August 11th. I really love coming to Newquay… every time I come it is a pleasure and I love this beautiful beach.
Unfortunately the swell faded too fast. It seemed so good through the first part of the day but by the time the final arrived I saw the waves and I thought ahh.. it’s dying away but hopefully it will hold out a little bit. Luckily there were a couple of waves before it died totally!
And this particular day?
There is always that little peak on the right side of the beach, and there were a couple of really beautiful rights and luckily on the final day the wind was supposed to be really good – and it was, but it made the swell fade super fast for the final, unfortunately. It was getting a little bit slower and softer, but luckily we got some little peaks on the inside and it was pretty fun.
Can you talk us through the final and your winning wave...
It was a super tight final. There was Martin, Antonio and Ben, Ben was in the lead and there was probably four minutes left. I needed something like 6.20 and I got a wave and used my priority, because I was something like second priority, and I ended up scoring 6.17 and still sitting in second position. So then I was fourth priority with a minute and a half left. When I paddled back out I stayed away from the group and I saw something outside, and thought it might swing wide towards me. I was lucky and it swung wide enough that nobody else was able to paddle for it and I just got that 7.50 and moved up to first place. It was tight because Antonio got a wave just behind me Antonio and he only needed a 7.10 but he ended up getting 6-something. It was close. My wave was just holding perfectly down the sand bar next to the rip current and ended up in the rip current which made it open perfectly and allowed me to ride it all the way through.
