2025 MEO Rip Curl Portugal: Day One
Day One of Portugal wrapped with Rounds One of both women and men concluded in surf that started off clean and rippable, transitioned to onshore and rippable, then ended up miserable onshore and caca. The net effect is a whole day of competition conducted on what may end up being one of the better days of the waiting period with not one surfer eliminated.
It's another one of those cursed WSL forecasts where they missed epic surf by a day and are now about to get lashed by series of Atlantic storms. It's possible they may get a window of favourable wind and swell which coincides with the hour or two every day when the tide is right but the odds are a million onshore closeouts will roll through the Supertubos lineup over the waiting period and we'll grind our way to a champion. C'est la vie. Europe has to be represented and Peniche with Lisbon an hour away on the A8 and a bureaucracy crazy about surfing's tourism potential fits the bill.
Jorgann Couzinet (WSL/Geada)
European surfing flummoxes me. Europeans are like the Aussies of the 80's and 90's: they are everywhere and in numbers. Every prime surf spot in the Indo-Pacific will feature European accents and increasingly competently-ridden set waves. Yet looking at the current elite for pro surfers and the cupboard seems bare. France has some representation, though lets be honest, these are colonial overhangs. Wildcard Gatien Delahaye is from Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean. Fellow wildcard Jorgann Couzinet is from Reunion Island (as are Jeremy Flores and Johann Defay). Marco Mignot is a resident of Mexico. Where are the surfers born and raised in Europe?
Portuguese representation in the flagship CT event is likewise head scratching. We've got the return of journeypersons Fred Morais and Yolanda Hopkins. Fred has been on and off tour for years and Hopkins has received multiple wildcards. Is it unkind to suggest that we see some fresh talent get the opportunities these two have repeatedly been given? If so, where are they? There's no male Portuguese surfer in the Top 50 on the Challenger. The women are better represented with multiple surfers in the Top 40.
Yolanda Hopkins (WSL/Geada)
Something doesn't quite add up about European surfing and I have no theories as to why.
There's not much needed to catch up on from last night. Early heats had clean conditions and solid sets but low tide so majority closeouts. Clean corners were at a premium. Mamiya found the best tube of the early exchanges with a long, left drainer and clean exit which was lowballed for a 7.
Judges recalibrated for a later righthand tube of lesser length and depth for a 7.5.
The favourites all surfed up to their star billings. Two-time winner Griffin Colapinto laid down the full spectrum clinic with backside tubes, fin drift power turns, frontside airs (rotations and alley-oops) and evinced a spiritual connection with Supertubos when he admitted on the glass that while pre-heat meditating he had “connected with the dunes and the daffodils.”
Yago Dora (WSL/Geada)
Jack Robinson went into hunting mode and while he lacked the top end performance of Colapinto or even Ethan Ewing - mostly because the better waves did not present themselves to him - he still exhibited enough variety in attack to convince a judging panel to easily distance him from Liam O'Brien and Gatien Delahaye.
Delahaye's and Ian Gentil's blank boards continued to show a pro surfing ecosystem that, even two Olympic games later, has been cut adrift from the funding sources that used to sustain it. Sponsoring pro surfers seems to make less and less sense. When you can get as much capital and interest out of complete nobodies riding the waves of their life at Kirra (with even Rip Curl trying to get traction off it on their Insta account) why would you throw tens of thousands at surfers with no clear return?
In a real sense, we've lost the mystique of CT surfers being on some exalted plane that is miles above the rest. We can now see that the bloke on the tools who shreds, given some opportunity and with a decent amount of luck, can make the tour. Or the kid who couldn't make the A team at the local boardriders can be a Top 5 surfer. Callum Robson, Morgan Cibilic, Jacko Baker all proved that point. Sure, it's hard as hell to stay there but we know they can do it.
It's a pro surfing universe now where the local plumber who's put the time in at heavy tubes could embarrass a two-time World Champ in waves of consequence. All that carefully constructed mythology of pro surfers as ubermensch has simply collapsed in the last five years.
Italo Ferreira (WSL/Geada)
Of course, we still have a tiny, tiny elite right at the top who are miles above everyone else. In the case of Italo Ferreira, literally above. You might not like Italo's surfing. You might find the boxy style, crabby stance, furious pumping and forehand turns deeply unlovely. But you can't deny the pure radicalism and raw abandonment of his approach. In his heat with Morais and rookie Jackson Bunch, Italo simply took aggressive flight as if the punchy onshore peaks of Supertubos had personally insulted him. Bunch pulled a clean rotation first and Italo saw the finger click claim, which was also provocation to the 2019 Champ and Olympic Gold Medallist. Even with the live broadcast not switching to ads it was hard to keep up with his frenetic wave catching. It was relentless and reckless. He finally found the vertical section he wanted and boosted so high with a perfect rotation and landing, which caused his girlfriend on the beach to punch the sky in response. Lesser airs have been given perfect 10's.
After Italo's heat watching became a chore. The thought of a final held in stormy surf with a south quadrant air wind is only made anticipatory by Italo's air game.
Caitlin Simmers (WSL/Geada)
The women were sent out in degraded conditions and there isn't much to say about it. Not a single excellent score. Sally Fitz looked very comfortable going scrappy. Caity Simmers, Pickles, and Erin Brooks won their heats. Elimination Round ahead with Tatiana Weston-Webb looking in trouble right down the bottom end of the rankings. Too early for cut talk but losing streaks can be contagious.
I guess we return this evening to try and run some heats before the stormy Atlantic intervenes.
//STEVE SHEARER
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Women’s Opening Round Results:
HEAT 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.73 DEF. Caroline Marks (USA) 8.04, Lakey Peterson (USA) 7.90
HEAT 2: Erin Brooks (CAN) 10.17 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 8.33, Luana Silva (BRA) 6.94
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 10.24 DEF. Johanne Defay (FRA) 7.97, Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 7.64
HEAT 4: Vahine Fierro (FRA) 9.67 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 9.50, Brisa Hennessy (CRC) 8.33
HEAT 5: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 12.33 DEF. Tyler Wright (AUS) 8.80, Bella Kenworthy (USA) 7.83
HEAT 6: Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 7.50 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 5.27, Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 4.30
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Men’s Opening Round Results:
HEAT 1: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 14.50 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 7.57, Edgard Groggia (BRA) 6.47
HEAT 2: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 10.53 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 8.60, Marco Mignot (FRA) 6.70
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.00 DEF. Ian Gentil (HAW) 11.40, George Pittar (AUS) 9.27
HEAT 4: Jack Robinson (AUS) 10.83 DEF. Gatien Delahaye (FRA) 8.64, Liam O'Brien (AUS) 8.33
HEAT 5: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 13.83 DEF. Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 7.74, Seth Moniz (HAW) 4.23
HEAT 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 16.43 DEF. Jackson Bunch (HAW) 11.30, Frederico Morais (POR) 8.94
HEAT 7: Yago Dora (BRA) 11.50 DEF. Joel Vaughan (AUS) 9.90, Samuel Pupo (BRA) 7.57
HEAT 8: Alan Cleland (MEX) 8.40 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 7.37, Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 4.30
HEAT 9: Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 10.00 DEF. Connor O'Leary (JPN) 7.87, Jake Marshall (USA) 7.63
HEAT 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 9.10 DEF. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 7.87, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 6.44
HEAT 11: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.34 DEF. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 10.20, Joao Chianca (BRA) 8.34
HEAT 12: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.17 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.60, Deivid Silva (BRA) 1.17
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Women’s Elimination Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Brisa Hennessy (CRC) vs. Bella Kenworthy (USA) vs. Yolanda Hopkins (POR)
HEAT 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Luana Silva (BRA)
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Men’s Elimination Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA) vs. Frederico Morais (POR)
HEAT 2: Joao Chianca (BRA) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 3: Ian Gouveia (BRA) vs. Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Edgard Groggia (BRA)
HEAT 4: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) vs. George Pittar (AUS) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
Comments
European surfer? Lucas Skinner … UK. Maybe sometime in the future makes tour. Podium finishes for youth events. But don’t hold your breath. As we know, the transition from such events to the big stage is a long and difficult one.
Well i watched two waves and gave it the flick and that was when you said it was good..........portugal has only ever delivered in my memory, a couple times that i can remember.........good luck watching the rest of it..
It's on, and not looking flash.
Speaking which, is Pom Evans not well? Looks like a very bad hangover.
Ha ha yeah, he looks shit.
I enjoyed last night quite a bit until I got tired. Certainly non stop action. I was quite into it. All my footy teams won, the surf was fun all weekend and surfing on again tonight. Yay!!
Get a couple, pm?
tho i am not overly partial to ‘airs’ italo did put on a show…..wish gabe was in - i reckon he would have taken it apart
That shot of Caity is sick. Shes on another level
Italy is a European country and has representation - Leonardo Fioravanti very nearly won the Pipeline event (if not for some suss judging) and is regarded as an exemplary professional athlete, not just a pro surfer.
Leo and Italy not even mentioned.
Absolutely correct John.
Bad miss.
I guess I'm so used to seeing Leo around here, and he now lives in Hawaii and was raised by Stephen Bell.
I forgot he was Italian.
I think the point still stands though- where are the up and comers?
True - hard to maintain the skill set needed to compete at the top level in the sport AND be a full-time Italy resident.
Italy does get waves, but not that often and not that good, most of the time; but Leo is still very much Italiano and proud of it.
I think we may see a type of hybrid nationality in future European surfers, like the gringo Mexican Alan Cleland Jr, where each parent has a different passport - and the children can then choose which nationality is the most fit for purpose.
Well, we are already there, as I mentioned in the article.
But where are all the native born European surfers?
What about Japan? There always seems to be a handful of Japanese who almost make it, and didn't a Japanese team win the Backdoor Shootout this year in pumping Pipe! They charge and rip, but don't seem to gain a presence on the tour ( other than the obvious nationality jumpers )
Japan's already been there. They once had a thriving industry that held CT-level competitions every year. In 1979, there were 13 contests on the world tour and 4 of them were in Japan - Australia only had 3 that year.
That wasn't the norm, however, with the pattern being either one or two contests in Japan each year up until 1990, then a few sporadic ones in the late-90s and onwards. Their last one was the Quik Pro Japan in 2005, which was won by AI.
In 1979, Japan had 10 surfers inside the top 50 and all through the 80s they'd have a few surfers inside the 50.
That all tanked and it can be linked to Japan's Lost Decades, the period of economic stagnation after the stock market crash of 1990. No money at home, no money to chase the tour.
They're coming good again because their economy is.
There's nothing hybrid about Al Cleland. He grew up surfing the world's most consistent, crazy beach break in Mexico. Jamie obrien wears a float suit when he surfs it! There's also a bunch of points close by and in Mexico that shit on anything in the US.
There's not one wave in the USA that's better than Mexico, especially when you take into account crowds. Happy to be corrected though.
The point is - not how "Mexican" Alan Cleland Jr actually is, but to emphasise he had a choice of which country to represent as a professional surfer, the USA or Mexico.
He chose Mexico, as he could be their national Number 1 surfer - whereas if he chose the USA, he would not have made the Olympic team at all.
Similar to Tatiana Weston-Webb choosing to surf under Brasil nationality rather than USA. She was an Olympian for Brasil, probably would not have qualified for the USA.
Footballers leverage this kind of advantageous nationality all the time, we will see more of it in surfing.
Leo's pretty much a half frence veteran along with rahmzi
I just watched the Italo replay. What are the judges doing? Wtf?
Cheers for the write up Steve, between pools and onshore Peniche, you can feel the slog of ‘The Dream Tour’ pervade your writing, which of course is accurate as always.
Being a Euro (if a small green rock in the North Atlantic counts as a truly Euro surf destination ) and having spent a fair chunk of time in Oz, I think you can’t really underestimate how small and fractured the European surfing ecosystem is relative to Oz, and especially any sense of industry or structure as you guys know it down there or say in the US of Brazil. There is no comparative community based competitive infrastructure like you have with the boardriders in any sort of relative scale, hence no history of competitive surfing as an option or inclination for the most part, and truth be told, up until the last decade or two, I would say surfing was, and still is to a fair degree, a completely fringe sporting endeavour spread across a handful of geographically and culturally different epicentres in Europe as a whole.
Is it fair to say that the initial surf comps in Oz borrowed the general structure and idea of competition from the clubbies events? Which we don’t have either. From my observations, competitive watersports are built into every facet of Aussie costal communities especially, which drives the idea of a competitive surfer as a basic concept.
Kids play ball sports competitively up here for the vast part. Surfing as a competitive, and not leisure, concept really barely exists, and certainly not in a similar culturally engrained fashion as you guys have it.
Fair to say one of the really nice things about surfing in most parts of Europe is that lack of seriously competitive atmosphere in the water (that’s definitely not to say it doesn’t exist in certain spots) but it obviously doesn’t breed competitive surfers - basically we’re too busy drinking wine / Guinness and watching the football / rugby, but I reckon the journeyman Aussie plumber/charger on the QS/CT will have some competition from the Instagram Surf Coach Dad driven Euro kid for spots in the years to come, we’re just seeing the first generation of proper ripper groms establish themselves here in Ireland .. there goes the wave count!
Great post @coldy. Enjoyed reading that.
+1
Thanks CG- they are gold insights.
"Where are the surfers born and raised in Europe?"
I think all the European surfers are working hospo in the Dunsborough hinterland.
surfing has barely advanced/improved since Andy died.
stagnation
I’m don’t know where pro surfing is at. I take your point about tradies making the tour, I surfed with a CT experienced / CS Aussie pro the other morning. No heads were turned and there were more impressive surfers in a C grade local lineup. As you say I’m not really sure where the sponsorship value is or where’s it’s heading in pro surfing’s traditional format.
yea the evolution with surfing is a weird one, it has been drastic with the females, but give me some names of up and comer males on the challenger series that will make a dent in the top 10 or even be anywhere close to being as good as the julian wilson and jordy smith in their prime. do we have wave pools to blame ?
I'll bite *dons flame suit*.
While European surfers might be everywhere, they're the biggest flogs in the water and they're not that good at surfing IMO.
The best surfers I see overseas come from the usual haunts, you know the ones. When I was in Bali for a couple of months there was a world of difference between the skills of the surfers in the water 2 weeks pre Australian school holidays and during Australian school holidays.
I found the same effect when I was travelling Australia. When I was around the places with good waves, the surfers were better too. Sometimes suprisingly so.
If there is going to be a competent European surfer, they won't have developed their skills in mainland Europe, as you kind of alluded to in the piece. They'll be expat kids living with their parents overseas with good waves. Surfing is very geographically unfair like that.
Also regarding the drop in performance, it's probably got to do with the fact that there's no money in it.
When there was no money in the UFC, you had the Gracie family winning. Now you have all these fighters that would wipe the floor with them without breaking a sweat. But if there wasn't big money in it, they'd still be in the mountains of Dagestan and the world would be none the wiser.
You bring back the glory days money and I bet they're be a swag of surfers from Indo and Latin America. But the average ripper from El Salvador is better off learning English and getting a job in a call centre then going all in when the rewards are so insignificant. It's even more stark in Australia where you can get a job doing FIFO and make real $$ and spend those dollars surfing good waves. If my sons wanted to be pro surfers I'd know where I'd be steering them!
@coldgold. Be careful what you wish for, it sounds like you have in Ireland what it was like in Australia in the 60's and 70's - recreational surfing which was really enjoyable for everybody involved. Fast track to now and it is a shit fight most times when it's good waves as most surfers are ego-driven thanks to the competition scene. Enjoy what you have because competition surfing is really just a big wank.
100% mate, personally it wouldn’t bother me if we never saw an Irish kid in the CT, certainly not as it currently exists anyways, as FR points out, below the top 5 elite, it’s a mash up of rotating mid level soon to be surf coach talent, who also generally seem to lack any sort of genuine individuality, it’s funny how the surfers seem to match the organisation somewhat these days. So not much to get excited about really is it in truth?
We are seeing the first generation of surf coached groms in the main spots here, and seeing the first real spark of that exact entitlement and ego in the water that you talk about, and having surfed across Oz when school is out, I know the feeling of being out paddled by a hundred air reversing micro Slaters in the water, not to mind the full sized local shredders who generally surf better than 95% of most local crew here, not to mind your pros, but we’re still a distance away from that here, despite a general improvement in standards in the water all round.
But also remember it’s bloody cold here for 9 months of the year, for the most part you’re getting changed on the side of the road in the rain, and trudging across a field, not in a car park with showers and facilities, and surfing in windows of favourable wind between rolling winter storms, so it takes a different level of commitment to get to the standard I reckon, so it’s a trade off - but we definitely have it a little more pure still than what it has become in more established and populated surf spots.
But, what am I saying- it’s constantly onshore and 3 degrees and there’s no waves up here :)