And that’s three! After Italy and Portugal, the European Rip Curl GromSearch tour made a stop in Spain for two action-packed days of competition. Held in collaboration with the Federación Cántabra de Surf, the event took place in Somo on May 2 and 3.
The competition kicked off on Friday, May 2, with the Under-16 categories in solid conditions—clean, consistent sets ranging from 1.2 to 1.5 meters allowed the older groms to showcase their full potential. On the following day, the swell eased slightly, but under bright sunshine and in fun 1-meter waves, the Under-14 and Under-12 surfers put on a great show.
Between heats, the kids enjoyed the Oakley and Sun Bum booths, took part in a treasure hunt, and even answered English interviews by Robbie Vincent, better known on social media as @letsspeakenglish.
Each day, one grom was awarded the Oakley Best Heat Score prize: Carla Morera De La Vall on May 2, and Nel Raposo on May 3. Both surfers took home a €500 prize.
Since its creation in 1999, the Rip Curl GromSearch has revealed numerous talents who now shine on the global stage. Former participants include WSL champions and Olympic medalists like Gabriel Medina (3× World Champion), Stephanie Gilmore (8× World Champion), Kauli Vaast and Caroline Marks (2024 Olympic Champions).
Winners of this Spanish stop have secured a spot in the European Final. Next step will be at Croyde Bay, UK, on June 7–8!
Here are the results from the Rip Curl GromSearch Spain:
U12 Girls
1.Eva Rico Basoa 2.Alaia Ines Garlough 3.Alicia Ybarra Lopez 4.Kaila Marco Sotes
U14 Girls
1.Nahia Calderon Zabala 2.Carla Mendez Acebo 3.Martina Pertega Panizo 4.Aroa Medrano Iglesias
U16 Girls
1.Carla Morera De La Vall 2.Ane Loreiro Cubero
3.Ane Ilarramendi Gurrutxaga 4.Oihane Goñi Miguel
U12 Boys
1.Nel Raposo Menendez 2.Izan Calvo Ferreiro 3.Teo Lopez Cifuentes 4.Grigorii Leushkin
U14 Boys
1.Bruno Arocena Fraile 2.Tirso Benavides Ruiz 3.Ander Mendiluze Orella 4.Alain Fernandez Bustamante
U16 Boys
1.Alvaro Casanova Del Cerro 2.Daniel Roman Navarro 3.Teo Garcia Cajide
4.Marco Albacete Barbeyto
