That’s the real deal, but a German surfer?
That was my reaction. I don't think the Baltic or North Seas kick up much of a surf. There isn't even a German word for "to surf," so German-speakers coined the word "surfen"--taking the English word and giving it a German ending.
“Born and raised far away from the ocean, Sebastian wanted the impossible: He wanted to become a surfer. With no one but himself believing in his dream, he left his home as a teenager and fought his way to becoming one of the most decorated big wave surfers of our time. A very human and truly inspiring story.”
https://sebastiansteudtner.de/sebastian/my-story
He left home and headed to Hawaii, where surfing legend Nelson Armitage Sr. took him in and taught him the sport.