Pavones local surfer Enzo Donahue is a 15 year old on the rise. Growing up at one of the longest lefts in the world is a dream for most surfers. The wave is nicknamed “pavonesia” because of how it resembles the perfect lefts in Indonesia. Enzo started surfing at age 4 with a life jacket. And, the help of his parents who are always in the water. He credits his parents as his inspirations to start surfing. Although it is a world class wave, Enzo says that surfing Pavones is always fun and not an intimidating environment for him. He is surrounded by friends who are always helping each other.
When not surfing the world class wave down the road Enzo likes to spend time with his friends. He goes to school, plays soccer, bikes, and fishes. He’s working on his air reverses. He says that surfing Pavones remains his favorite even as he starts to travel and experience new waves.
The Future of Surfing Pavones
One thing Enzo does not want to change in Pavones is how nice and supportive the people in the community are. However, he would like to see more opportunities for the people in the town. It remains a very small community in a remote area. Enzo and his classmates have to take a bus for an hour each way to attend a public school.
In five years he sees Pavones growing from its humble roots, for better or for worse, he thinks there will be more places to stay, more people, and a lot of new things to do. He just hopes that this expansion will also create new opportunities for the locals.
It is always a double edged sword when a surf town grows based on the reputation of the waves. But hopefully Pavones will attract the right type of attention that allows for the conservation of the incredible wildlife there as well as increased financial opportunity for the locals. In the meantime, we hooked Enzo up with a new SOLID Surfboard so that he can continue to practice those air reverses.