Chris surfs against the tide

SOME say you need to have “real belly” to engage in the sport of surfing. To be practical, the risks involved are immense (like losing a limb, or life). There are the chances of being inundated by an undercurrent, body-slammed and pinned by a wave, or becoming harmed by predators. Balandra surfer Chris Dennis is not accepting any dares. He said he has a lot of respect for the ocean. He remembered the times he “almost drowned,” right in the backyard of his Rampanalgas home. He was very young when his mother Bernadette, had to save him twice. Influenced by his cousins, he gave surfing considerable thought. “At first I was skeptical because is the ocean you talking ’bout and big waves. But the first time I tried it, I stood up on the board,” Chris related. Following his first experience, the then 15-year-old was hooked. It was not unusual to find him testing out water stunts on pieces of plywood day in and day out. Purchasing a surfboard was the last thing on his mind as one costs about US$500 (TT$3,150).

“Visitors came to the area to surf and when they weren’t looking, I would borrow their boards and they’d get pissed,” he laughed. When he got word that a surf competition was taking place at Salybia beach, he decided to participate. Prior to the competition, he had never been to Salybia. Without a board and without any previous experience at competitions, a determined Chris entered. “I borrowed a board for the quarter-finals and another for the semis and that was how it was.” The end result — he copped the national juniors title. “I was ecstatic. I went into the competition not even knowing what the prize was,” he said. To his surprise, Chris won a surfboard and trophy. He can still envision it — plain white with black fins, shaped by Alan Davis. A few months later, Chris, 26, participated in the International Zoom surf competition at Beach Break in San Souci placing second in the junior amateur event. By then, he was at a deadlock in choosing a career. “Ask me what I wanted to be when I was younger and I would say a fireman,” said the Toco Composite past student. His family made a livelihood from farming.

“I come from a poor family and we work to support each other. I helped my father with farming to pay my brother’s tuition. So I had to make a decision of whether I wanted to invest money in a sport that was not very popular locally and where the equipment was very expensive, and working with my father.” But then, travelling was his goal and he figured that if surfing allowed him to do what he loved, then surfing it was. After saving some cash he earned at a few odd jobs including modelling with Radical Designs, Chris packed his bags, his Davis board and headed to Barbados for the Sprite Cup. His talent lead him as far as Florida where he competed with international surfers. On October 24, Chris competed in the Oakley professional and amateur events in Puerto Rico. In the Airshow, he garnered credit when he did a double grab and landed in the tunnel (of the wave). Aerial stunts, he informed, were not popular among local surfers.

In the Open Division of another category, he placed fifth and in the pro and amateur event, he placed second. He also hung around for his first-time shot at the long board event. “I tried it just for fun. In this event you are required to do a hang ten (with only the toes hanging off one side of the board).” Instead, he managed a hang five and earned third spot. He is also fond of the floater and tube riding techniques. But his biggest achievement yet was a win at the Shandy Carib Adventure Fest, Open category at San Souci on October 31 — his first win after competing for five years. One can surmise that Chris’ natural ability coupled with his persistence has paid off. But he said that it was not easy soliciting sponsorship for these events. He is thankful for the assistance given to him from the Ministry of Sport and from his sponsors Quicksand and Caribbean Stock Photography Agency. Added to that, he must maintain a daily intake of carbs and protein; preferably snapper fish, eggs, and whole wheat for strength.

He continues to work along with his father, which affords him the opportunity to also train in Balandra. He said that getting a start in surfing for newcomers “is still hard” because of the costs. “We have a lot of younger guys who have way more natural talent... The younger ones in my village come up to me and ask: ‘How do you get so much speed on a wave, or about a particular technique.’ So there is the interest, and we have the venues and I think that surfing in Trinidad and Tobago has huge potential. “There is the stigma that ‘potheads surf,’ but a surfer is an athlete. Apart from the talent there are tourism possibilities and the Ministry of Sport should look into that.” Among his future goals are participating in the world tour event, and assisting in establishing the first Caribbean tour in surfing.