Last week, we bumped into surfer Nikita Avdeev, who hails from the northern regions of Russia. Specifically, the Kamchatka Peninsula.

If you aren’t up on your geography, Kamchatka is actually quite close to the good ol’ USA. So close that on one occasion ex-Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin claimed she could see it from her home in Alaska!

Well, it’s not that close but we still love ya Sarah.

Anyway, Nikita sent us over a little video complete with English subtitles in case you haven’t kept up on your Russian. It’s not real “surf” heavy but more of a short doco on Nikita. Curious, we sent Nikita over a few questions as there are so many more things we want to know about surfing in Russia.

Like for one, how damn cold is it?

After a little cursory research, we found out that it is damn cold but also that there is some quality surf at spots like Halaktirskiy, which according to Nikita, can rival Hossegor or Supertubos on a good day. Apparently, there are also some waves all the way across the country on the Black Sea in Sochi. Gear is hard to come by but some gov support has been helping due to surfing’s recent inclusion into the Olympics.

(We actually just shipped some WY merch to St. Petersburg recently!)

Anyway, Nikita has some chops in the surf and actually reminds a little of a blond Dion Agius! His inspirations include Chippa, Ethan Ewing and a throw back nod to Tom Curren. The man has some good taste!

Enjoy a little culture as we work on some more footage of a few of Russia’s best spots.

Until then, here’s a short clip on Nikita’s insta. Watch here:

What Youth

Footage from: @surfinglens and @yarviar