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ADAM WARCHOL: LIFE BETWEEN STUDIES AND SWELLS!

Born in Poland, raised in the windsurfing mecca of Tarifa, and now based in Gran Canaria, Adam Warchol is one of the most promising young talents in the world of wave sailing. Best known for surviving one of the gnarliest wipe-outs ever recorded at Jaws, Adam balances his life between studying Marine Science at university, windsurfing and dreaming of riding the most iconic big wave locations around the planet. We caught up with Adam to find out about his background, surviving Jaws and his aspirations to become PWA World champion!  

Photos: PWA / Carter, Erik Aeder,  Fish Bowl Diaries, WWT

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WS: Tell us a bit about your background how you got into windsurfing and being Polish how you came to be living in Gran Canaria?

AW: “Well, I am currently 23 years old living and studying Marine Sciences in Gran Canaria. I first moved to Spain, to Tarifa, alongside my family when I was about 6 and a half years old. My dad always loved to windsurf and he got me into it. I started windsurfing during the summer of 2012, but took it more seriously when I turned 12, however I was still having a lot of fun practicing and improving!

Tarifa was my developing ground for many years until I left in January of 2020 and started my big trip to Maui. My family moved back to Poland while I was there and so after Maui, I went to visit them and spent almost one year there. While in Poland I was constantly looking for a place where I could go to continue with my windsurfing dreams. Gran Canaria turned out to be the place, so I moved here in 2022 and have been here ever since.”

WS: Do you spend much time in Poland?

AW: “Lately not that much. I love Poland, and I go to visit once in a while as my family lives there, but I have big goals and dreams and it is definitely not the right environment/place to develop as a wave-rider.”

WS: What do you do aside from windsurfing work wise?

AW: “For many years I worked in the summer at a well-known windsurfing shop in Pozo Izquierdo, called Pozowinds. During the wintertime I give lessons but not as often. Because I am studying at the university of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, my time is limited. I think I have a very intense lifestyle.”

WS: How did you end up on Maui during the lock down?

AW: “Well, when I finished high school in the summer of 2019, I applied straight away to the University in Gran Canaria as I already knew what degree I wanted to pursue. I got accepted, but this idea about Maui came up. It was a childhood dream of mine to go one day to Maui, and after some conversations with my family, we decided that it was a good opportunity for me to go to Maui for a longer period of time and so I went.”

WS: Talk us through the day where you had the huge wipe out at Jaws?

AW: “So, as many of my close friends know it was my dream to one day ride big waves and to ride Jaws, so when I was in Maui it was an opportunity I could not waste. I had plenty sessions at Jaws previous to this massive swell on January 16th, 2021, both in surfing and windsurfing. We knew about a week out that this swell was going to hit Hawaii, and that the waves were going to be very big. This day I took a boat with Jason Prior as our captain, alongside with photographer Pedro Bala, big wave surfer Keala, a few other surfers and medical crew. The ride to P’eahi took us probably about 1 hour and when we arrived the waves were massive and the swell was still peaking up. After taking a good look at the Ocean and the waves, as fast as I could, I rigged my sail and went out. Robby Swift and I were the first ones to go out. As soon as I got to the line-up this huge mountain of water appeared in the horizon.

Robby went on the first one and I was in position to catch the next one. I knew straight away I was positioned too deep to catch that wave, but I couldn’t resist not taking it. It was the biggest, most incredible wave I have ever seen in my life, and I knew that there were also a few tow-surfing teams hunting for those giants. I was committed to that wave and when the other surfers let me catch it, it was on. The rest is just a beautiful memory that I will have for the rest of my life. The view was magical, but I had so much speed.

I was going so fast and then I saw all the boats and everyone in the channel kind of looking at the wave. It almost seemed like time stopped. Even though I was going super-fast, maybe the whole wave lasted no more than 10 seconds. I didn’t reach the bottom of the wave…I looked up to see what was coming at me and I saw the lip already coming down on me. So, I already knew I was kind of in a bad position. I just let my gear go and I think it was just the perfect timing to do it, just before the actual impact. I just threw the gear and jumped into the wave. I just stayed super calm, tried to relax and not think about anything.

I had an inflatable vest, but honestly when it’s that size, it still pushes you down and holds you under for a long time. I tried using it on smaller days and it helps a lot, but that specific day it held me under for so long anyway. But I mean it’s good because if you lost consciousness or something, someone could probably take you out after the set. The wipe out was crazy. It felt kind of like being in a different dimension. I don’t know how to explain it…I didn’t know where I was. I was just trying not to think too much, just stay calm.

After the first wave, I popped up, had probably 2 or 3 seconds, and then the second one just crashed on my head. I had to deflate my vest and inflate it again, because if I didn’t deflate it, the next one would punch me with the full force. I wanted to dive a bit at least to reduce the impact in those 3 seconds. Then I had another long hold-down, then popped up again, and then the third one took me super deep. I remember I had to equalize my ears because I felt the pressure. Then it was the fourth wave, and after that Curtis came to help.

On a side note, I was using a production board, Quatro Pyramid 82l. I could not take a higher line because I wanted to prevent spinning out from the speed I had. Usually for bigger waves it’s better to use heavier boards so you can stay more connected to the surface of the wave. All I was thinking about was making it all the way down on that wave.”

 

 

 

WS: What was the reaction like afterwards?

AW: “Honestly it was awesome, it was an experience I enjoyed being part of. I have beautiful memories from the whole scenario and I am very happy I was able to catch that wave. I just feel bad for the safety driver Kurtis that went to pick me up, and the first thing I asked him was if he could take me to my gear because I wanted to windsurf more that day.”

WS: After being hit like a wave like that, I guess all other waves seem tiny in comparison?

AW: “It definitely built my confidence for the daily basis sessions and I started to feel way more comfortable on the big days during wintertime. But regardless of this experience I have always had a huge respect for the Ocean and for the waves no matter the size. But it is true that I love the feeling of powerful waves, of the adrenaline that it gives me, those sessions are the ones I like and remember the most.”

WS: What aspect of windsurfing do you prefer, jumping or riding?

AW: “For sure, wave riding!! I like jumping but I love surfing, it doesn’t matter if it is with or without the sail. That’s my type of therapy!”

WS: What is your favourite board and sail Combo?

AW: “It changes depending on where I am sailing. For wave riding conditions my favourite combo is the 4.5m Goya Banzai Surf and the 81L Quatro Pyramid. For jumping in places like Pozo, I like using 3.7m or 4.0m sails and the Quatro Pyramid 76L board.”

WS: Which boards in the Quatro range do you mostly ride?

AW: “I mostly use 76 and 81l. But this year I took an 85l board to Chile and used it a lot and I think I will use it even more in the next events in Tenerife, Sylt or Maui.”

WS: What other sailors do you look up to?

AW: “For sure Marcilio Browne, Levi Siver, Jaeger Stone, Jason Polakow, Kauli Seadi and Bernd Roediger… But honestly everyone on the World Tour has a different approach and style and is inspiring to watch through the years.”

WS: What are your ambitions in windsurfing?

AW: “Become a Wave World Champion and have the chance to travel all over the world in chase of the best and biggest waves!”

WS: How tough is it to make it as a pro windsurfer these days?

AW: “It is tough, and for me, getting to all the competitions is the most difficult part. But that’s not going to stop me from windsurfing, and the dream is to become a pro windsurfer one day, so I can be able to go to any place in the World at any time that the forecast looks great.”

WS: If you were not a pro windsurfer, what would you be doing?

AW: “That is a hard question, because I always loved playing sports. Maybe I would have focused more on skateboarding, as it was my favourite sport for a long time. Also, when I was younger, I loved playing soccer as a goalkeeper. I almost ended up in a soccer club, ha ha, but to be honest I can’t be more grateful to my family for letting me discover these beautiful sports like surfing and windsurfing. Probably if not a sport career, I would love to be an environmentalist, like Steve Irwin. I also like space.!”

WS: So, how did it go in Pozo this year?

AW: Yeah, I didn’t do as good as I wished, but it was ok. It was super windy. Probably the first day in the morning was the windiest I’ve ever sailed here. I was on 3.1m and super powered up. Definitely one of the windiest days I’ve ever sailed here. I was riding my Pyramid production 75. I didn’t have that board for the three weeks before the event because my last board got damaged. I was waiting for the next one to arrive, it just made the day before the competition. So, I felt like I didn’t adjust the way I wanted, but yeah, I like this board. The wind was so strong I probably needed a super tiny board anyway.

WS: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

AW: “I think I am a person that never stops dreaming, and I definitely have a lot of dreams. I would like to accomplish my goal of becoming a Windsurfing Wave World Champion, surf a lot of big waves around the world and compete in some invitational Big Wave surfing events. Also, I would like to work as an animal conservationist, and I can I see myself diving with Sharks (that would be super cool)”