I would like to be remembered as the guy that has conquered stuff in competitions, but also that has stuck to surfing for what it started for, which was going out there, being surrounded by nature and challenging yourself with her.
We’ve seen you surfing in Pipeline, how were your experiences there? Pipeline is considered one of the best waves in the world; the most beautiful, it’s the stadium of surfing, the wave is amazing, it’s perfect and it breaks only maybe ten feet from shore, so it’s a unique one, it’s really the reference of waves. Which would you consider the main differences between them both? They’re completely different. In Pipeline, even though it has its holes and cave, the reef it’s pretty certain, it’s perfect, in “The Cave” you have them all over the place, there’s deeper parts and all of a sudden there’s one sticking outside of the water’s surface, so you never know what to expect. In Pipeline you know the wave is always going to break the same, even though its heavier and breaks bigger, you know in what position you can put yourself into and in which not. On “The Cave” it’s a gamble, you might be very happy but you can be very unfortunate and hit the reef, and be unhappy for the rest of your life. Do you consider yourself as the sprout of what will be Portugal’s surfing legacy? Yeah, carefully on the right days. It’s the kind of wave that you have to choose your days; you can’t be crazy, you have to be very cautious. Words like “terrifying” were used to describe “The Cave”, when you were surfing it, did you feel that terror or when you start paddling it’s all over? Yeah, you don’t think, well you think but you don’t, you think at moments, the night before, the moments when your paddling out, but when you are in there, you just don’t really follow your instincts, you don’t listen to them at least, you are on your own and you’re willing to push your limits. Once the wave is over, that’s when you realize what just happened; until now it has gone my way. Do you plan to keep on surfing “The Cave, even though some great surfers have been injured there? Yeah, carefully on the right days. It’s the kind of wave that you have to choose your days; you can’t be crazy, you have to be very cautious. As a surfer you have any other challenges left, waves to ride, places to visit? There are so many waves around the world that I would like to surf and so much to be done! This year I went to Galicia and saw some of the best waves I have ever seen, so rough, in the middle of nowhere, and that brings out a feeling in you that usually you don’t get in the Pipeline. Because there you are a follower, there are so many people doing the same as you; if you go to a place like Galicia, or explore another, even though you are not the first one there, you are taking some of the first steps in that place, with that waves, you don’t know the dangers that can occur. So yeah, there are definitely so many places that I would like to visit. From the places you’ve already been, you have some favorites? I like the balance, I love to surf, but I also love an experience behind it, so for me sometimes it’s not about the great wave but about getting there, who you’re with, the after surf scene, what’s happening, a couple of beers with your friends, that’s something that sticks on your mind. How is the lifestyle chasing swells? It’s harder than people think because you’re dealing with nature and most of the times it doesn’t
collaborate. Sometimes you expect something and it just doesn’t arrive. You were prepared for it, you traveled half around the world, drove for twelve hours, got there and the waves were shit. But at the end that’s what keeps your passion going, you never know what to expect, it’s always new. It’s tiring, but at the end of the day when you take that right wave, it’s fulfilling. What are your plans for this year? I like to find out balance, I really love free surfing and chasing swells, but I also love competing, so I’m gonna do the same as I did last year, work half of the year chasing swells, specially around Europe, because I believe there’s still a lot to be discovered here. Then I’ll do the primes, which are the most important events for the top hundred surfers. I’ll do my best, last year I improved 40 spots so if I keep going at that rhythm I’ll be really close to qualifying for the World Surfing League which are the top thirty surfers in the world. Which are the surfers you admire the most or try to follow? I really admire Tiago for what he has done for us; he really put surfing on the map in Portugal. He has created an industry, he has attracted mainstream sponsors like Portuguese Telecom to invest into surfing, because of him so many events were created in Portugal. I’ve grown up in Portugal, where there are lots of negative people telling you not to do certain things, he has fought that and really gotten to where he wanted. Then a big inspiration for me was Ricardo dos Santos, who recently passed away, he was a really strong solid driving force coming from Brazil, where there are no big waves, and he ended up being one of the most recognized big wave surfers in the world. There are a lot of surfers I look up to, but I also like the story behind them, I take my hat off to people that didn’t have their life as easy as others to get where they wanted. Guys like Tiago and Ricardo are a perfect example for that. You talk about the stories behind surfers, how would you like yours to be? I’ve though about it and it’s really funny because of the path I chose; I can spend months without really caring about contests, focused doing my own thing, exploring waves, and really getting a buzz out off that. I was very criticized a few years ago, everyone was telling me: “What are you doing? Focus on contests man, you have a chance for qualifying”, but I always try to do something different than everyone else, find some waves that haven’t been surfed, putting my surfing to test, that’s what really motivates me and what I want to be remembered for, like the guy that has obviously conquered stuff in competitions, but also that has stuck to surfing for what it started for, which was going out there, being surrounded by nature and challenging yourself with her. I don’t know, I’m still young. Have you ever surfed in Barcelona? I’ve never surfed in Barcelona… The waves are too small…(Laughs) No, not at all, I would really love to come and surf in Barcelona, I love this city. I’m a fanatic of surfing, so usually when I go somewhere and don’t surf, what’s the point? But in this case, I just love the city, I love the surfing community here, it has a lifestyle very oriented to it. I like to hang out at La Barceloneta and go to places like The Surf House. In Barcelona, even though it’s not a direct surf town since there’s only waves a couple of certain days of the month, it feels like there’s waves every day, and it’s cool.
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