189: Kepa Acero/Reborn
Kepa Acero is one of modern surfing’s most intriguing and beloved characters. Why? Because there’s just something irresistible about people who are completely comfortable in their own skin and who take life on their own terms. That’s definitely the case with Kepa, and it comes across in everything he does, which is why I think people genuinely seem to love and admire him so much.
Not that it’s been an easy ride for Kepa. Like everybody with a vision and the determination to see it to fruition, he’s taken big risks and make critical decisions to get where he is today.
But the second, post-competitive part of his career has seen him evolve into one of THE great surfing travellers. He’s a Peterson/Naughton for the digital age; somebody who is, in his own way, as quietly influential as those two giants.
Myself and Owen were lucky enough to spend a couple of highly enjoyable days in Hossegor with Kepa and the rest of the Db Journey gang while we recorded this episode, and I found him to be a lovely, warm and generous individual who has time for people and brings out the best in them.
Kepa has a unique take on the experience of surfing, and a brilliant story about how he has adapted his life to accommodate this vision. This is a surfing life in two halves, and a beautiful, compelling tale it so too. Listen to the episode below: