![\"nic](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/09\/NIC_VON_RUPP_7-min-200x300.jpg\")
<\/div>\nKnown for his precision, power and fearless pursuit of heart-pounding waves, Nic Von Rupp\u2019s career began with competitive shortboarding where he cut his teeth and made a name for himself across various contests. <\/p>\n
But the big waves called, and he has carved an impressive path \u2014 surfing some of the biggest waves ever recorded at Nazar\u00e9, Portugal and winning the 2025 Tudor Nazar\u00e9 Big Wave Challenge for best team performance. Here, he speaks with Roberta Naas about mortality, superstitions and the fine line of control.<\/p>\n
Tell us how fear plays a part in your job every time you get into the water.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fear is always present, but it is about knowing how to conquer that fear. The first time I saw the really huge waves coming at me, I thought: «This is a mountain of water coming in our direction, wanting to eat us alive.» It was very scary \u2013 and it still is. Every time I go into the ocean to surf, there is always fear. Whoever says fear\u2019s not present is not being true to themselves. But it\u2019s also the fuel that drives me, because on the other side of it, you find a better version of yourself.<\/p>\n What is it that makes you want to search for bigger and bigger waves?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a passion. When you love what you do, you want to get better and better. In surfing, there’s always room for progression, room to improve yourself, room to ride bigger, more dangerous waves. There’s just something about riding waves, nature in motion, that is quite unique. When I’m out there I’m in full turbo mode, ready to push the limits. This constant need to improve and leave a positive mark or impact for future generations of surfers is what drives me.<\/p>\n How much does injury or death figure in your thinking?<\/strong><\/p>\n We always end up the season injured somehow. Shoulders, knees, ribs, concussions\u2026 but I try to calculate all my actions as much as I can. Still, every time you go out, you know you are risking your life. I want to make it home safe. To do that, you need to listen to your instincts and let them guide you when you\u2019re on the water.<\/p>\n What\u2019s been the worst moment of your career in that regard?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was in 2021, during a competition when one of my best friends almost passed. I had one of the most incredible competitions I’ve ever had and as I was about to finish, my buddy had a really bad crash. He was facedown for 10 minutes and then dragged onto the beach. He had no pulse for another 10 minutes. That was the longest moment of my life: I thought I\u2019d lost a friend, someone that I grew up with, someone that shared the same goals, shared the same travels. And to see that firsthand was awful. He actually managed to come back, which was a miracle. But it was a strong reminder of how forceful nature is. It is always in my mind.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve said that surfing is a very selfish sport. What do you mean by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n Even though you work with a team, and you rely on your teammates, surfing is selfish because in the moment, when you let go of the jet ski lines and head into the wave, it is just you and the water. Your mind has to be super sharp. You need to stay so incredibly focused and use that focus and your instincts to drive you further. In the end, it\u2019s about achieving your goals and that makes it a bit selfish.<\/p>\n Other than physically getting on the board, how do you train for the big waves and wipeouts?<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s a fine line between being in control and knowing when nature is in control. For me, the training process begins before the season even starts, making sure I am mentally prepared to stay calm when a big wave takes you under, and working in the gym to be physically prepared. This means putting ourselves in positions we might encounter in the ocean. We work with weights in the water; we learn to hold our breath longer without oxygen than we thought was possible. To survive, panic is not an option. Plus, we learn to trust our team, the people who bring you into those big waves, and who will rush in and save your life if needed.<\/p>\n How do you teach new generations about the sport?<\/strong><\/p>\n My manager and I started an organization called Surf Fund to support young teens with training and obtaining gear because big-wave surfing is an expensive sport. You need two jet skis, you need a spotter, you need physical training and physiotherapy. So some of the money we gather through commissions from sponsors go to the fund to support young kids entering the field. I’ve been supported in the past and I know the impact it has had on me. There’s nothing more beautiful than opening up a career to the next generation.<\/p>\n Are you superstitious?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t think so. I believe in the power of the mind and on being focused. But I do wear my Tudor Pelagos watch surfing all the time. It\u2019s been on my wrist for the last couple of years through some of the biggest waves of my life and some of the worst beatings of my life, so now I just never take it off. It has to be on my wrist in every competition. So maybe I am a little superstitious.<\/p>\n Nic von Rupp is a Tudor watch brand ambassador<\/em>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nic Von Rupp surfs some of the most terrifying breaks on earth. Here\u2019s what we can learn from him.\u00a0 Known for his precision, power and fearless pursuit of heart-pounding waves, Nic Von Rupp\u2019s career began with competitive shortboarding where he cut his teeth and made a name for himself across various contests. But the big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}