MAXIME VAN GENT: FIRST BITTEN
Pic Jerome Houyvet
Maxime (16) is relatively new to windsurfing although she has already joined the PWA Freestyle tour. She is a talented Dutch sailor but she is used to windsurfing in the calm waters and light breezes of Bonaire where she now lives with her family. Her first introduction to waves came during a trip to Maui. Luckily Sprecks beach is one of the the worlds friendliest wave spots with plenty of flat-water conditions surrounding a small reef. If you do find yourself in trouble at Sprecks, the waves tend to push you out into the flat water quickly and painlessly within a short swimming distance from the beach. Maxime enjoyed her ‘first time’ experience in these waves though she soon realized that wavesailing is far more difficult than it looks. Reading waves and timing your turns is a skill that takes years to perfect. Maxime also went out at Ho’okipa on a mellow day and was shocked that small waves can still hold so much power when they are peeling hollow over the reef. Maxime feels like she learnt a valuable lesson, to never underestimate the powers of the ocean and that it’s really OK to take your time and ride friendly wave spots until you’ve mastered your techniques. She admits that she fell in love with her first date with the waves and looks forward to spending more time with them.