Surfers trek 400km in search of undiscovered waves at the end of the world

A journey through the land of ice and fire — Surfers and filmmakers Gauchos del Mar spent 53 days alone in the wilderness, searching for waves in Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina.

Could you cope without seeing another human soul for 53 days? In the deserted wilderness of Tierra del Fuego province, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of South America, two brothers, Joaquin and Julian Azulay, walked for over 400km in search of uncharted waves.

Peninsula Mitre documents the Argentine brothers’ journey through the harsh climate of one of the most isolated places on Earth, with no human contact – just the rumour of world-class waves to guide them.

Unknown-3

It’s the most epic voyage yet for the award-winning brothers, who made similar journeys through South America in search of hard-to-reach surf in Gauchos del Mar and Tierra de Patagones.

Ahead of its UK premiere at London Surf / Film Festival on Thursday September 22, we reached out to find out more about Peninsula Mitre.

Unknown-1

For people who have no idea where Tierra de Fuego is, briefly could you explain what the area’s like?
Tierra del Fuego is the southernmost province of Argentina. Below it you go straight to Antarctica. It is an amazing landscape, which has a beautiful combination of mountains, native forests, rivers and sea, with a big potential of surf discoveries.

How developed is surfing culture in Tierra del Fuego?
Tierra del Fuego is a huge area and it has three cities: Ushuaia, Tolhuin and Rio Grande. After that it is just nature. So in total there are 150-200k people in the whole province. We only met one surfer, who surfs near Rio Grande, which is the northern coast of the province. There is no surf culture due to its harsh conditions, really bad submarine platform and inconsistency.

Unknown-2

How did you learn of this mythical wave in Tierra del Fuego?
We decided to go to Peninsula Mitre, the most eastern tip of Tierra del Fuego, to search for waves when we sailed back from Isla de los Estados on our previous expedition. Sergio Anselmino, a hiking/photographer/explorer, showed us photos of waves he saw while walking solo in the area (he is not a surfer). We made friends with him and decided to explore Peninsula Mitre together, and we were lucky enough to find quality waves.

What was the most challenging aspect of making the film?
The most difficult part of filming in Peninsula Mitre is the combination of several factors that every day increase its resistance: rain, strong winds, snow, difficult terrains to walk over, crossing rivers, setting up and packing campsites to move on and eating once per day. So if you add these factors to a 53 day walk you can imagine how challenging it was. Even more when you factor in filming everything that happened, or at least trying to do so…

Unknown-4

How did being isolated from the rest of civilisation for 53 days affect you?
It was a very profound experience and a bit difficult when we returned. But it was very important for us in gaining a greater understand and respect of the wild. It inspired us to act as communicators and use the film to encourage the conservation of Peninsula Mitre.

Catch the UK premiere of Peninsula Mitre at London Surf / Film Festival on Thursday 21 September from 7pm at Genesis Cinema, Whitechapel.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


You might like

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Three individuals in swimming attire holding surfboards, standing in a field with cacti in the background.
Sport

A new documentary spotlights Ecuador’s women surfers fighting climate change

Ceibo — Co-directed by Maddie Meddings and Lucy Small, the film focuses on the work and story of Pacha Light, a wave rider who lived off-grid before reconnecting with her country’s activist heritage.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Surfers against sewage protest box floating in water with people swimming around it.
© Alex Brown / Surfers Against Sewage
Sport

The rebellious roots of Cornwall’s surfing scene

100 years of waveriding — Despite past attempts to ban the sport from beaches, surfers have remained as integral, conservationist presences in England’s southwestern tip. A new exhibition in Falmouth traces its long history in the area.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Two surfers riding waves in the ocean, with spray and ocean in the background.
© Maria Riley
Sport

In Queens, local surfers are moulding a neighbourhood in their own renegade images

Rockaway breaks — On a little-known stretch of beach in eastern New York City, an ecosystem of wave catchers, and the local bars and restaurants that fuel them, is seeing a boom. Paolo Bicchieri meets the residents and business owners behind the growing swell.

Written by: Paolo Bicchieri

Photography

The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast

In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.