180° South by Yvon Chouinard & Jeff Johnson & Chris Malloy

Author:Yvon Chouinard & Jeff Johnson & Chris Malloy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: an in-depth look at the motivations and sensibilities of the people on both sides of the camera of the 180° South film.
ISBN: 9780979065989
Publisher: Patagonia Books
Published: 2010-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Previous spread: After parting ways with the Seabear, Makohe Acuna and Jeff Johnson catch a rising south swell at Punta Lobos. Pichilemu, Chile. Photo: Jeff Johnson

RAMÓN NAVARRO

In the 1970s, Ramón’s parents lived hand-to-mouth on the point overlooking the morros and his father’s favorite fishing hole. When Ramón was born they moved into a house down the beach near Pichilemu. His parents’ shack, where Ramón is sitting, is long gone, but Ramón (Chile’s premier big-wave rider) has carried on with the family tradition of fishing and farming. Punta de Lobos, Pichilemu, Chile. Photo: Jeff Johnson

All the restaurants north of Pichilemu were closed. Our favorite spot was open but reserved for a private party. Chris, Danny, and I stood on the sidewalk out front wondering where to eat. Out came a well-dressed American who asked if we’d like to come inside and join the party. We’d been on the beach all day, surfing and lying around in the sand; we were a bit dirty and underdressed. Reluctantly we followed him in.

Once inside the man offered us fine wine, assorted cheeses, and a tableful of delectable fish hors d’oeuvres. He said he was holding a community meeting, getting the local surfers together with a politician who was running for mayor. It dawned on us that this was the Californian who had reportedly bought the biggest undeveloped portion of Punta de Lobos – Chile’s crown jewel of surfing. It was rumored that he wanted to develop it and build condos, an underground parking lot, electric gates, fences – the works. The locals don’t want the point to be developed that way and have already threatened him. This meeting was part of a strategic plan for the Californian to align himself with people of influence. We suddenly felt embarrassed to be at the dinner party, our consciences even dirtier than our clothes.

The calling from our empty stomachs overruled our guilt as we stood in the corner stuffing our faces. A few glasses of wine later, Ramón walked in wearing a traditional Mapuche poncho. We wanted to hide, but he saw us and walked up to us, smiling.

“Hey,” he said. “What are you guys doing here?” He looked a little embarrassed as well.

“What are you doing here?” I laughed.

Then Chris leaned into him and whispered, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

Ramón, the son of a fisherman, was conceived in a tiny fishing shack perched at the top of Punta de Lobos overlooking the morros and his father’s favorite fishing hole. His parents imparted to him their work ethic and knowledge of how to earn a living from nature: fishing, diving, and farming. And although he has become one of Chile’s prominent big-wave riders and surfed around the world, he has maintained a connection to his homeland.

His father had watched the ocean change when big commercial fishing companies came in and destroyed the local fisheries. Ramón sees things changing also and has become one of the area’s leading activists.

A few years ago a project was underway to put a sewage pipe out through the surf in his hometown of Pichilemu.

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