Pioneering Surfer Achieves Life’s Ambition To Ride One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Waves In First Made Possible By Vodafone

Big-wave surfer Tom Lowe has achieved his lifelong dream of riding one of the world’s most dangerous waves at Todos Santos in Baja California, Mexico.

Lowe set himself the challenge of paddling into the wave, instead of being towed, which required considerable skill particularly in an area where one of the top five biggest waves ever surfed was recorded at 20 metres (68ft).

Moments after the successful ride, Lowe was able to share his triumph with his family in Cornwall in the UK with the help of mobile technology. As soon as Lowe returned to the boat, he had an internet video call on a tablet device with his father and shared footage filmed on the tablet. Lowe said: “I’m ecstatic. It feels wonderful to share the greatest moment of my surfing career with my family while I’m still buzzing.”

Lowe began training months ago, close to his home in Ireland, mentally and physically preparing to ride the wave and navigate the treacherous rip tides and rocks which surround the island. Vodafone connected Lowe with on-the-ground experts and provided mobile technology that helped him track the swell from his home and identify exactly when the wave would arrive.

Lowe is one of a series of incredible people involved in Vodafone Firsts, a global programme about inspiring people to do something remarkable for the first time with the help of mobile technology*. A film showing the full story of Lowe’s journey will be coming soon to www.firsts.com

Tom Lowe said: “Achieving my personal First is a dream come true. These waves only come along every year or two. It is an incredible feeling and Vodafone helped make it happen. Riding the wave was everything I’d imagined it to be and more. From the moment I got into the boat and started heading out, I knew it was going to be spectacular – even the dolphins put on a show for us.”

Vodafone Group Brand Director Barbara Haase said: “The fact that Tom was able to pin-point exactly when the wave would arrive from his home thousands of miles away demonstrates the potential for mobile technology to make incredible things happen.”

To find out more about Vodafone Firsts, visit www.firsts.com

For more information, contact:

Vodafone Group
Media Relations
groupmedia@vodafone.com

Ogilvy London
Letitia Thomas
letitia.thomas@ogilvy.com

Note to Editors

*http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/vodafone-group-releases/2013/vodafone-announces-vodafone-firsts-new-global-brand-engagement.html

About Vodafone Firsts
Vodafone Firsts is Vodafone’s global brand programme, activated across the world from 2014. A social media-led programme, Vodafone Firsts is about inspiring people to do something remarkable for the first time using mobile technology. Vodafone began by recruiting a series of inspirational people to help them achieve their Firsts. Vodafone will also ask consumers what they would like to do for the first time, helping to make their ambitions a reality.

About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies with approximately 411 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 September 2013. Vodafone has equity interests in telecommunications operations in nearly 30 countries and around 50 partner networks worldwide.

About Tom Lowe
Tom Lowe is one of the world's leading big-wave surfers. He grew up surrounded by the beautiful beaches of St Ives, Cornwall, in the UK, and now lives in Country Clare, Ireland. Lowe, 30, who did not start stand-up surfing until he was 14, is best known for being a pioneering professional surfer who has travelled the world searching waves that have never been seen or surfed before, from giant waves off of Ireland’s Donegal coast to big swells in Indonesia.