Nick Valenzuela
Name: Nick Valenzuela
Birthday: 10-10-79
Occupations: Firefighter for San Diego City
Home Break: Cardiff Reef
Favorite Board Specs: Any of my guns
Stance: Goofy
Epic Spot: Sunset Beach
Band: Ben Harper
Movie: Braveheart Rocks!!
Website: I don’t have a favorite website.
Quote: If you can’t
duck it, (@!#$%) it
Hero: My dad he is the man
Nick’s Story:
The surf was the best I had ever seen at Sunset, 10
foot surf with no one else in sight! Grabbing our 8 foot guns, Hamish and
I ran toward what
would become one of the most eye opening experiences of my life.
As a perfect wave rushed toward me, I turned and started paddling. The
wave stood straight up and I was past the point of no return. As I got
to my feet, the wave began tubing and I went straight into the lip. What
I remembered next was seeing black and hearing what sounded like a jet
taking off next to me. I started to panic and began climbing up my leash.
When I reached my board, I found I was at the bottom of the ocean. Another
wave came crashing down, swirling my body and tossing me around like a
rag doll. Luckily though, the second wave brought me back to the surface.
Gasping for air, I felt an uncontrollable urge to vomit. I opened my
eyes to find that I was spinning out of control. Another big set was
coming
as I tried to find my board. My equilibrium was completely off. I could
hear Hamish laughing in the distance. Someone grabbed me and pulled me
onto their board. When I finally made it to shore, my knees buckled and
I fell to the ground. Blood was oozing from both my ears. I realized
at this point I had blown my eardrums. When I finally regained my composure,
I walked back to the Rip Curl house, where I was staying.
I lay down on
my bed and passed out. The next thing I remember was waking
up to vomit surrounding me. I began dry heaving and gasping for air.
I felt my body start to go numb and my heart race. I began to hallucinate.
I saw my whole family standing above me, dressed in all black and crying.
I tried to comfort them, but they didn’t react. I realized they
couldn’t see me. Then, I saw my girlfriend wearing a white dress
holding a little girl’s hand. The little girl was a beauty. She
had blond curly hair and a smile that could light up your heart. I couldn’t
help but reach for them. Again, there was no response…I was invisible.
I realized what I would be missing if I gave up, and didn’t fight
for air and for my life. I think seeing them together is what kept me
alive.
My eyes opened to Tamayo Perry rolling me onto my side and shaking
me. He said that I had stopped breathing. I made it through the rest
of the
night and went to the hospital the following morning. The doctor said
I had nearly died because of the swelling to my brain. When I blew out
my eardrum, the sound of the jet that I thought I heard was all of the
water that entered my ears. There was so much that my head began to swell,
which caused me to vomit uncontrollably. The doctor said I was very lucky
to have lived. He told me to stay out of the water for the next three
days, and come back for a check up. When I went back for the check up,
the doctor informed me that I would have to be out of the water for at
least three weeks. To me, this was torture! I was in Hawaii and not able
to surf some of the best waves in the world.
When I returned to San Diego, I went straight to a doctor because my
ear was still bothering me. The doctor told me my ear had become infected,
and that it was going to take a really long time to heal. He thought that
I might need surgery. I was devastated!!! I had just signed a year contract
with Rip Curl to be a part of their elite surf team: The Search. The Search
was a team made up of a group of very talented professional surfers that
were on an adventure to find the perfect wave. This would be great for
my surfing career, and I loved what the Search was about. I was upset
that my injury might hinder my traveling opportunities with the Search.
I called the team manager to notify him of my injury and the recovery
schedule, only to discover that he had been laid of. I was told that someone
would contact me in the near future. After about a month of waiting, I
was finally contacted and was told they were unaware of any contract,
and that I was never a part of the Search team. I was shocked. I couldn’t
believe they would lie to me. My dreams were being shattered. I contacted
an attorney and showed him my copy of the contract. But after much thought,
I realized I didn’t even want to be a part of their organization
and go through a long and drawn out legal process.
As my career was put on hold, I had to find other things to keep me occupied. I focused on my family, my new nephew, and my amazing girlfriend, Mandy. By putting energy into the wonderful people in my life, my eyes were opened to a whole new world. My girlfriend was in college and I realized that I might not have a surfing career to fall back on. I knew I had to come up with a back up plan.
I had always dreamed of becoming a firefighter, so I immediately began to pursue this dream. I enrolled in fire technology courses at Mira Mar Community College, and was hooked! After much hard work and dedication, my dreams came true. I was hired onto the San Diego City Fire Department…the best in the west.
I have been with the fire department for the last three years and I
have loved every minute of it. Each time the tone goes off, signaling
an emergency
call, I get the same adrenaline rush that I do when surfing. I am one
of the lucky ones that have found the best of both worlds! Although I
no longer am a professional surfer, my job allows me the free time to
fulfill my passion for surfing. I truly love my career and all of my
newfound
family! I feel truly blessed.
