The world of big-wave surfing has always been known for its courage and skill. Back in April, a group of fearless surfers mesmerized not just the crowds, but also their peers. Their feat – stealing the show at Teahupo’o. Those who follow surfing can attest to the fact that the waves found in this village in Tahiti are some of the heaviest in the world.

Now with the help of the Big Wave Surfer’s Fund, the athletes who dared to ride those waves are being celebrated and rewarded with financial support by their peers. This revolutionary initiative aims to support and promote a range of surfers and empower them to tackle massive swells head-on. Among the ones being celebrated, one up-and-coming surfer has caught the eye of the American Big Wave Surfing icon, Kai Lenny.

Eimeo Czermak stuns surfing icon, Kai Lenny

By charging some absolutely crazy waves at Teahupo’o, Eimeo Czermak won the award for Outstanding Paddle Performance. In addition to this, he also received prize money of $3,000. The 20-year-old prodigy certainly captivated multiple expert witnesses with his moves. One of them was the big wave surfing icon, Kai Lenny. According to a Surfline report, Kai said, “His commitment to paddle into what many would call a tow-wave proves this next generation will be pushing the limits of what’s possible.” 

The 30-year-old surfer was quite impressed by Czermak’s skill to pump over the shock wave. He claimed that the young surfer realizes that there is a risk of getting sucked over the falls, but he executes it perfectly.

Kai Lenny was in awe of the 20-year-old’s skills and said, “There might only be a foot of space he could utilize to gain extra speed in order to make it.” The American believes that Czermak seems to be on a mission to surf these types of waves more often. Another expert witness who watched Czermak’s heroics unfold in Teahupo’o was Nathan Florence, the younger brother of John John Florence. Nathan believes that Czermak possesses a lot of commitment.

He claims that the 20-year-old always puts on a show, especially when it comes to his backside barrel ride. Apart from Czermak, there were other talented surfers as well who were celebrated and rewarded. Surfers like Anne Dos Santos, Kevin Bourez, Haunui David, and Matahi Drollet. All this talent was rewarded through the Big Wave Surfers’ Fund.

Big Wave Surfers’ Fund

The Big Wave Surfers’ Fund takes a unique approach to recognizing greatness. This program is designed by Heavy Water Surf in collaboration with Surfline’s Twenty Foot Plus initiative. It is a program that is by the surfers and for the surfers. Surfers are rewarded and judged by their peers. Not only on the basis of their extraordinary skills, but also on the attributes that make them stand out from the rest.

Read more: Photographer’s Iconic Shots of One of the Most Terrifying Surfing Destinations Capture the True Face of Nature

The surfers are nominated by other big wave surfers who witnessed them surf majestic and notable waves. There is a committee of experts who later assesses the evidence and accordingly announces the results. Members of the committee include Peter Mel, Bianca Valenti, Jamie, Mitchell, Kai Lenny, Andrew Cotton, Justine Dupont, and Grant “Twiggy” Baker.

Watch this story: “Could barely talk, just started walking, but I was surfing”: 17-year-old all set to represent Team USA at ISA games, the qualifying round for 2024 Olympics