H’Dez, in White

Pikachu, aka Nic H’Dez, is on a tear right now. The lanky regularfoot scored the last cover of Santa Cruz Waves, had a two page spread/profile in Surfing Magazine, and just made his first WQS final in Argentina of all places. This is part of a reoccurring series, “The Grind”, where I follow Nic’s year chasing qualifying points in a bid to build his seed, and eventually, join his mentor Nat Young on the elite World Surf League tour. Here’s what he had to say about his trip…

Flaring

What was the name of the comp, and where was it held?

It was called the Ripcurl Argentina Pro and it was held at Mar Del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

How many points were on offer and how many did you make? Will that help you get into more events?

It was WQS 1500, so the winner got 1500pts, and I got 1125pts for runner-up. It will definitely help when they re-seed the ratings halfway through the year

Making it count in the small stuff

How was the surf down there? How did you put it together during the small waves? Strategy, mojo, or both?

The surf was pretty bad, everyday was kind of the same. 1-3ft brown water, mushy, yet kinda closed out lefts at this beach break with a right-hander that would come up on the inside.

I went into every heat just telling myself that everyone had to deal with the same conditions and I personally thought who ever got on the two best waves of the heat was gonna make it, so that’s what i focused on doing.

Argentina is known for having some of the hottest females on Earth. Poor lil Pikachu!!

How is Argentina? Food? People? Chicks?

Argentina is pretty sick, I’m sure there was much radder spots there than where I was, so I wish I got to sample more of the good surf.  The Argentinian BBQ steak was bomb digitty. People were super friendly but there weren’t that many women around. Probably because it was cold as fuck where the comp was! Maybe even colder than home!

Is there potential for good surf down there?

I see potential for surf down there for sure, and I’ve heard of some sick point breaks north of where I was. I’d be psyched to score ‘em someday f’sure.

Who were you travelling with and how was their support helpful with your result?

I was just traveling with my mom, her support is always the best support I could ever ask for, she always dials everything in so I just have to surf, she’s the best!

Where’s the next stop? Any secret moves or magic boards you’re working on beforehand?

The next stop is QS 3000 at San Martinique in the Caribbean, so that should be an interesting one with some more points on offer! (side note: The runner-up finish I just got is equivalent to a 5th place in this next one). Got a magic 5’10.5″ Channel Islands Fred Whip right now too that I’m pretty hyped on!