Amaury Lavernhe, man or machine!
This week we take a look into the bodyboarding culture of Gran Canaria, home to the epic " El Fronton" voted by bodyboarders as the 5th best wave in the world and now also Amaury Lavernhe, two time APB world champion and the Amaury bodyboard academy, why wouldn't you want to check it out.......
In Amaury's own words...
" My full name is Amaury Guy Marie Lavernhe, I'm 32 and I was born in France really far from the coast.
When I was still young I went to Reunion Island and that is where I grew up.
Since the shark crisis started there tho in 2011 I moved to Galdar, Gran Canaria, the bodyboarding capital of the Canary Islands.
I started bodyboarding around 1996 when the Hoff Pro came to Reunion and Tamega won at Saint Leu.
When I was young I used to go the beach with my family and we used to go to Boucan cannot which is a full on bodyboarding beach.
My mum used to love watching me bodyboarding and having fun in the waves, also all my friends were bodyboarding, I didn't think about it to much I just got in the sea.
Reunion has some great bodyboarders since the 80's with guys like Patrick Flores, the father of famous surfer Jeremy Flores, Jean Francois Nativel, Thomas Richard and then a bit later riders like David Legleye, the Bornarel brothers, Shiller and Marimoutou.... so many good riders already ripping world class waves.
Internationally my heroes were Tamega, Botha and ben Holland.
My local break when I was younger was Les Aigrettes west side, Reunion has so many breaks but L'Hermitage and Les Archers are my favourite ones.
In the world it is hard to tell, it depends on the mood but I think my favourite wave is an outside reef called Pikaxo in Gran Canaria.
My first real board was a Manta Vicky Gleeson and we had a great crew at Reunion, then I travelled a lot with PLC and today I have my family, for ever.....
I finished 9th last year on the APB tour, I missed 3 contest as I had a busy year with my second child and the bodyboarding academy I opened in Galdar.... I still compete and the tour starts in June and I am super motivated!!
I am a pro rider following the world tour and I have great support from some great sponsors, but I'm working hard to support the other side of my life with my family, my house etc...
I have a bodyboarding academy in Canary's, I'm doing courses around the world and I recently started the distribution in the Canary's of sniper bodyboards and reeflex wetsuits.
I'm riding my sniper model MOZ 41 " PP with infinity combine and my own sniper leash.
I just signed for ARS Bodyboarding and I'm super stoked for their support....
I love listening to hip hop and rap and I just love the memories of watching the ocean every morning to see how the conditions are.
I always try to find the best balance in my life with bodyboarding, I went to university for 3 years and my family supported me.
The future of our sport is never clear enough so I have studied to secure my future.
In 2007 I finished 3rd at pipe and from this point everything changed for me.... I decided to stop studying, sniper bodyboards started supporting me seriously and I started to compete on the world tour as a pro rider.... the adventure began.
Since then my passion for bodyboarding has stayed the same, I love and need to be in the water as much as I can and this is the most important thing for my personal balance.
I have loved sharing my story, thank you Lidlife for catching up with me and also for sharing the stories of others"
Photo credits include:
Jorge Lekunberri
Thurston Photo
Jairo Diaz
Nicolas Nachaj
Richard Aleman
Kenneth Jimenez
Ardiel Jimenez
Mouss Saleh
Amaury it has been an honour and a privilege and we look forward to following your success on this years APB tour...
Guys next week we head over to Hawaii to catch up with Tanner McDaniel, until then enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope everyone is scoring some waves.........