Photos: Skylar Wilson & Linda Fidelis
The Sununga Skim Pro in Sununga Brazil is one of the wildest events of the year. The wave at Sununga is unlike anything most skimmers ever get to experience so for Alex Yokley, it was definitely a learning experience. She made the trip with plenty of time ahead of the contest to get familiar with the area and the wave but in true Sununga style, it threw her some curve balls. Some days it was flat, some days it was too big, and the other days were all over the place! We chatted with her to see how she felt about her first Sununga trip and how it all went down. Check it out now!
ZAP: What led up to the trip?
Alex: I have always wanted to go to Sununga. It’s arguably the best skim spot in the world. It was a really good opportunity to go and the fact that everyone is gonna be together and compete against each other just made it even better. I was so stoked to make it happen!
ZAP: What's the wave like?
Alex: Oh, it's crazy! It changes so much. Day to day, it's an entirely different beach. Even every 30 minutes it changes. But, the locals have it down so well. Watching them ride it really helped me figure out the lines and stuff too. There's waves going in every direction, which is one reason why it is such a good spot, because you have every single type of wave. As they say, "Anything you want, you got it there."
ZAP: What were some key moments from the trip?
Alex: This place had the most support for skimboarding that I have ever seen! There were hundreds of people at the event and they were super engaged and so excited! They did a great job of bringing people together!
My total trip was two weeks long. Six of those days were completely flat, and three were too big to skim.You really didn’t know what you were going to get until you showed up to the beach. It felt like I got some really fun waves. The secondary and tertiary siders were hard but once you got them, they were so fun.
ZAP: How did you feel about the in heat clutch perfect set up sider to wrap that helped you clench 2nd?
Alex: It felt pretty good! It was definitely the best wave I have ever gotten in a contest! Shout out to Lucas Gomes for the in heat coaching. It set up perfectly!I thought I was almost late, but it was sick and it gave me an extra push down line. As I was on it, I looked down the line in front of me and this perfect barrel was looking me in the eye so I tucked in!
ZAP: How did you feel about the contest overall?
Alex: It was extremely fun and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to go and compete.
ZAP: Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share?
Alex: It was super cool to be in a different place, with all the girls and do fun stuff and explore together! I'm super grateful that Zap made this happen for me!