- Jorge Tirado, 43, took his son surfing in Puerto Rico
- 'I'm
never going to put the baby beyond any reach. The baby is stuck with me
and his legs [are] on my stomach,' Surfer dad Jorge Tirado said
- Takes footage on a GoPro camera strapped to the board
- Shows baby looking nervous - as well as smiling
A dad whose video of he and his nine-month-old baby surfing made waves on the internet is defending his decision to take the infant for a ride after critics called the sport too dangerous.
Jorge Tirado, 43, of Puerto Rico spoke to Inside Edition's Les Trent about his choice to involve his little boy in the sport and film it all with his GoPro camera to upload online this week.
Les Trent asked, 'I do think a lot of people seeing that video say that's not something you should do with a baby.'
Tirado
replied, 'For me, there is no problem. I'm never going to put the baby
beyond any reach. The baby is stuck with me and his legs [are] on my
stomach.'
Tirado
said that the sport is not dangerous but is actually enlightening for
his son who was blessed to go into the ocean for the first time.
'My son first try. Thanks to everyone.
'I encourage you to safely bring your kids to the ocean, after all the ocean is the place where it all began.
'By far, this is the best sport for your spiritual, mental and physical health.'
Like a pro: The footage ends with the baby breaking out into a big smile as he rests on the board
At nine months old, babies, if they are really advanced, might be crawling around on the floor, or shuffling from A to B.
However, this tiny tot has been filmed surfing - as his father takes him out on his bodyboard.
In the video, Jorge can be seen holding his son, who is unnamed, and getting him ready for a day's surfing.
The footage
shows dad and baby choosing the largest waves, and they even ended up
going through the tube in the middle of the wave.
Although
the youngster does seem nervous when going into the cold water, it soon
changes to a smile once the board takes to the waves.
Tirado does not specify exactly where the video was shot but tagged it as being in Puerto Rico.
Not impressed... Jorge's son looks uncomfortable as they ride into a wave
The baby is then seen in the water, with waves splashing over his face as he is held on the board.
At times, the tot doesn't look impressed, as the water cascades over him.
But he ends with a smile as he is joined by another surfer.
While
taking an infant out onto the waves can be dangerous, it is not
uncommon for experienced surfers or bodyboarders to introduce their kids
to the ocean at a young age.
Pro-surfer
John John Florence, 22, for example, has said that he was only
six-months-old when his mother put him in a life vest and sat him on the
nose of her surfboard as she paddled into waves
