Surfing an Unprecedented Wave Triggered by a Glacier Calving Event in Greenland

Press Release

Surfer Eurico Romaguera travels to Ilulissat to ride waves caused by massive icebergs crashing into the sea during the summer melt.

Photographer Jorge Abian, along with filmmakers Nico Pina and Ibai Mielgo, join this expedition as part of Blue Banana’s One Shot project.

Barcelona, August 21, 2024 – Blue Banana is celebrating World Photography Day for the fourth consecutive year with the launch of “One Shot,” a project where the iconic adventure and fashion brand turns inspiring dreams into reality through breathtaking imagery.

For the 2024 edition, the brand received nearly 500 submissions from fans, realizing that many shared similar dreams. This led them to name this year’s project the “Parallel Dreams Edition,” bringing together individuals who didn’t know each other but had the same vision.

Among them are Portuguese surfer Eurico Romaguera and Spanish photographer Jorge Abian, who both dreamed of capturing a wave in Greenland—not just any wave, but one created by the calving of an iceberg into the sea, a phenomenon that occurs during the summer melt. They embarked on a journey to Ilulissat to fulfill this dream. Their adventure, titled Greenland Dream, was documented by Spanish filmmakers Nico Pina and Ibai Mielgo.

“This feat has been accomplished in Alaska before, but never in Greenland. It was a completely new challenge for all of us. We didn’t know if we would be able to achieve it within a limited time and with no idea where to find the wave,” says Romaguera. “We connected with local fishermen, and even they found it extraordinary. They guided us to potential spots where calving events could create the waves we were seeking, places where ice or land formations could shape the waves caused by the glacier’s collapse,” Abian adds.

“We didn’t just explore the area by boat… we’ve kept a special surprise for those who watch
the video,”

Pina concludes.

About the team

Eurico Romaguera, a professional surfer from Portugal, blends his passion for waves with a love for the arts and music. He organizes the Gliding Barnacles event in Figueira da Foz and travels the world in search of the best waves while immersing himself in diverse cultures and meeting new people.

Jorge Abian, a photographer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, has worked across technology and travel industries. He led the expansion of Tinder and Uber in Europe, managed Trip4Real’s acquisition by Airbnb, and founded Land of Ride, an adventure company for athletes.

Nicolas Pina, a director and cinematographer from Barcelona, specializes in adventure and extreme sports documentaries, capturing the human interaction with the world’s most challenging environments.

Ibai Mielgo, a photographer and filmmaker from the Basque Country, divides his time between his homeland and Barcelona, searching for the essence of adventure in the world’s most remote and extreme locations, crafting visual stories that evoke deep emotions and personal connections.

About One Shot

The One Shot Parallel Dreams Edition is part of an annual series showcasing the most spectacular nature and adventure images captured by renowned photographers.

In its first edition in 2021, Blue Banana succeeded in the challenge of photographing a humpback whale in its natural habitat, in collaboration with photographer Gonzalo Pasquier, who traveled to French Polynesia to capture the shot. The following year, the brand joined Canadian photographer Justin Choquette on an expedition to the Karakoram Range in the Himalayas, helping him capture an image of Mount K2 from the Gongodoro Pass. In the penultimate edition, the brand fulfilled Italian photographer Giulia Gartner’s dream of photographing wild horses in Turkey.

Blue Banana has long maintained a strong “commitment to adventure,” a message that underscores all of its initiatives aimed at minimizing the brand’s impact on the planet. As part of this philosophy, Blue Banana has become the first Spanish clothing brand to go beyond carbon neutrality, offsetting twice the amount of CO2 generated by its operations.