Surfer Allegedly Assaults Tourists at Tenerife Surf Spot
Punta Blanca, Tenerife, Canary Islands – A video circulating online appears to show a surfer physically attacking tourists at the popular surf break of Punta Blanca on Tenerife. The incident, reportedly involving Venezuelan tourists Alexandra Caraballo and Cristian Mederos, has sparked outrage and a debate about localism within the surfing community.
According to an instagram account detailing the events,the altercation began with verbal harassment. Upon arriving at the surf spot, the visiting couple were allegedly confronted by a local surfer, ”yelling at them from the water, demanding they leave and stating they couldn’t be there.” the situation quickly escalated into a physical assault, with punches thrown both in and out of the water, a chase, and stones thrown at the tourists and those accompanying them, all reportedly occurring in front of onlookers without police intervention.
The instagram account condemning the actions stated, “Localism [is] understood as care and coexistence is very different from localism based on intimidation and attack. When that line is crossed, we stop talking about rules and start talking about violence, something that does not represent the values of surfing.”
The surfer accused of initiating the attack has reportedly posted a rebuttal to the incident on his Instagram account, though it is currently only available in Spanish.
The incident arrives amidst ongoing discussions about the evolving nature of localism in surfing, and the degree to wich it remains warranted in a world where surf travel is increasingly common.
https://www.surfer.com/news/big-waves-three-dead-canary-islands
https://www.surfer.com/news/tourists-slammed-huge-wave-canary-islands-video
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRsAr3PjGUQ/
