Yannick De Jager
Age: 20
Home: Scheveningen, Holland.
Sponsors: Protest, Globe, Nixon, Dragon.

A few years ago, the Dutch surfing scene was screaming for attention, desperately sending us pictures of blown out line-ups and frozen dudes. But the general revolution of European surfing has also taken places in those unlikely surfing nations and now the new breed of surfers emerging are as good surfers as ambassadors of their countries potential. Yannick de Jager, 20, is one of them, “A lot of days you will find messy waves, but if you know where to go, like at the right bank at the right time, it can still be heaps of fun. Every now and then we also get northerly ground swell, which can get surprisingly good.”

Yannick got the opportunity to travel with his family and improve his surfing while doing it. He, of course, competed in his local scene and went through a few rounds in Pro Juniors and small WQS in Europe and reckons he is technically competitive but just lacking consistency and contest experience. He could have easily migrated to some more pleasant climate like Portugal to do just that, like some of his German cousins. Nay, he is loyal to the flag. What seems as important as his surfing is his determination to share the stoke of Dutch surfing and make people understand at home that he doesn’t windsurf for a living. “I would also like to show Europe that there is some great surfing going down in Holland, a place where people wouldn’t expect it. Gathering good photos and video material is definitely one of my favourite things.” It’s well known that stoke and good vibes always help to beat the harsh conditions, and you surely need a good dose around Scheveningen. But as Yannick puts it, “At the end of the day, there is nothing like surfing at home, especially when it all comes together.”

Photos: Raymax, Jason Childs