It’s official. After a month of voting, the people have decided – Kepa Acero is EpicTV’s Adventurer of the Year!

This intrepid surfer from the Basque Country represents all the aspects of a true adventurer. As the guy who originally threw his name into the hat, EpicTV Surf Editor Dave Mailman, points out, “I nominated Kepa Acero for the EpicTV Adventurer of the Year award because he embodies the spirit of adventure by seeking out new environments, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people wherever his travels take him. … [He lives] a life that revolves around discovery. … He prefers searching in locations well off the beaten track, preferably where no surfer has ever gone before.”

So what was it that inspired the massive voter turnout for Kepa. Was it the naked surfing pics? If you haven’t already done so, read Mailman’s nomination posts here http://bit.ly/VembTX and here http://bit.ly/UDbUeE.

To further understand all this, you only have to go as far as watching some of his videos or read excerpts from his journal like this one, “I’ve just finished a difficult journey, perhaps the most difficult I’ve ever done. … I saw people living with little more than the roof over their heads, and fish. And I saw them happy. I met marvelous people who treated me like another member of the family. And I cried again in the plane upon departing Africa. I didn’t come across a single tourist. Things aren’t easy there, but at the same time, things appear captivating there… I really have the feeling that I touched something intact.”

We’d tried to reach Kepa to let him know he won the award but as you’d expect he’s currently exploring yet another virgin break, this time in Antarctica, and is unavailable for a comment at this time. But as soon as he’s got his comms back we’ll hit you with an interview with EpicTV’s Adventurer of the Year so stay tuned!

Until then, we’ll leave you with one last video of Kepa surfing in Angola.

Thanks to everyone for voting!