Shout out to all the geography heads out there, who probably already know that the island of Hispaniola is split in two by the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
And during his latest novelty wave adventure, surf vlogger Ben Gravy had the bright idea to ride a wave from one country to the other. Surfing across borders, if you will. There’s a wave that, when conditions are right, one can ride from the DR into Haiti. But things didn’t go according to plan, and Gravy and his crew wound up detained during their mission.
Check out the debacle below.
Turns out, things are a bit dangerous in Haiti, with the US currently issuing a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory due to “kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest, and limited health care.” So, the whole arrest situation was for their own safety, per the cops.
Gravy explained:
“After a long explanation of what we were up to, the general ended up thinking that this was such a stupid idea, and that we were so crazy, that he didn’t know what to do with it. The general clearly communicated to us, that if he wanted to, he could lock us up, and throw away the key for a long, long time. But the fact that he didn’t do that, makes him the man. They ended up walking us back to the border crossing to discuss our punishment with the local police.”
Related: This Below Sea Level Wave in Tahiti Doesn’t Look Real (Video)
Luckily, however, despite the stupidity of their actions, the crew was set free. Gravy continued:
“At this point, we are technically being detained for breaking international law. Then, the local law enforcement rolled up. They all collectively decided, with the border patrol, that we didn’t pose any credible threat. And they actually were going to let us go. Through some Spanish and some broken English, I finally understood what was happening, and a massive wave of relief washed over me, realizing that we were getting out of this.”
It was all part of Gravy’s mission to surf in as many countries as possible, Haiti being his 27th. And he succeeded, although it was a risky one. Gravy added:
“Looking back, I can’t believe that we did this. It was dumb. We got about as lucky as you can get. Massive thank you to the Dominican Republic.”
Related: 20ft Waves Explode at The Wedge for Rare Swell (Video)
