While we were in Maui we had the opportunity to document a day in the life of one of the current top windsurfers, Victor Fernandez Lopez. Here’s what he got up to!
Victor kick starts the day off with a healthy breakfast before checking out the day’s forecast and replying to emails.
Last year Victor stayed in the rain forest area of Haiku which is on the North Shore of Maui and only a few minutes drive from Ho’okipa. A quick gear check and a short drive to our next stop.
Unfortunately for Victor he had an ankle injury from the Sylt competition which he was still having treatment for in Maui with Sam from Deep Relief. Deep Relief has a solid reputation for their work and is well known for their effective treatment especially amongst the athlete community. Let’s hope you’ll never need to visit Sam but in case you do here’s the website! http://www.deepreliefmaui.com
After being KT taped for some extra support for his windsurfing session later in the day, Sam gives Victor a few exercises for his ankle.
Next stop, COFFEE! Baked on Maui is a great little coffee shop at The Cannery in Haiku and they serve some the most tasty pastries you can find on the North shore! You’ll often find many of the local windsurfers and surfers stopping off here. Victor has a few more errands before getting to Ho’okipa including picking up some MFC Fins which is also at The Cannery. MFC Fins are hugely popular with professional windsurfers and they also have a great range of SUP fins. For more info check out the website. http://www.mauifin.com/
We then head on upstairs for his first meeting with two of Positive H2O’s founding members, Pascal Bronniman & Jake Miller. Positive H2O is a movement for clean water that brings together a community of athletes, conservationists, non-profits and companies, which help to facilitate local solutions on a global scale. Their mission statement reads “we promote a lifestyle that is healthy, conscious, creative and in harmony with the environment. Having clean oceans and access to clean drinking water and sanitation for people in need are at the top of Positive H2O’s priorities.” Victor is one of H2Os team riders. Take a moment to check out their website and feel free to contact Pascal or Jake to see how you can help http://www.positiveh2o.com
We haven’t quite left The Cannery yet! We get a sneak peak at one of Victor’s new boards! Victor’s custom board is shaped by his Fanatic shaper, Sebastian Wenzel, and then these boards along with Victor’s feedback provide the basis of next year’s production boards for Fanatic.
After all errands are run it’s off to Ho’okipa for one of Victor’s last sessions while he was on Maui last year. Here are a few shots of Victor rigging up at Ho’okipa, adding his new +H2O sticker to his sail and setting up his Go Pro!
Many thanks to Victor for letting us follow him and also for putting up with my camera being stuck in his face for most of the day!
Most of the photos below were shot on this same day with the exception of a 2 or 3 which we thought were worth posting too!
Fish Bowl Diaries 
thanks for the great photos and view into Victor’s routine. Curious that he is getting a custom board. I thought he rode Fanatic production boards. Hmmm
Hi Ben, glad you liked the photos. In regards to the custom board in the photos, this was shaped by Fanatic’s shaper Sebastian Wenzel and then next year’s production boards for Fanatic are based on the custom board and the feedback that Victor provides on the board. I’ve added that info into the post – my mistake for not doing so initially!
Such a good post and Victor is an amazing guy, so talented but so humble at the same time, a good friend too 🙂
aloha