This article appeared in issue 118 of Wavelength Magazine Fuerteventura - When the Dirt Track Calls Yep, we really have lost our deposit now! As our flight arrives at the Aeropuerto, my travelling buddies, Josh Knowles, Spencer Hargraves and Gareth Llewellyn look down to see an ocean that resembles a lake. Is there any swell? Gareth and Spencer, who have been here before, quickly inform me that this is the East coast of the island, we will be heading for the North coast and possibly the West. So who exactly are my Fuerto' team? Well, Josh Knowles, a 2x Junior Champion on the Headworx BPSA tour, Spencer Hargraves, 2x European Champion and globe trotter, and Gareth Llewellyn, seasoned winter traveller. We are coming into the big wave season in the Canary Islands, considered by some as the 'Hawaii of Europe.' Some senior pros are currently in Lanzarote intending to tow each other into monster waves throughout the winter, namely Gary Elkerton, and Spencer intends to join him. Another option is to get a boat to the island of Lobos, just off the coast of Fuerteventura. Main: Perfection, 'nuff said' Left to Right: Urrgh, Super Llewellyn. Hire cars last 5 minutes; This is what you want, our ride for the trip. Spencer about to send some spray out to the line-up. Team meeting, by the pool, where else? The tiny Island of Lobos is an ex-leper colony and inhabited by sheep, but has extremely good waves that peel around the right hand side of the Island. If you catch it on at 6-8 foot for a couple of days it would be the highlight of a trip anywhere in the Canaries. All this depends on the swell size and direction, but as I mentioned earlier our first port of call is the North Coast, in an area called the Northern Track. Spencer had a lot of time for German Left, after all it was barrelling. After a big night at our complex bar we awake to blue sky and little wind. Collected by our guide Ben, we are off at 7am for the Northern Tracks. The rutted and pot holed tracks on these volcanic lands are very old. They are a feature of all the Canary Islands but Fuerteventura especially has missed the development of the other Islands, and therefore, the tracks are still used by locals and surfers in their everyday business. As you leave Corralejo the comfort of tarmac comes to an abrupt end, almost like they just ran out of it. If you are in a hire car you get to spend all day travelling at a painfully slow speed with your teeth and bones chattering whilst you watch pieces of the car fall off in the rear view mirrors. In a 4x4 however, you can just cruise across, almost in comfort, to any of the uncrowded reef breaks. Left to Right: Gareth just about escaping the guillotine at 'The Dirty One'. Extreme Holidays Ben with his shiny 4x4. Oi oi, show us your conkers. Ben, Extreme Holidays' island guide and instructor, shows our boys his rail grab air on the now deceased girlfriends board. Delving into the Stormrider Guide you see spots like Rocky Point, The Bubble, Suicides and Shooting Gallery but actually driving across the coast it all looks the same, there are few defining land marks. Don't forget we are only talking about the Northern Tracks, Fuerteventura is a big Island and the Stormrider Guide could be indispensable on one of those trips where swell and wind change frequently, and they are constantly looking to update their information so it is well worth taking a camera with you. You could quite easily drive straight past many of these well known spots if there happened to be no cars parked up, or a lull in between sets. We drove for about 20 minutes without seeing much in the way of waves but then came across a small gathering of cars so stopped to check it out. There were quite a few local guys out on this reef that was providing the occasional barrel and a decent length 3-4 foot wall. Left: Jeez it's hot, time for some shade down at 'Conker Beach'. Right: 'German Left' or 'Conker Beach', who cares, Josh hits it. Josh, Spencer and Gareth suited up and got out there along with our guide Ben from Extreme Holidays. It was pretty hectic in the water, drop-ins and lots of shouting in Spanish, but on the whole the locals were cool with our presence. After this first surf the guys were stoked, Spencer for his first barrel of the trip but generally because they'd scored good waves on their first day and had decided boardies were the way forward, it was too hot for wet suits. Ben then took us into the nearest town, Lajares, where he introduced us to the delights of Fuerteventuras' sandwiches and pastries. Once the refuelling was finished we went back onto the Northern Track and then surfed the same spot again, but in boardies this time. Then it was back to the sandwich shop again before searching for a new spot to surf. This is basically how our trip continued, up at 7am for a surf, eat then a second surf, eat once again before the third surf or a search for new spots to finish up. We arrived home at about 5pm and chilled for a while before tucking into some tasty San Miguels. Left: Spencer waits patiently to get shacked. Sequence: Josh giving Gareth a splash in the face. Our guide Ben proved to be a god send, we kinda gave him a nickname, 'Mustard' because he was as keen as, every morning at 7am the boards were on the roof and he was driving us around the island in search of that perfect reef. Not only did Ben (Mustard) have all the knowledge of where to surf (including some secrets that will remain secrets) and when to surf them he knew many of the locals which gave Josh, Spencer and Gareth a bit of a head start in the water respect wise. A Spencer power turn. Left to Right: The 'Hot Beef 02' team with yours truly, 'The Chocolate One'. The all new 'erm, yeah erm dunno' manoeuvre from Gareth. What's out there, who knows? Wax up and find out. For the next few days we travelled and surfed much of the north and east coast from Corralejo round to Playa de Esquinzo blessed with hot sun and good waves. Ben explained how we were having a bad week for waves, usually it's a lot better, we were stoked to be getting what we had. The boys were given a break from the reefs a couple of times when Ben took us a to a few little beaches in search of launching pads. The first beach was on the West coast which had shelter from high cliffs and proved to be a great little left with a whackable wall and, if you had enough speed, an air section. Gareth locked into his first barrel of the trip and went onto invent his own unique manoeuvre. This was to become 'Conker Beach' and you can find out why later. Dude wheres my wave? Spencer goes back to find it. A few of the waves we found couldn't be photographed from the land so I had to don the regulation Gath hat and swim like a bitch. I was lucky enough to check out how hard and sharp the reefs were quite a few times, they are very hard and very sharp. There's nothing quite like attempting to duck dive a 6 foot wall in 2 foot of water, ramming the camera housing into the reef and nearly breaking my wrist, then getting sent straight back to the inside for a bounce around on my arse. Left to Right: Oh go on then, I'll have another little barrel. Go on Gareth, reach for the stars. "umm, check out my new fin system Gareth" "Yes very nice Spencer" No other reason for this shot. After I'd spent an hour bobbing around on the inside of one particular barrelling reef with my water housing Ben told us how that place is supposedly a breeding ground for Hammer Head sharks. I was pretty pleased about that, and pretty sure that I wouldn't go back there to be a sitting duck again. This same day Gareth was practising his favourite manoeuvre, the superman lip dive and Josh took a tasty beating just getting out of the water. As he paddled into the cove to clamber up the rocks, a big set rolled in and sent huge walls of white water into the rocks, he grabbed hold of his landing spot spreadeagled but before he could get to his feet he was given a royal romping from behind by a torrent of white water. He didn't come up as bad as we'd expected, just covered in cuts and gashes, dripping with blood though. As the week went on, we were still waiting for that one classic day, bigger swell unleashing perfect cylinders on the reefs of the Northern Track. In-between surfing the good, but not yet epic waves the boys turned to a little arts and crafts, on themselves. Pay attention to the picture of three individuals sporting penned on tatoos. The name 'Hot Beef' came about with the Newquay surfers wanting their own home grown name. A few used to write it on their boards but this could be the beginning of something big, watch this space. The other graffiti that went on was the 'Free Bairdy and Durks' slogan on Gareths' wife beater (vest). Basically Newquays' local surfers and friends still feel they have been done wrong and are putting this out, letting the world know. Left: "oh shit", Gareth thinks he's seen a shadow, why do they always look like hammer head sharks. Right: What better way to start the trip than with waves like this on the first day, Josh indulging. For the last couple of days the swell increased enough to make a secret outer reef break, a perfect right hand barrelling wave that went square. It was truly mental. Out in the water I watched as Spencer paddled for a big one that jacked up as it hit the ledge, the lip folded and he couldn't get into it. If he had I doubt very much if he would've made it because it was so hollow, a vertical wall and flat bottom, so fast, way too fast. For the whole session they had it to themselves, charging and occasionally eating it. They were calling each other into the sickest waves I've ever had the pleasure of being amongst, just trying to get locked in and racing to the end section. After the first section I watched each wave as Josh and his board came flying off the lip or one of them floated a section landed and paddled back out smiling from ear to ear asking, "did you get that one, how'd that look?" The next day we had more of the same at this secret reef we called, "oh damn it I forgot it's real name", well we called it 'The Dirty One'. Ben also took us to a really wedgey beach break on the West coast, which provided the guys with a whackable wall and launching pad every now and again. Josh checks out his target, worry about the dry landing later. On our last day we just about had time for a quick one before our flight home. We had arranged with a local guy to go over to Lobos in his boat for a surf but on arrival at the harbour he shook his head. "Nah, the swells died off, it wont be big enough, sorry guys" he said. We were disapointed but still had one last chance. We headed back to the beachie from the day before for another boardies only surf. I ventured out with my trusty but slightly battered water housing to do some water shots. I'd almost got out back and the last wave of a set broke right over me as I went through it and the lip smashed the back of my legs. Both of my fins got wrenched from my feet and I was left stranded. I then noticed that the locking pin which holds the catches on my housing shut had also been disposed of by the wave so that was the end of that, game over. Ben, our driver and all round good guy had a great session too, he snapped his girlfriend's board. Time to bust out the dinner for two and flowers trick! Left to Right: Gareth again with 'The Dirty One' dishing up the goods. Back at our Extreme apartment, probably the one time we got a break from surfing, shooting and travelling. Spencer wrenches a big cut back. We had all enjoyed the trip and from every point of view it had been a success, the only problem we had found was the Germans. They were no trouble in the water and no trouble out in the evenings but they did have a tendency to parade around on a number of the beaches with their conkers on full display for all to see. Hence naming one of the beach breaks Conker Beach. The deal we had with Extreme Holidays was not dissimilar to what you could have. We were picked up from our luxury apartment and driven around in a 4x4 with leather seats, air conditioning and CD changer. The full works. Whether you are an absolute beginner or a pro they can meet your needs and give you a trip to remember. Even if you are a competent surfer it is well worth going with the Extreme team because they can take you to places you'd never have found on your own, we went to a number of reefs and beaches that I'd never be able to find again. Extreme Holidays will arrange the whole package for you, from the flights, the luxury accommodation, island guide, 4x4 transport, equipment and if you require it, lessons in surfing, windsurfing or kitesurfing. As the customer you can dictate how your trip unfolds, with regards to sports, travel, time and locations. There are plenty of beach breaks for learning to surf, plenty of reefs for first timers and some really heavy reefs for the hell men amongst you. The instructors all have the relevant qualifications in training, lifeguarding and first aid so you couldn't be in better hands. The water is warm all year round and the sun always shines so hook up with these guys and go surfing.