Alberto Truncer, the Young Man from Rincon Caught by a Giant Wave in Nazaré

Málaga, "due to its conditions," is not a place every surfer has in mind for practicing the sport, although there are "many enthusiasts" in the province, or so says Alberto Truncer, a 26-year-old from Rincón de la Victoria who went viral on social media after starring in a terrifying situation in Nazaré, Portugal, while surfing to train and film a documentary about his brother, Javier Truncer.

Before discovering surfing, Alberto Truncer was already very involved in sports. As a child, he tells this newspaper, his great passion was football, where he played as a center forward in Rincón de la Victoria, although he had also spent time in Fuengirola. Once settled in the Axarquía town, his contact with surfing was still very distant: the closest thing he had ever handled was the typical children's board, decorated with superheroes or cartoons, with which so many kids play on the beach.

He started surfing at 11 years old, and he did it in a completely self-taught way, that is, without lessons and with an initiative unusual for an 11-year-old. Over time, this vocation has turned into a "way of life." When he reached 18, he began to participate in different championships, becoming runner-up of Andalusia and seventh in the Spanish under-18 championship.

"The wave could measure between about 10 and 15 meters"

He uses Nazaré for his toughest training sessions. This place, according to him, represents one of the best conditions a surfer can find to "have fun," but also where, depending on the day, one can encounter complicated situations that can jeopardize the physical integrity of those who dare.

That day, he assures that the conditions were "exceptional." As he describes, a swell came in with the perfect direction. The wind was blowing from the sea, which caused the wave to have a cleaner and more vertical direction. He declares they went into the water, as he was with a group of jet skis, above all, to "guarantee safety," when the tide was wondering whether to rise or fall. "At that moment it was pushing very hard," he asserts.

Added to all this, there is the geographic accident for which Nazaré is known. A submarine canyon with an approximate extension of 230 kilometers that can reach a depth of up to 5,000 meters. In this case, the canyon acts as a funnel that channels the energy of the Atlantic swell, causing the waves to increase their height upon reaching the shallow area, reaching sizes of up to 30 meters. Even so, Truncer insists it was an "unprecedented" day that he had never experienced there. "I don't know exactly, but the wave could measure between about 10 and 15 meters," he declares.

The image that impacted him the most was seeing his brother crying

He assures that in the middle of the descent the situation "became critical." Truncer asserts that the combination of the speed of the jet ski that was towing him and the inertia of the wave itself "intensified everything." The surface was very bumpy, both due to the strength of the sea and the passage of other jet skis, and when he hit one of them, he lost his balance, leaving the spine-chilling image that has gone around the world. When he tried to correct his trajectory, he noted that it was already too late. "I saw the shadow of the wave above and knew it was going to fall on me," he adds.

The hardest part, he emphasizes, was reaching the shore after what happened. Upon exiting, he saw how close he was to the cliff and understood the real gravity of what had happened, although he assures that this occurred on the fourth launch he made; in the end, he did about four or five more. But the image that impacted him the most was seeing his brother, who was filming and broke down crying thinking he would not make it out. Truncer admits that the outcome could have been fatal, although he also makes it clear that, even with that risk, Nazaré will continue to be one of his training grounds for him.

The physical and mental preparation that must be undertaken

The image has gone viral on social media and has traveled around the world. "The fall, in terms of landscape, was spectacular, but the truth is that if you ask me about the impact that fall was going to have, I would not have believed it in my life," he still remarks in astonishment. Thanks to that image, he assures that some of his surfing idols have contacted him. "Having Natxo González or Andrew Cotton contact me to ask how I was doing is a dream come true," he adds, impressed.

Even so, he comments that the physical and mental preparation required to surf in these types of scenarios is "tremendous." "My preparation became more serious three years ago, when I decided that at some point in my life I had to go surf in Nazaré," he emphasizes. For this, his preparation is based on exercises of apnea in the pool, aerobic and anaerobic cardio exercises, adding to it strength exercises to strengthen the lower body. In mental preparation, he assures that he "does nothing special" and always tries to be as motivated as possible.

Given what happened, many would have thrown in the towel and, possibly, would not have returned to practice this sport. But for Truncer, it's different. "For me, surfing is like my second home; it gives me an oasis of peace that I find nowhere else," he asserts. In that haven of calm, he claims, he manages to escape from everything. It doesn't matter if the sea is in good or bad conditions: he always finds in the water a form of therapy, a support, and even a friend. "That's what I like, that when I'm in the sea it feels like I'm in another world," he concludes.