Words Manu Bouvet //Photos Pierre Bouras / Liquideye
Following on from our Aqua power article last month, Carine Camboulives and Manu Bouvet met up with the Race For Water Odyssey team for another trip with an eco purpose while exploring Easter Island’s exotic windsurfing shores. Highlighting an expedition that aims to draw up the first global assessment of plastic pollution in the ocean, they learnt a lot about our favorite environment. Read on as Manu’s shares his knowledge and tells the tale of an ancient island under threat.
WIND AND WASTE There are 5 gyres of plastic in the oceans. A gyre is a slow rotating whirlpool created by currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, where plastic trash circulating in the ocean accumulates, forming extensive patches of plastic trash (covering a total area equivalent to 20 times the size of Great Britain). Every year more than 25 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean. Today, no beach is safe from plastic pollution, even the most remote. Rapa Nui (native name for Easter Island) is the most isolated island on earth and is the perfect place to prove it. On the up side of Rapa Nui’s isolation in the Pacific Ocean, is its potential as a wave magnet. As far as wind chances go, all charts agree, glassy days on Rapa Nui are very rare…
FROM BRITTANY TO RAPA NUI I learned how to windsurf in the Gulf of Morbihan, in Brittany, where a myriad of islands get a saltwater massage from the sea that is moving in and out of the gulf at the rhythm of the tides. Sounds of seagulls and shrouds knocking against the boat masts is ever present, so is the smell of sea weed and sea food. It seems like this special treatment from the elements is doing a great job on Mother Nature as she really looks at her best in this particular place. The aquatic labyrinth where tricky winds and deadly currents abound is the ultimate proving ground for those who want to test their skills as yachtsmen. It was here that Franck David, born and raised on the Isle of Arz, in the middle of the gulf, sharpened his windsurfer skills to later become a gold medalist at the 92 Olympics in Barcelona. The celebration of his victory on his home island still makes waves even today! Nowadays Franck is still windsurfing whenever he gets the opportunity but his day job is head of the Race for Water Odyssey (www.raceforwater.com) and is very time consuming. I meet Franck in Brittany when I was 13 and just a beginner windsurfer. We stayed in touch since then, keeping an eye on each other’s projects and the idea of joining our efforts to raise awareness on ocean pollution was soon born.
Carine together with our daughters Lou and Shadé and I are about to meet the MOD 70 (70 foot long trimaran) carrying the colors of the Race for Water non profit organization in Rapa Nui, half way through its circumnavigation. The expedition is making a stop on the most isolated island on earth for field collections of marine debris. The scientists on board, together with the rest of the crew will work on estimating the concentration (mass of plastic compared to the sampled beach area) and the sources of plastic debris (fishing and tourism industries, domestic wastes…). What also makes a strong connection between us and the Race for Water Odyssey is that its crew members (including Stève Ravussin, multihull skipper and record holder of the Jules Verne Trophy) are all avid board riders, either windsurfers or kiteboarders.
TONGA RIKI The bay of Tonga Riki on the south-east coast of Rapa Nui has no equivalent on earth. On a bright autumn morning, we are waiting for the RFWO to appear on the horizon. That bay is also where our chances to wavesail are at their best on the island. A large and stunning horse-shoe shaped bay made of lava rocks on one side and thousand feet high cliffs on the other melts into a fluorescent green pasture where wild horses play. In the background, Raro Raraku volcano stands proudly in front of the intense look of 12, ten metre high Moais that are perfectly lined up, a few metres from the ocean. These mysterious and huge sculptures, most likely representing the ancestors of the community, complete a scene that would give chicken skin to any visitor before they can take their first selfie. That is a statement on how powerful the scenery is! Nonetheless what makes Tonga Riki for us windsurfers the spot with the most ‘’Mana’’ on earth (energy or force in Hawaiian) is that, on the right day, a perfect A- frame peak peels in the middle of the bay! If the ever shifting winds cooperate and blow from the south-west on a south swell then the right hander will be sailable and should deliver a memorable session. That is a little too many “ifs” one should say but as we all know, memorable windsurfing sessions don’t come easy.
As of today we are far from it: the swell is small and there is hardly any wind which, for once, is a good thing. If it was not a calm day, the RFWO would have no chance to set anchor in the bay. There is no safe moorings on Easter Island and the constantly changing weather hardly ever allows a boat to stay at the same place for more than 2 days. It took only 6 days for the trimaran to cover the 2300 nautical miles from Valparaiso, Chile to Tonga Riki. That same boat went 46 knots in a speed record attempt a few months ago. Even though there is no point in getting anywhere close to that speed if the expedition wants to complete its journey in one piece; some 30 knot plus runs are a daily routine on the trimaran. On the next morning we all get invited on board to go around the island to get to a safer mooring as the wind had already shifted to the east. While the trimaran is slowly getting lifted above water as the wind fills up the sails, some of the sensations I get remind me of windsurfing! We smoothly get to 30 knots as we keep accelerating in what seems like an effortless move from the boat. It is far from maximum speed and I can only imagine what it would be like to handle such “a sea monster” in race mode for weeks on end!
We arrive back on dry land after throwing anchor in Anakena Bay, one of the two sandy beaches on the island. According to island oral traditions, Anakena was the landing place of Hotu Matu’a, a Polynesian chief who led a two-canoe settlement party here and founded the first settlement on Rapa Nui. The stunning pink sand contrasts with the green covered hills on top of which several majestic Moais stand tall. The scientists of the expedition plan an on-shore sampling of plastic debris in this breathtaking landscape followed by a workshop with local kids. Kids are great for such missions as their low centre of gravity and good quality eyes are a must to spot micro plastic. Lou and Shadé share a screen and a bucket of water to filter the sand and have a pair of tweezers each. Overlooked by Marco Simeoni, the president of Race for Water Foundation they are in charge of filtering a 50 cm square of sand by 10 cm deep. It is hard to imagine the amount of micro-plastic Lou and Shadé collect in such a small amount of sand, representing the highest density of plastic collected so far by the expedition! When we put into perspective the fact that Easter Island is the most isolated island on earth with only a population of 5000, that gives a good idea of how far plastic travels, how bad it has taken over the oceans and how long it is around for. As far as one of the consequences goes, we all have seen the heart-breaking images of the decomposed bodies of thousands of Albatrosses. They suffocate to death each month, in a hopeless effort to digest the numerous plastic debris they have mistaken for fish. Fish do the same thing and we humans eat fish. In a way, one can find justice in the entire process: by going full circle, plastic debris partially ends up in human bodies who, in the first place put it in the oceans. Recent scientific researches on human body cells show the presence of plastic.
RIDING RAPA NUI After spending several hours in that back breaking activity we cannot resist the call from the 25 knots of wind blowing over the turquoise water. Carine rigs up her 4.5 Fly in no time and soon is cruising the flat waters making her mast look ridiculously small compared to the one of the trimaran anchored in the bay. I can see that the crew would love to give it a try too but the wind is now getting stronger and changing direction which has all the boys on call for a quick move.
After several days of great waves and off shore winds during which Carine and I get some epic sessions on our SUPs, the signs of a south-west wind window with a building south swell has the entire crew frothing. The idea of windsurfing Tonga Riki’s right is exciting but challenging at the same time. Getting in the water will be easy thanks to a very small man-made entrance on the very right of the bay that offers shelter for small fishing boats. I can get in the water there and swim with my equipment until I catch some wind. Once out there though, there will be no safe exit if something goes wrong. The entire bay is made of lava rocks covered in sea urchins and when big, the shore break is scary.
On D day we show up early at Tonga Riki. Travel guides were right; seeing the sun rising on the bay is breathtaking. On its way up from behind the cliffs the sun slowly unfolds its light, first on the Moai’s backs giving them a rare orange tone, then on the entire pasture to finally explode on the volcano. If the wave were not breaking at 6 to 8 feet and the spray not shooting in the air at a perfect side off-shore angle we would probably stay there looking in awe. Instead I jump in the back of the truck reaching for my equipment while Pierre, the photographer and Théo, the cameraman, are getting ready to hike to a spot they had scouted a long time ago. They know the shot they want to get with the Moais in the foreground and I know the wave I want to get; the second or third of the set that peels the best and gives me a chance to make it back out. The wind is gusty as hell because of its off-shore angle and the swell inconsistent but big. The take off area is gnarly and has that boiling water / slab look that makes getting into the wave very tricky. It takes me a good 30 minutes to get my first wave, a solid mast high offering a challenging elevator-drop into a steep section. I get 2 turns on the face until I find an emergency exit before it closes out on super shallow rocks. Great adrenaline rush but I know already that there won’t be many of those. I take my time to enjoy the moment and look around to better take it all in. I have never felt such “Mana” anywhere I have windsurfed before. From the peak I clearly can see the twelve Moais. I don’t expect them to turn around to look at my performance but still, I ask them to protect me with their powerful energy. I guess they did for a while as I got another two very good rides. As the tide drops, kicking out of the wave is getting trickier and I finally get caught by a bigger wave while trying to make it back out. It is too big to allow me to hold on to my equipment that goes straight on to the inside rocks. There is no way I would swim after it. Selfishly the only thing I am worried about at that moment is myself. I start the long swim back, first straight outside to avoid swimming through the peak then up the bay to finally make it safe to the small harbour. Meantime Carine has been trying to arrange a rescue with a local guy. He finally says there is nothing he can do as no boat is going out in such conditions. I make it in all fine but the effort is not over yet as my equipment got stuck on a lava rock before it could make it to shore. I run down the bay, put some shoes on and go swimming to grab the leftovers of my equipment. That is it for the day, well worth the effort and the broken equipment because this session is in my head for the rest of my life.
LESSONS Wavesailing doesn’t come easy on Easter Island, neither does the surfing, the yachting or life in general. That is what you get for experiencing some of the greatest mysteries on earth in such an isolated land. There is a rough feeling to the place, its landscapes, climate, customs and people. The weight of the island’s history made of exodus and tribal wars can still be felt nowadays as Rapa Nui is still struggling to live in peace with its identity and attachment to Chile. On the other hand, for the ones that are willing to spend enough time there, to wait for the right moment to either get in the water or meet people, then Easter Island will share the best of its Mana for what will be a stepping stone in a traveller’s life. Nonetheless if it took thousands of years for Rapa Nui to create the geologic and historic heritage it represents today, it only took us humans a century or so to put at risk the entire ecosystem that surrounds it. After looking at the sand the way the Race for Water Odyssey taught me to, I know I will never look at it the way I did before and it bothers me. It bothers me not only because Mother Nature suffers but, selfishly, because it will temper the joy I get from simply putting my feet in the sand and feeling it between my toes. It bothers me because, 40 years ago, when I was Shadé’s age, going to the beach with a bucket and a screen, there was hardly any of that plastic that I found in my screen 40 years later. It bothers me because it is all happening in my life time. In the end what maybe bothers me the most is that I can’t blame it on anybody.
ROAD BOOK
Getting there: There are only 2 ways to get to Easter Island, both with Lan
Chile, the Chilean airline, either from Santiago Chile or Papeete French Polynesia.
LAN was the first airline to open an air connection with the island in 1968. Boat was the only way before that!
LAN Chile has daily flights from Santiago Chile to Easter Island. Flights continue on to Papeete French Polynesia.
Lan Chile is a windsurfers/surfer friendly airline.
Starting at 450US$ to Mata Veri Airport (Easter Island)
www.lan.com
When to Go: Easter Island has wind and waves year round and catches swell from both the North and South but is more consistent in the southern hemisphere winter (May to September).
Wind is consistent year round from light trades to 30 knots plus.
No windsurfing rental on the island so bring spare masts for wave riding and a free ride board.
Where to stay: Plenty of options from camping to high end resorts.
We stayed at Rapa Nui cabins that have several clean and convenient bungalows right by the ocean and close to town. For 2 to 4 people with kitchen starting at US$60 per night.
rapanuicabins@gmail.com
You will need a car on Easter Island, especially if you want to surf or windsurf. Car rental starting at $45/day. 4×4 are not mandatory.
More info at www.chile.travel and www.turismochile.travel
