Gabriel Medina Bet Leandro Usuna $500 to Surf Sketchy North Shore Wave (Clip)
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Surf spot names, occasionally, are good indicators as to what the wave is actually like.
The Wedge, for example. Properly apt descriptor for that mutant wave. Or Cyclops in West Australia; it looks like a gigantic one-eyed monster. Or Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal…when it’s firing, it’s a spot with super tubes. Pretty simple.
Sometimes, however, the names are less literal. They’re whimsical, allegorical. But the gist is still there. Like Insanities, a fickle yet crazy sandbar on Oahu’s North Shore.
A while back, three-time Brazilian world champion Gabriel Medina bet Argentinian charger Leandro “Lele” Usuna 500 bucks to paddle out at Insanities during, well, fairly insane conditions.
In the resurfaced clip above, here’s how the wager went down:
“We made a bet," Medina says. "He has to go through the waves, and we pay him 500 bucks...if he makes it. If not, nothing. We just wanna watch it.”
“They bet me 500 bucks if I go straight out right here,” Usuna responds. “So, I’m gonna try. I’m a little anxious, a little scared.”
Lele paddled out successfully and then some. He snagged a bomb, tucked into the tube, and got spat out into glory. Easy money for the Argentinian.
But that wasn't all. It turns out, this wave was actually from November 30th, 2017. And at the time, it earned Lele a nomination for that season’s Wave of the Winter.
Pretty cool, especially considering this insane wave at Insanities would’ve never happened if Medina didn’t put up the $500.
As the saying goes, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
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