At 18, he moved to the island of Norderney in northern Germany for his civil service, where he lived near a wave spot for the first time. It became clear to him that he would never live away from the sea again. At 19, he moved to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where his love for big wave windsurfing deepened. Despite his passion for big waves, Jochen has always lived in El Medano, where he enjoys a perfect training ground right in front of his house.
In 1999 and 2000, he spent two months in Chile each year, loving the waves but not the cold water. Now, with his wife and four grown-up children, Jochen continues to chase big waves around Tenerife. He and his family run a business in El Medano, where they buy, renovate, sell, and rent properties. Every year, Jochen spends a month in Mauritius chasing the famous One Eye wave, which is probably the fastest and one of the cleanest big waves on the planet.
As a hard charging sailor, Jochen’s choice of gear is easy as no other equipment can live up to his demands on durability and performance.
