At first, his video had gone a little unnoticed. But today, she is creating a buzz. The charm of social networks. More and more of them are sharing it. And it is true that it is worth a look. On October 5, Adrien Raza, champion of skimboard (or beach board) quite simply surfed… on the reflecting pool of Bordeaux. If some had already tried it, added the spectacular side with many tricks at full speed. With the Place de la Bourse in the background, this gives some pretty impressive images.
Adrien Raza has been skimboarding since the age of 12-13. Since his first waves surfed, like everyone else, by the beach in 2007, he has made it his profession. At 26, he is even a quadruple European champion in the discipline. But the young Frenchman, settled in the Netherlands since childhood and very followed on social networks (217,000 subscribers on Instagram), is now seeking to develop a new practice of his sport, in a much more urban environment. For 20 minutes, he looks back on his Bordeaux experience.
How did you come up with the idea of surfing a reflecting pool?
I had been told about it for a very long time. Many people sent me pictures of this place. I had also seen people “skimer” ten years ago. I came only for that over two days. There were a few locals with me too. The video works very well because it is not far from being the ideal spot. That’s exactly what I’m looking for, unusual places in the city that are recognizable to the general public. My video on the Rotterdam canal was also a bit of a buzz at the time.
How was your run?
Already, we were lucky because there were not many people. It’s more convenient for me. Frankly, it was the perfect spot! The water level was excellent for “skimming”. The spot is quite large although often I am confronted with places that are too small where I have to end up out of the water. So I could pick up a lot of speed. And then there is also the environment which is very special with a spot in the city. It is one of the best places where I have been able to “skim”.
What is the next step ?
The goal is to continue to develop this new practice. Today, personally, I make a living from this sport thanks to sponsors and partnerships, but above all I hope to push more and more people to do so. Many know the wave skim but few the flat skim which is similar to skateboarding. It still attracts more and more people. For my part, I am leaving for the United States in a few days. In Los Angeles, we are going to fill the skatepark with water to “skim” it using the modules and we hope to find plenty of other somewhat unusual places to continue to talk about skimboarding.