The local surfers of the North have a reputation for being fiercely protective of their waves. Vilayta isn’t one of these enforcer types, but he is an imbedded and respected part of this community which gives him and a very select few of invited friends the opportunity to SUP these waves. So I really wouldn’t be planning on booking a ticket there just yet.
I first met Vilayta in the South where he was helping his mate Dany Bruch with a windsurfing event. He was utilising his jet ski skills acquired from tow-surfing to whip windsurfers into windless waves at the Siam wave pool and it was obvious he knew his shit.
On land he quietly goes about his business, not saying too much, or talking himself or his exploits up very much, if at all. He’s a ‘speak quietly but carry a big stick’ kinda guy. That big stick being one of the first Europeans to be nominated for an XXL big wave award.
There’s a ton of photo’s where he’s slotted in deep barrels and most of these have been on the extreme scale of things (large). And when you’re out in waves of this size, you’d just have to be thinking about the consequences.
