Part III: The Biggest Wave
The date is February 25th, 2021, only three days after the successful test run. The Gigantes de Nazaré Big Wave Challenge is on, an annual invitational event presented by Brazilian television channel TV Globo. Pedro Levi has been invited this year, the first time bodyboarding will be showcased in the event alongside big wave surfing. He’ll get to speak about what it’s like to bodyboard Praia do Norte at this size, and the tow board that he and Shaper Gato have developed for this purpose, to a broader audience. A true ambassador of the sport.
“The Brazilian pilot Alemão de Maresias was about to tow me when he flipped the jet ski and it was taken out of the water from the sand. I was waiting on the outside on another jet ski when Lucas Chumbo told me to hop on his jet to catch a wave. I was so happy about it. He put me on a wave that I rushed to tell him to go. It was the last wave of the set and a bit white. I couldn’t imagine I was about to break the board. It was a hell of a saloon inside the wave.” In the drone footage, one can see Pedro Levi as the passenger on the jet ski behind the pilot as they ride onto a foamy unbroken swell. He steps off the jet ski with speed and glides down the face as the wave steepens. Levi is picking up even more speed when the wave pitches into a gaping maw and engulfs him, giving him a view that most of us can only attempt to imagine.
“I was eager to put on a show and surf as many big waves as possible and the board broke on the first wave unfortunately. The wave wasn’t the biggest but people say it was 10 meters. The board broke due to the shock wave given when the lip hit me and the board or it could have been after the first impact. It could break with the power of the whitewash. The nose part where the board rocker gets thinner cannot have a stringer, so it always breaks there.” Regardless of the setback, Pedro Levi stayed positive and showed appreciation for the opportunity. “Shit happens but good things do too.”, was his comment on his Instagram account about this day.
One month later, on March 27th, 2021, Refresh Boards posted images of a new upgraded model of the tow board. This one stands half an inch taller at 44.5 inches and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb.) heavier at 11 kg (24.25 lb.). The tail looks slightly different from the original tri-crescent tail with a deeper, more angled center piece, almost like a V tail, the raised areas on the bottom half of the deck are gone with a different deck contour in its place, the channels and rails are the same. The increase in height and weight are obviously for the same reason as the first board. “The board is pretty much the same. This heavier board definitely handles bumpier conditions in a way other boards don’t. Every new board is an experiment.” says Levi. “The first board had many stringers and broke where the stringers didn’t reach because of the narrowing of the nose. So it broke there. The old tow board had a different material than this new one. This new one has a different material with a few layers of material that I can’t reveal. The new board was about to be tested during a TV news piece with Garret McNamara with the last big swell of the season but ended up not happening. This last swell was on a Saturday and there was a curfew after 1PM. So this first ride with the second big wave bodyboard in the world did not happen.”
Pedro Levi would not get to test the new board for months, a delta and an omicron variant later, just to put the time period in perspective. During the off season, it’s easy to imagine the giants of Nazaré laying down in the famed underwater canyon, snoring in hibernation, but while they rest easy, other sorts of giants in Levi’s life rear their heads.
In the past year or two, Pedro was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a common condition where his mood, as described by medical professionals, consists of manic highs and depressive lows, each of which can last for weeks if left untreated. It’s a difficult condition to treat consisting of psychiatric therapy in conjunction with an assortment of medication options including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety medications and antipsychotics or different combinations of these drugs. The tricky part is that these drugs don’t always vibe well with the patient due to possible side effects. The only way to find out what works for each individual is by trial and error. This process can take weeks or months and when the symptoms change, medications may need to be adjusted.
Remember the so-called partner who acted as an “agent” in part II of this story? “He was promising to help by building my portfolio. This was a person that I thought believed in me.” Seven hundred euros (approximately 781 US dollars) and one year later, Levi still has nothing to show for it. “He has been giving me the silent treatment. He has worked with other high-level athletes.”, meaning there was no reason for Pedro not to trust this person. “One of my main sponsors, not Manel Sport and not Refresh Bodyboards, asked me to invest in an inflatable vest which cost around 800 euros (approximately 893 US dollars).” He was under the impression he’d be reimbursed but instead “I was told they cannot even give me 500 euros because they just invested in a new store location.” These setbacks are enough to cause some level of depression in any person and its impact could be profound depending on one’s financial circumstances. As for someone who suffers from bipolar disorder, the effects can be long lasting, especially if the treatment is suddenly not up to par. “This triggered my depression for the summer. I was unable to do the things I enjoy most and it was hard to get motivated to train. It felt like, why train if I can’t gain the support needed to make this possible?” During this time he continued to work as an Uber driver and a lifeguard. One of the possible side effects of the medication is weight gain. “I gained 20 kilos (44 lbs.) in 5 months.”
Pedro Levi decided to test how well the second tow board floats and its drive in small one to two meter waves during a nighttime expression session. “I felt like a different person. I couldn’t paddle like before.” On March 1st, 2022, Pedro got an opportunity to test his tow board in the conditions it’s meant for; walls of water measuring around 13 to 15 meters (42 to 49 feet). This time a local news crew would be present to document his attempt. He took advantage of this and from the jet ski he flew a flag with the image of a dove and an olive branch (a symbol of peace originating from Christian mythology) in support for Ukraine. In his Instagram post he urged anyone who reads it not to blame the Russian citizens, only the Putin regime. Russia had invaded Ukraine on February 24th, just 5 days prior. “I had four attempts and did not catch one wave. I don’t know if it’s the weight of the board or if it’s me. I need to do more testing.”
Although Pedro had to shift his focus from Praia do Norte to his own mental health, he continues to learn from his experiences and ponders how to make his dream a reality. “If I don’t train or be an example, even if I struggle with being bipolar, my ups and downs…I need to figure out how to co-habitate with that and only after can I be a brand..I need to grow as an athlete…I need sponsors but I cannot expect to be financially well by a good brand coming to me. I can talk with counselors, lawyers and open my own company for passenger transportation, tourist guide, surf instructing, hiking. I need to have a way of re-arranging my financial life and make it good.” As for getting back on track physically, “I’ll be using the Wave Crushers training system to work on arm strength and cardiovascular exercises using the pool to get back what I always had. Maybe in a year or two.”
What’s in store for Pedro Levi’s future? Life constantly shape shifts and we have to adapt, which is why surfing (no matter what kind of board you’re on) is such a good analogy for life. We fall and get held under for what seems to be a long period of time. We also have moments where our timing feels perfect, our maneuvers flow smoothly and our landings even feel cushioned. Pedro Levi’s name may one day be in the Guinness Book of World Records, his reason being, “I want people to know that bodyboarding is a sport where riding big waves is possible. More exposure is good for sponsors.” Even if he chooses to stop pursuing this goal in favor of other priorities, he has already made an indelible mark in the history of bodyboarding.
Levi and his fiancée, Vânia, are expecting a baby girl to grace their lives on May 6th, 2022. Regarding his fiancée, whom is also a bodyboarder, “She is extremely supportive. If I ever reach my goals, it’ll be because of her.” While talking to him about the excitement of awaiting their first born daughter to arrive, at one point, he describes it as “The biggest wave.”
Click the link below to listen to Pedro Levi talk about bodyboarding and what it’s like to suffer the extreme ups and downs of bipolar disorder on The Grey Space with Brenden Newton. Listening to this could help someone to better understand what it’s like to be diagnosed as bipolar. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-grey-space-with-brenden-newton/id1549520802
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