Justine Dupont Talks Motherhood, Big Waves, and the Power of Positivity

The day before a big-wave contest, French charger and Ride of the Year winner Justine Dupont usually spends her time getting her ducks in a row. She checks her equipment, her jet ski, the forecast. Basically all the things a consummate big-wave professional should be doing the day prior to facing liquid monstrosities the size of apartment buildings.

But the day before the Nazare Tow Challenge earlier this year–an event she’s dominated twice now–Dupont was readying herself for different kind of ride. On January 21^st, 2024, as her fellow big-wave peers were getting ready to chase down menacing walls of water at Praia do Norte, Dupont was in the hospital giving birth to her son Elio. “I’ve had some amazing waves in my life,” says Dupont about that day, “but compared to having a baby, you realize it’s nothing.”

Just a few months postpartum, the big-wave phenom is already getting whipped into waves at Nazare again and is training harder than ever for next winter. When we called up Dupont to chat about her life-changing year–entering motherhood, competing in a SUP contest at 5 months pregnant, and claiming the Ride of the Year with a Cortes Bank monster–she was consoling her fussy 2-month-old. She was gracious enough to lend us some of her time.

How’d you originally get into big-wave surfing?

I didn’t really grow up in a surfing family. We would go to the beach around Lacanau, where I started surfing with my brother and dad. When I was older, I started competing on the ‘QS and qualified for the ‘CT in 2012, but got injured. I surfed one year then went back to the ‘QS and did that for maybe 10 years.

When I was 18 or so, I started getting interested in surfing bigger waves. I was able to surf a little more powerful waves in Hawaii, going on surf trips with sponsors. But then I went on a big-wave trip with a crew in Europe, then I surfed Belharra. After that second big-wave session, I understood I really enjoyed big waves and I wanted to keep pushing myself down this path. A year later, they did the first big-wave championship at Jaws and I was invited. After that it was on [laughs]

When I was doing shortboard contests, I didn’t really get the opportunity to surf big waves. At the time, I was really focused on shortboarding contests and qualifying for the ‘CT. The surf brands I was sponsored by weren’t really into me surfing big waves. Then when I had no more sponsorship with surf brands, I felt like I was free to do what I felt like I wanted to do, what I wanted to pursue, so I went to Nazare. 

I know in the past, it’s been difficult for big-wave surfers to get sponsorships from some endemic surf brands. Do you feel like that’s changing now?

I feel like it’s different, but I don’t know if it’s changed or not. It’s hard because there aren’t that many big-wave events, so it’s way easier for a brand to sponsor a shortboarder, with how consistent their schedule of events are. Even nowadays, big-wave surfing is more of a freesurfing sport rather than a competition sport—we’ve only got one contest. But now there are multiple big-wave surfers that do it as a job and do it really well. One day maybe it’ll be easier to partner with brands. But what I really like is that it’s a freerer part of the sport. I’m able to be at the best spot on the best day.

Do you wish there were more contests?

Big-wave contests are hard because of the forecasts and because the way the sport is in general–sometimes there are sessions where you’re just looking for one wave, the best one of the day. But I’m pretty sure there’s a format that could fit big-wave surfing–like the one they did in Todos Santos had a good format. I wish we could have more opportunities, yeah, but at the same time, I like to be free to score waves around the world. I see contests right now as a bonus.

I want to talk about the wave you got at Cortes Bank last year—which earned you the Ride of the Year at the Big Wave Challenge. Tell me a little bit about how that session went down and how you caught that wave?

I’ve always dreamt about surfing this wave but never really thought it would happen as it’s a big mission. But I had the opportunity to jump on the boat [with Garrett McNamara for the filming of The 100 Foot Wave] with Lucas Chumbo. It was amazing to team up with him…to tow him into waves and he tow me into waves. It was a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life. 

I didn’t really expect it to be as glassy as it was—especially at that size of wave. We’re not used to those perfect conditions. Often those big wave spots are close to the shore so you can expect some glassy days, but that day was really glassy from sunrise to sunset.

Was it special working with such a big-wave talent like Lucas on a historic day like that?

Teaming up with Lucas was so special. We’ve been teaming up together a lot, surfing Nazare and other places around the world. It was almost the highlight of my day, just to share that moment with him. That day I got two really big ones and I felt like I was going so, so fast and I thought “Oh, we can still surf bigger, better and faster.” I felt like my equipment was reaching it’s limit so I had to move my board to create a bit of gap between my board and the water, to get a little air. With a little bit of air, I could go even faster. It was amazing to feel something I’ve never done before. Just to push my own limits and own capacities.

Being so far out there, is it hard knowing you’re in the right position?

Before Lucas and I jumped on the boat, we called Carlos Burle and he said to us, “You need to line up with the fish.” We looked at each other like, “Okay….that sounds weird but okay.” [Laughs] But he was right. The sea lions were only on the dry spots of the reef, so we had to line up with the sea lions. There were some sharks out there as well. It was such a special vibe out there. You could really feel how raw it was.

Even watching the session from the computer it seems like an eerie place.

Yeah, it’s so weird to be in the ocean and not being able to see the land—not even a little piece of it. There was just a big buoy and that’s it. We were told stories about how if you lose your board you can get sucked into this big current and can get lost to sea. At first we were like, “Ok, ok, that sounds scary,” but in fact it was okay because Lucas and I are used to dealing with safety and big-wave rescue.

When that wave came through, did you know it was going to be the wave of the day? And the year?

No, we got so many waves during the day. No one wanted this wave so we went. We were like kids just going on every opportunity. When I let go of the rope, I knew it was a good one and at the end of the wave I knew I felt something special on my board. It’s [usually] not until afterwards when you really look at the footage and understand that it was a crazy one.

Related: Gallery: Behind-the-Scenes of HBO’s ‘100 Foot Wave’

And then you got to celebrate the wave again at the Big Wave Challenge. Was it special having the whole big-wave community in Nazare for that event?

For sure. We miss having these kinds of awards, so it was really good to be able to have a day like that. For me, it’s more of a celebration of big-wave surfing and the community. I like spending time with my peers. It was such a crazy year so it was inspiring to see all the waves that went down. For me, that is the world championships, because it’s the best surfers, the biggest waves and everything.

There have obviously been some gnarly wipeouts at Nazare. Are you ever worried about sustaining serious injuries out there?

It’s part of the game. I’ve paid the price with injuries at both [Nazare and Jaws.] It’s the price you have to pay; if you want the best wave of your life, you have to be prepared for the worst wipeout of your life. It’s a reminder of the power of nature.

Now [that I have] a baby, I definitely want to train more, so there’s even less probability of getting injured. I know that getting injured is going to happen and I train for that, but then I don’t even think about it anymore. I just put my focus on what’s positive and what I can do to improve. Even in the water I never think, “don’t fall”. I just tell myself, “be low, be confident, be strong, breathe.” I just use positive words. That goes for everything in life. If you smile to life, life will smile to you. If you smile to the wave, the wave will smile back to you. 

Let’s talk motherhood real quick. Has becoming a mother impacted your surfing?

For sure. In pregnancy you can feel like, “Oh, I’m not going to surf that much.” [I tried to fit] having a baby in between two winters, but I ended up missing this winter because I messed up my calculation [laughs]. But in fact it was the best winter of my life so far, because it’s [motherhood] such an amazing experience that I couldn’t understand before how crazy powerful it is.

I was super lucky with my pregnancy because I was able to surf until almost the end, when I was just foiling and bodysurfing. I was into just being in the ocean and being in waves—even more than surfing. I just wanted to share that with the baby inside me and to explain to him what we were doing.

But I didn’t have the best birth day. I had a c-section, which takes a bit longer to recover from. I expected to be back before the end of the winter, but I just had to take a little more time for myself, the baby, and our family. 

Overall, I think I’m better as a person. As an athlete, I want to train smarter and more efficiently. It’s like a restart, a big plus of motivation. It’s really good to feel that and to feel this amount of joy. I’ve had some amazing waves in my life, but compared to the baby you realize it’s nothing. It’s also released some pressure from big wave surfing—I see it even more like a fun thing and something I train hard for.

It’s good to hear you say it. I’m actually pregnant right now and sometimes worry if my surf life will ever look the same as it once did.

It’s so individual. And every pregnancy is different. I was able to surf during my pregnancy but giving birth wasn’t so easy, so everybody is different and everyone has a different experience. If you feel like it’s not good to go in the water [at a certain time], then don’t do it. I trust myself and my instincts more now. Instincts are big for pregnant women and moms.

You competed in the 2023 ISA World SUP Championships while you were pregnant, right?

Yeah, at about 5-and-a-half months, almost 6 months. It was amazing to share that experience with the baby. I’d explain to him what we were doing like, “okay we are going into the finals now, this is a contest, etc.” It was fun.

I know when I surfed during my first trimester, I became hyper aware of my body and focused a lot on where my belly was in relation to the board, to the point where I couldn’t really stay super present with what I was doing in the lineup. Were you really in your head during that contest?

In pregnancy, we’re really focused on the baby. So focusing was really even harder than [maintaining] energy. I was having a hard time focusing during this one entire heat–so much so that I made a mistake at the end and made an interference. So I had to surf way more heats and then I was tired during the final. But at the same time, it was just a fun contest and it was cool to make the final and to share that with the baby. I can’t wait to do contests now with him.

You didn’t do any big-wave surfing while you were pregnant, did you?

No big-wave surfing, but I surfed like, 3 meters, max. I was 7 months by the time winter hit and there was no way I was going to surf big waves then. Although, I did question myself multiple times [laughs]. Even before the Nazare contest, I was like, “well, maybe I can surf,” but I ended up giving birth the day before.

How did you feel in your first session back?

I’ve been doing a lot of physio and going to the gym, so I’ve been dong a lot of training, but I was just so happy. It was the first time we left Elio with a friend and it was amazing. It was a classically fun tow session at Nazare and it felt like when we first came here, just doing it for fun, and connecting again with the ocean. 

A lot of people say, “now that you have a kid you will be different in big waves” or stuff like that. And yeah, I will be different, but in a good way. I will be even more professional, even more organized, even more trained and efficient and more motivated. [Surfing’s] a part of my life and it’s going to be part of Elio’s life. He has no choice [laughs].

[Editor’s Note: This interview as been edited for clarity]

Related: Justine Dupont Surfed the Biggest Wave of 2023 (Video)