Oxbow’s latest edit, Untamed, puts Laura Coviella front and center — not as a polished contest surfer but as a big‑wave rider who built a career by chasing adrenaline and trusting the moment. Shot over almost two months in the Mentawais, the film documents how a Tenerife grom with late‑blooming surf access has become a fixture in heavy water lineups.
Untamed: a film shaped by patience and chance
Untamed avoids heavy planning and glossy narrative beats. Instead, Coviella and the Oxbow crew let the trip unfold, staying on an extended timeline until the ocean offered the right conditions. That approach paid off on the biggest swell of the season in the Mentawais: a storm shifted winds, the lineup cleared, and for roughly an hour she and three friends found a sequence of near‑perfect waves that made the whole trip.
From Tenerife beginnings to big‑wave lineups
Laura grew up on Tenerife, more than 45 minutes from the nearest surf, and came from a family that didn’t surf. She only started surfing independently after getting her driver’s license at 18, which she describes as a late start compared with many pros. She did the juniors and the Qualifying Series, but eventually gravitated toward the risk and rush of heavy surf. As she put it, when she realised adrenaline and surfing could be combined, she knew that was her path.
Mentorship and the Canarian connection
Breaking into big waves required overcoming practical barriers: she didn’t have the right gear nor local contacts. Coviella persisted and eventually convinced Vilaita, one of the Canary Islands’ big‑wave names, to take her out. After catching a big wave under his guidance she followed him when he relocated to Lanzarote — a move that accelerated her exposure to heavier surf and established the mentorship that helped shape her big‑wave career.
On the water: patience, persistence and the ‘magic hour’
Laura’s story in Untamed highlights persistence as much as skill. She describes sessions where she waited hours without seeing a ride, only to catch her best wave in the final moments. The film captures one of those payoffs in the Mentawais when, after nearly everyone else left for lunch, a sudden wind shift and a cleared storm made every wave line up. That single hour of perfect surf, she says, made the trip.
Fear, resilience and mental preparation
Coviella is candid about fear. She tells young girls that she still feels fear — it’s part of the job — and that losing friends in the water changed how she approaches risk. She works with a psychologist to process those emotions and continue charging. That openness about mental health is notable in a sport that often valorizes toughness without acknowledging the psychological toll of big‑wave surfing.
Switching the chip
One of the film’s recurring themes is mindset. Coviella uses the Spanish phrase cambiar el chip — to switch the chip — to describe how abandoning forced expectations often leads to better results. She says that when she stops thinking, “I need to get a wave, I need to get barreled,” the ocean tends to deliver. Untamed captures moments when letting go, rather than forcing outcomes, opens the door to special rides.
Women in heavy water: visibility and barriers
On home big days in the Canaries, Coviella is frequently the only woman in the lineup. She’s frank about the structural and cultural hurdles that keep female surfers out of heavy lineups: limited access to equipment early on, fewer mentorship pathways, and a male‑dominated perception of big‑wave culture. While she doesn’t yet see herself as a formal mentor, she expresses the desire to take girls on trips in the future and help open access to heavy surf for other women.
Role models and representation
She points to mothers like Justine Dupont as inspiration — athletes who continue to charge monster waves while balancing family life. Those figures are important reframes for younger women aiming to build careers in big waves and heavy‑water disciplines.
Practical takeaways for surfers
Untamed reminds surfers of a few practical truths: patience can be as valuable as preparation, mentorship accelerates progression, and mental training is part of staying in the sport long term. For surfers heading to remote reef breaks, the film reinforces the value of staying flexible with travel plans and listening to guides when conditions pivot. Coviella’s path also underscores the importance of building contacts and seeking mentors who can bridge the gap to heavier waves.
Why Untamed matters
Beyond documenting a single surf trip, Untamed contributes to the growing archive of women charging heavy surf on their own terms. It’s a snapshot of a rider who started late, faced practical limits, and chose adrenaline over competition circuits — a choice that resonates with surfers who prize exploration and risk. The film’s candid treatment of fear and mental health adds a necessary layer to how we talk about big‑wave performance.
Watch Untamed to see Laura Coviella’s approach play out: improvisation over strict plans, patience rewarded by a narrow window of perfection, and a rider increasingly comfortable in lineups that once felt unreachable. For young surfers — and especially women pushing into big‑wave arenas — her story is both a challenge and an invitation.
Source: Stab Mag