At just 21 years of age, Jack Robinson has been blowing minds all over the world for more than a decade, especially in waves that put fear in even the most experienced surf aficionados. So when we heard that he was in the Basque Country and keen for a session at Wavegarden, we didn’t hesitate to invite him to our demo center hidden away in the Basque mountainside. Born and bred in Western Australia’s heavy pits – and with a world tour qualification in sight – we were interested to see what he thought of our diverse spectrum of high performance waves, which include a wide range of turn waves and a handful of steep barrels.
Travelling throughout Europe with his partner Julia Muniz, Jack found himself with some downtime in between WQS events and was eager to hone his small wave repertoire in preparation for his next bout. “My first impression is really positive”, Jack explained at the end of the day, visibly surfed-out after slaying literally hundreds of waves. “You don’t get sick of it, you just get physically tired.”
This was Jack’s first time at a venue with man-made waves and he was sold on the possibilities for personal improvement. “As a training tool, to get better and perfect your technique, it’s leaps and bounds ahead. The turn waves are crazy for linking proper manoeuvers and the barrel waves reminded me of small Teahupo’o. They were just draining from the take-off, where you just point your board to the beach and hang on. There’s definitely a lot of room to progress your surfing.”
With Urbnsurf soon to open a Wavegarden Cove in Melbourne, Australia, Jack was frothing at what this would represent for his fellow compatriots and visitors from around the globe. “It is really going to be exciting for many people who don’t have a lot of time to go surfing, it’s going to open up many doors and it is going to be interesting to see how many good surfers will come from inland destinations.”
Hailing from Brazil, Julia is a passionate surfer with a smooth, flowing style. She isn’t shy to admit that she is not capable of accompanying Jack every time he goes for a free-surf in the ocean, especially when the waves get too heavy. “Today I had so much fun and felt I was really improving,” explained Julia. “They were making a barrel for Jack, like a slab wave, and right after a manoeuver wave for me. It was really cool because I am like a beginner and Jack is a professional… but we could surf together.”
