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Jorge Dreher – Surfer at age 80

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If you see Jorge Dreher in the water, you know the waves are good. For now almost 50 years he has been around the surf spots of Tenerife.

The nowadays 80-year-old Surfer is originally from Germany but adopted a Spanish name. After the Second World War, he was offered to work in a hotel in Puerto de la Cruz (the home base of the AtlantikSurf). At the time, Puerto de la Cruz was still a small fishing village and no one knew where the Canary Islands lie at all.

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Foto: josevglez.com

The first contact with surfing Jorge made in Tenerife. An Englishman was surfing and Jorge was immediately intrigued and wanted to try it. The first attempts to learn how to surf were cumbersome; Jorge kept slipping off the board. (This is certainly familiar to some of you) Finally another Surfing Tourist gave him the tip to wax the board. But in those days in the 1960ies there was no surf shops in Puerto de la Cruz, Jorge just grabbed a candle and went off to surf.

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Foto: josevglez.com

Jorge Dreher did not learned to surf until the age of 30 and since then never stopped it. Today, at age 80, he surfs almost always on a longboard, but in the water he shows many young people how it’s done. If you see Jorge’s Surf Van parked, you know there are waves. He is usually to be found in the south of the island in Las Américas.

When I first saw Jorge Dreher in the water, it was almost a little weird. Surfing is a very dynamic sport and you are used to see mainly young people in the water. And then there was this old man and I thought, “Somebody call the lifeguards.” But Jorge is different; he is tall, very tall and always smiling. It’s just fun to watch him in the water.

Jorge Dreher is an inspiration for all of us, it does not matter at what age you learn to surf, the important thing is never to lose having fun while surfing. So surf on!

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