In terms of prestige, coverage, and pure shock value, big-wave surfing’s current epicenter is the small Portuguese fishing village of Nazaré. Little town, gigantic waves.
And one of the leading surfers out at Nazaré is the UK’s Andrew Cotton. But Cotty wasn’t always such a stud in the big-wave world. In fact, he was a plumber before he took his professional surfing career seriously. Now, he’s recognized worldwide as one of the best.
So, how did he do it? Well, hit play below, then keep reading.
In a new video, and accompanying interview, from Cotty’s sponsor dryrobe, the UK surfer and co-star of HBO’s 100 Foot Wave talks about his journey into big-wave superstardom.
“I always just wanted to be a surfer,” Cotty said. “Within surfing, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. And my weaknesses were ‘surfing’ and my strengths were just going straight on bigger waves. There was never a moment.”
It started with Cotty surfing big waves around home (mostly Ireland), searching for support from sponsors, and trying to make a name for himself. All the while, he was working as a plumber to keep his big-wave surfing dreams alive.
“I always thought it would be I’d have to support it with either plumbing or lifeguarding or some sort of business venture,” he said. “And to be honest, I still do that now. Next week I’m going to New York to do a talk. So, you’re not like a full-time professional surfer, whatever that means, whatever that is.”
But as time went on, he was able to drop the side gigs and take up surfing full-time.
And one of the main reasons why, is because the big-wave world shifted its collective gaze towards Nazaré.
“Yeah, for me, Nazaré has turned into the holy grail of big wave surfing I guess – which is strange because when I was kid, it was always Waimea as a big wave surfer and you go to North Shore and surf Waimea and paddle big there.
“Now it’s almost like if you want to surf big waves, you’ve got to go to Nazaré and train there.”
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Cotty at Nazaré, either; back in 2017, he broke his back after a wipeout at the wave. But he came back stronger, more committed.
As for the future? Cotty’s just trying to soak it all in.
“Rather than stressing out about it or being down about not doing as well or not getting that wave,” he said. “Just trying to enjoy it, which is hard to do! Just appreciating that time. I think my best surfing is always when I take the pressure off. If I put too much pressure on, I end up making silly mistakes, getting frustrated and pissed off – then you end up going backward. But if you take the pressure off a little bit and you get in the flow, that’s when you get your best waves.”
Legend.
Check out the full interview here.
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.