If you dream of surfing The Wedge in a classic day, you've got to be prepared for salt and pepper. In other words, don't wear a leash.
If there's a special wave in the world, then you can't miss The Wedge, at Newport Beach, California. It's the one we want, and the one we fear. But let's not talk about broken bones. Let's just dream.
And that was precisely what Stephan Figueiredo did. The relatively unknown pro surfer from Brazil had always dreamed of tasting the Newport beast. After one month in California, the swell was coming his way.
"I've wanted to surf this wave forever. Ever since I first saw a picture of it in a magazine. That huge triangle breaking. Knowing that it was right on the sand, dangerous," explains Figueiredo.
"But I've never had the opportunity. It's a fast wave. It's hard to read. That's what attracts me to it the most. That's why I want to surf this wave."