Surfing in Siberia Arctic Ocean - Silence and Freedom
Paula Andriguetto, March 2017
Imagine you are in the middle of nowhere - no city sounds, no technology, no buildings, no cars, no civilisation around… no problems on your mind, no deadlines, no need to check the time. Could that be the definition of freedom?
A group of six Russian surfers knows what freedom is and shows us what that must taste like while surfing unexplored waves in the Arctic Ocean.
Marat Hasanov, one of the members of the project Surf Siberia, gave Freiheit an interview about the documentary divided in four parts that has been getting a lot of press attention - because there is something quite fascinating about following these surfers jumping on one of the coldest waters on Earth, on winter. Yes, on winter. Only a few people managed to succeed surfing at these conditions and there’s a reason for that - there is absolutely no room for mistakes.
So, freedom comes with a price, but I am betting that they didn't mind paying for it.
Surf Siberia - Official
Could you start describing the project Surf in Siberia for us?
The main goal of the project is to document our surfing trips around russia mainly for ourselves and our friends. We want to share all our emotions we get during every trip where we discover new never surfed before surf breaks in Russia. Other than that we want to show Russian kids that live in poor and undeveloped regions that they have everything they need (OCEAN) to have a lot of fun. We also want to tell them about the legal drug that exists and most importantly it's FREE!! - SURFING that is..
How the idea for the documentary started?
The idea started off when few friends went to see what surfing is like in Kamchatka as it is the most obvious place for Russia to have waves. After this trip the idea started to develop and grew into something a bit more real.
How many people are involved with the project?
I would say there are around 6 people.
The main goal of the project is to document our surfing trips around russia mainly for ourselves and our friends. We want to share all our emotions we get during every trip where we discover new never surfed before surf breaks in Russia. Other than that we want to show Russian kids that live in poor and undeveloped regions that they have everything they need (OCEAN) to have a lot of fun. We also want to tell them about the legal drug that exists and most importantly it's FREE!! - SURFING that is..
How the idea for the documentary started?
The idea started off when few friends went to see what surfing is like in Kamchatka as it is the most obvious place for Russia to have waves. After this trip the idea started to develop and grew into something a bit more real.
How many people are involved with the project?
I would say there are around 6 people.
Surf Siberia Official
What motivate the group to surf in such remotes conditions?
The discovery of new never surfed surf breaks and the wildness is something that keeps the fire going. We never know what to expect and this adds the adrenaline.. It's like a secret every time.. We want to test ourselves both physically and emotionally.
The documentary shows beautiful locations, with very unique landscapes. Could tell us more about the locations picked for the project?
Kamchatka. This location was a no brainer and many people including international surfers know about this beautiful place full of volcanos and black sand beaches.. Surf breaks there are easy to get to because they are only 20min away from the city. One of our friends even has a surf school there..
Kuril Islands. This location is a military/border control zone and every time we go there we need to get special passes. The islands are full of military and wild animals like bears.. This place has the best waves in Russia, including very nice point breaks.. Getting to Kuril islands is also quite tricky because of weather conditions.
Teriberka. This place is much closed to Moscow then the first two I mentioned. It is located in the Arctic ocean and often we get to see the northern lights (Aurora) when we go surfing there. Surfing there is a bit dangerous because of many big rocks and is only suitable for experienced surfers.
The discovery of new never surfed surf breaks and the wildness is something that keeps the fire going. We never know what to expect and this adds the adrenaline.. It's like a secret every time.. We want to test ourselves both physically and emotionally.
The documentary shows beautiful locations, with very unique landscapes. Could tell us more about the locations picked for the project?
Kamchatka. This location was a no brainer and many people including international surfers know about this beautiful place full of volcanos and black sand beaches.. Surf breaks there are easy to get to because they are only 20min away from the city. One of our friends even has a surf school there..
Kuril Islands. This location is a military/border control zone and every time we go there we need to get special passes. The islands are full of military and wild animals like bears.. This place has the best waves in Russia, including very nice point breaks.. Getting to Kuril islands is also quite tricky because of weather conditions.
Teriberka. This place is much closed to Moscow then the first two I mentioned. It is located in the Arctic ocean and often we get to see the northern lights (Aurora) when we go surfing there. Surfing there is a bit dangerous because of many big rocks and is only suitable for experienced surfers.
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Whats the best way for the public to follow the project?
We have a website where people can follow us via www.surfsiberia.ru and also via our instagram accounts @surfu and @kokorevk .
How was the logistics of traveling with all the equipment to such remote places?
We always have a lot of heavy equipment and many surfboards with us. Getting around locally to surf breaks was some times very difficult because of snow conditions and lack of road infrastructure. Many times we had to carry very heavy equipment for 5-10km by foot through snow.
Is there a new movie coming?
We are currently working on a big movie that will combine all the locations we have been to. Hopefully end of this year or sometime next year it will be ready.
We have a website where people can follow us via www.surfsiberia.ru and also via our instagram accounts @surfu and @kokorevk .
How was the logistics of traveling with all the equipment to such remote places?
We always have a lot of heavy equipment and many surfboards with us. Getting around locally to surf breaks was some times very difficult because of snow conditions and lack of road infrastructure. Many times we had to carry very heavy equipment for 5-10km by foot through snow.
Is there a new movie coming?
We are currently working on a big movie that will combine all the locations we have been to. Hopefully end of this year or sometime next year it will be ready.
Surf Siberia - Official
What is actually to surf in the cold waters of Russia's ocean? What is the sensation you feel?
The water sometimes get to minus -2C. It does not freeze because it's salty. The sensation is like many small needles hitting your face all at once.. But then you get used to it.. The tricky part is getting changed especially if we are having more that one surf session per day and our wetsuits are still wet.
What is freedom to you?
The freedom is when I don't have to ask my boss/wife/parent the permission to go surfing in the middle of nowhere for an unknown period of time and when my friends call me and tell me, "Marat, the surf forecast is good for tomorrow, let's catch a flight!!??" and it takes me 1 second to tell them "Sure, let's go!!"
What are the dangers involved for less experienced people looking to surf in these locations?
The dangers involved are that we are surfing in some places that are very remote from cities or any villages. If something goes wrong there will be no one to save us, the closest rescue could be hundreds of kilometers away.
The water sometimes get to minus -2C. It does not freeze because it's salty. The sensation is like many small needles hitting your face all at once.. But then you get used to it.. The tricky part is getting changed especially if we are having more that one surf session per day and our wetsuits are still wet.
What is freedom to you?
The freedom is when I don't have to ask my boss/wife/parent the permission to go surfing in the middle of nowhere for an unknown period of time and when my friends call me and tell me, "Marat, the surf forecast is good for tomorrow, let's catch a flight!!??" and it takes me 1 second to tell them "Sure, let's go!!"
What are the dangers involved for less experienced people looking to surf in these locations?
The dangers involved are that we are surfing in some places that are very remote from cities or any villages. If something goes wrong there will be no one to save us, the closest rescue could be hundreds of kilometers away.
Surf Siberia - Official
You can watch the hole documentary here and learn more about the project here.
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