Mauricio Schmidt is a professional Chilean bodyboarder that has been traveling the world in search of waves. His down to earth personality makes him charming, and his adventures around the world are captivating, he even made it to Cape Henlopen State Park a few years ago and thought they waves were great. He is living in Hawaii at the moment planning his next trip.
Name: Mauricio Schmidt
Nicknames: Pitifi, just a funny names given by friends when I was 14 years old.
Age: 34 yrs old
Weight: 165lb (80)
Stance: goofy
Home Town: Concon, Chile
Home Break: Reñaca, all around Concon in Chile, in Hawaii all of the North Shore,
Board: 42”- 11” nose 19” tail
When and how did you get into body boarding?
Started with friends around 11 years old, doing body surfing, then the bodyboards got to Chile and we started bodyboarding, I went everyday until I caught my first wave, then I never stopped. I would go everyday early morning by myself, without a wetsuit, the ocean was cold, but I didn’t care.
How was the bodyboarding scene in Chile at that time?
If you compare to USA, Australia, it was relatively new, it started in the 80s, at that time there weren’t that many people bodyboarding, I’m probably first generation bodyboarder in Chile. We would travel a lot and make videos, surfing waves that at the time no one new about. We would have to lend our bodyboards to other team members because not everybody had one, so we would take turns in the water. We had a clan, we would go to the beach together and ride waves.
What is you favorite wave in Chile?
I like all the waves in the north, they are reef break, its very consistent there. Very similar to Hawaii, they are powerful and rock bottom. Good contour.
and fav wave in the world? That's a hard question, There are good waves everywhere but if I had to separate from cold water, my country has great waves, and warm water probably would have to be Hawaii.
What are some of the places you have traveled in the past year to bodyboard?
In south America, Chile, Peru, Ecuador. Australia, I went all over Queensland, golf and south, USA, Cali, Hawaii, Europe, canary island, Portugal, France and Mexico
why did you get into competitive bodyboarding? Chile has always had surf competitions but when bodyboarding became more popular they started to run the bodyboarding competitions together. It was a good thing for me, you can compare yourself to other riders, and keep pushing towards the next level. Checking new spots, and that's when traveling starts.
I started in the Latin American circuit, then moved to the USA circuit.
fav maneuver you like to do? All barrels, back flips, areal inverts, reverse rolls, ars (air, roll, spin)
working on any tricks? yeah, double back flip, looking for the right wave that will give me enough air time for the rotations.
lefts or rights? rights
worst wipe out? One time at Punta de Lobos,Chile, faces were about 18 feet, there was a set coming, I didn’t make it to the line up and a wave broke in front of me, I was under for about 45sec probably, I couldn’t get out, my whole life went through my eyes, my parents, kids and I don't have any (laughs) My friends, I was having flashbacks. I thought I was dying, I didn’t want to die, I realized I was swimming towards the bottom, so I swam the other direction and made it to the top, took two more waves in the head and got out through the rocks. That was definitely my worst. I’ve had others but that was the most shocking one.
Best session? Here in Hawaii I’ve had some amazing session, and Arica, Chile
Is bodyboarding big in Hawaii? Bodyboarding was born here, thanks to Tom Morey, so there are a lot of people that bodyboard. Super bodyboarders here!
How about the Chilean waves for bodyboarding? they are great, lots of power and good shape, heavy waves in Chile.
Other hobbies? Mt bike, snowboarding, rock climbing, I like to do all sports but those are my favorite.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? I’m gonna be in the north shore , Hawaii, catching waves and working, waiting for good waves, even though its not the season right now for big waves you can still find some and I’m planning a road trip with a couple of friends, leaving CA and driving all the way to Chile searching for waves the whole way down the Pacific coast.
What is some advice you can give to bodyboarders in our area?
Always have a connection with the ocean, you have to respect it, you have to understand it, know how it works, the mechanics of it, currents, types of waves, types of bottoms. You have to know the ocean a little bit before you start taking it to the next level. Practice and get to the point where the board feels like an extension of your body, balance, positioning of the board and just how comfortable you feel with the board are key. Practice and perseverance, being consistent will make you a good bodyboarder.
Have you ever been to Delaware?
Yeah, one time, I was lucky to be there for a 4’ to 7’ swell, and the waves were so much fun, all rights at Herring Point. I had a blast.
Any thanks?
I’ve been traveling around the world for the past few years.... I would like to thank my friends, the people I’ve met, the friends from my childhood, my friends in Hawaii, my friends in Europe and America, they have always helped me, without them my dreams of searching and boadybaording new waves would have been very hard also my family for the support and help, and you for the interview! a shout out to Rehoboth Beach Surf Shop and Alonzo, hope to see you guys in Hawaii soon!!
sweet.
ReplyDelete