News | Carve Surfing Magazine | The latest news in surfing

MEO Pro Portugal

The World’s best surfers are making their way to Portugal for the MEO Pro Portugal presented by Rip Curl, the third stop of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The waiting period opens on March 3 and runs through March 13, 2022.

The 2022 CT season is off to an epic start after completing the first two stops on Hawaii's North Shore of Oahu. Surf fans witnessed the return-to-form of the 11-time World Champion, Kelly Slater (USA), who claimed his career’s 56th victory in fantastic fashion at the Billabong Pro Pipeline. The women kicked off the season by making history with the first full CT competition at Pipeline, which was won by local wildcard Moana Jones Wong (HAW).

The second stop of the CT, the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO, confirmed a changing of the guard with major upsets affecting the world’s best and a crop of fresh talent making their mark on the Championship Tour. Brisa Hennessy (CRI) and Barron Mamiya (HAW above) won the competition and currently lead the WSL Rankings.

Now all eyes turn to the Peniche Peninsula in Portugal for Stop No. 3 as surfers embark on a new adventure. The thumping barrels of Supertubos have welcomed the CT since 2009 but for the first time, the event will happen in winter. Cold water and the full power of the North Atlantic ocean are in store for a dramatic change of scenery after a month in Hawaii.

MEO Pro Portugal Wildcards and Replacement Surfers
Barron Mamiya (HAW) sits at World No. 1 after his win at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO and was selected as WSL Event Replacement for the MEO Pro Portugal presented by Rip Curl following the withdraw of three-time WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA).
Yago Dora (BRA) continues his recovery from his injury ahead of the season and will be replaced by WSL Injury Replacement, Matthew McGillivray (ZAF). Liam O'Brien (AUS) and Carlos Munoz (CRI) sustained injuries at Pipeline and continue their recoveries. They will be replaced by World No. 4 Caio Ibelli (BRA) and the highest placed Portuguese surfer on the Challenger Series, Vasco Ribeiro, respectively. Afonso Antunes (PRT) and Justin Becret (FRA) will also join the men's draw as the event wildcards.

Bronte Macaulay (AUS) will continue surfing as the WSL Injury Replacement for Caroline Marks (USA), who has withdrawn from the MEO Pro Portugal presented by Rip Curl due to medical reasons. Tia Blanco (USA) is joining the women's draw as the event wildcard after winning The Ultimate Surfer competition last summer.

Rip Curl Onboard as Presenting Partner of MEO Pro Portugal
Today, the World Surf League (WSL) and Rip Curl announced an extended partnership, with the iconic Australian surf brand coming on board as the presenting partner of the MEO Pro Portugal, the third stop on the 2022 CT. The news comes just weeks after the WSL announced that the Rip Curl WSL Finals would return to Lower Trestles in California this September for the 2022 CT season, serving as a reminder of the brand's commitment to surfing at all levels.

“Rip Curl is one of the most significant supporters of men's and women's professional surfing, and we’re very happy to expand our partnership with them beyond the iconic Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Rip Curl WSL Finals,” said Cherie Cohen, Chief Revenue Officer. “By coming in as the presenting partner of the MEO Pro Portugal in Europe, as well as two of the most prestigious Challenger Series events in Australia, Rip Curl joins the WSL in solidifying its commitment to the future of the sport throughout all levels of competition worldwide. We look forward to collaborating for years to come.”

By signing on as the presenting partner of the MEO Pro Portugal, Rip Curl will continue their strong connection with the waves of Supertubos in Peniche, a place where the brand took its iconic ‘Search’ Event back in 2009.

Pressure Builds in Portugal at Halfway Mark Before Mid-Season Cut
The 2022 Championship Tour season introduces a mid-season cut after the first five events, reducing the men and women fields down to 24 and 12, respectively. With two events down and three remaining before the cut takes place, pressure is starting to build for surfers who had a rough start in Hawaii.

The current rankings show multiple athletes in trouble early on, like last year’s World No. 4 Morgan Cibilic (AUS) and his compatriot Owen Wright (AUS), or seven-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and former runner-up in the World Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), all currently sitting outside the cut line.

With events like G-Land, El Salvador, Brazil, J-Bay and Tahiti in the second half of the season, the battles in Portugal will be fierce to climb up the leaderboard and hopefully secure an all-important spot above the cut line.

Rip Curl GromSearch Brings Young Stars to Portugal
Prior to the main show, Peniche will also host the European Final of the Rip Curl GromSearch. 27 surfers from all over Europe will battle in Under-16, Under-14, and Under-12 categories, both boys and girls for the titles. The Rip Curl GromSearch is a real hotbed of young talent, having uncovered future World Champions such as Gilmore, Medina, and many more.

The event will happen on February 28 and March 1, on a location to be decided on the day depending on conditions.

Watch LIVE
The holding period for the MEO Pro Portugal presented by Rip Curl runs from March 3 to March 13, 2022. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and WSL’s YouTube channel, as well as the free WSL app.

Welsh Wedge

The UK took a battering by storms Franklin and Eunice recently, bringing some sizeable waves along with them. This wedge beach-break was working nicely, with a good crew of surfers and bodyboarders taking it on. The wind was super strong all morning, but at least it was blowing in the right direction. Patrick Langdon-Dark, Logan Nicol and Luke Dillon were amongst the crew threading that day.

Keramas Playtime

A couple of empty, ruler edged waves rolled through Keramas as the tide started to fill. But it didn't take long for the crowd to descend on the lineup, with around a dozen surfers in the water just minutes after the first wave of this video.

There were plenty of fun waves to keep everyone busy, and the size picked up during the morning as the tide pushed.

0:00 Intro
0:22 Rio Waida:
1:20 Komang
1:46 Irawan
2:31 Miki Mosol:

New England’s Best Kept Secret

Meet New England’s dedicated surfers returning to the icy waters off the shores of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island year-round.

The 30-minute film is an ode to everyday New Englanders—moms, dads, doctors, movers, financial planners, lawyers, immigrants, soldiers—who share a love of being in the ocean no matter how cold or how small the waves are.

New England isn’t typically associated with spectacular scenes of sea smoke and fuchsia winter sunrises. Director Greg Shea says he grew up a stone’s throw from the ocean in Massachusetts, but never saw sights like this until capturing them in “Winter Surfing.” Filming took place at beaches across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a powerful nor-easter blanketed the region in snowfall as high as two feet.

“Winter Surfing” explores the magnetic pull that draws surfers to the Atlantic Ocean and the sense of community they find there. Among the surfers featured in the film is Pam Chevez, a multidisciplinary designer, artist and surfer from Mexico City who moved to Westbrook, ME five years ago. Chevez co-founded Maine Women Surf, a collective of surfer women who empower each other and diversify the cold water surf scene.

Perfect Chapter

Aritz Aranburu won the Perfect Chapter today in offshore six-foot barreling waves at Carcavelos Beach in Cascais, Portugal. In the final, the Basque Country surfer scored a total of 12 points, besting Cory Lopez who scored 10,25. In third and fourth place came local surfer Pedro Boonman (6,05) and Hawain Kiron Jabour.

Aritz also won the Go Chill Best Score and 58 Surf Best Tube awards. Besides the winner’s cheque, Aritz also took home an electric bike courtesy of ElectrikFatBike.

The Best Portuguese Surfer Award went to Pedro Boonman, sole Portuguese surfer in the final Russel Bierke won the Ricard dos Santos Attitude award, and Clay Marzo took home the G-Shock Best Wipeout award.

“It’s amazing to win here in Carcavelos, with a huge crowd on the beach, the support was incredible. The level during the contest was amazing, with everyone getting some really good barrels. I’m really stoked to win this contest in perfect conditions and with such great surfers,” said a visibly pleased Aritz Aranburu.

"We have the best open-air stadiums for the surfing in Cascais. We want to continue to show both in Portugal and abroad what Cascais has to offer and the quality of our waves. But we also look at surfing in a social context, as sport means reducing social asymmetries and reinforcing territorial cohesion. You can count on us for the next editions of the Perfect Chapter," said Marco Pina, from the Cascais City Council.

“It’s a real win to be able to hold the contest on a Saturday in Cascais, with a packed beach. It’s a really great way to showcase surfing in Portugal: Perfect 6 foot plus waves, offshore winds all day, and a group of amazing surfers pushing the level in every heat,” said Rui Costa, who’s been organizing the Perfect Chapter since 2012.

“We work hard every year to put on a great show, and with conditions like we had today it’s easy to motivate surfers, sponsors and the fans to keep coming back year after year.”

For further information and full results, check out
capituloperfeito.com

Hennessy & Mamiya Victorious

• Hennessy Becomes First Costa Rican to Win Championship Tour Event
• Hawaii’s Mamiya Clinches Wildcard Win
• Runner-ups Manuel and Igarashi Head To Portugal Second on World Rankings

Brisa Hennessy (CRI) and Barron Mamiya (HAW) won the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO, the second stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), in six-to-eight foot surf. This win marks the first CT victory for both surfers, and for Hennessy, the first time a Costa Rican has won a CT event. Hennessy and Mamiya now climb to World No. 1 on the WSL rankings, while runner-ups Malia Manuel (HAW) and Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) sit at World No. 2.

Hennessy Becomes First Costa Rican to Win Championship Tour Event
22-year old Hennessy (above) earned her first CT victory after besting Manuel in the Final and rookie Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) in the Semifinals today at Sunset Beach.
A Final with hefty implications unfolded as Hennesy and local charger Manuel battled to see who would take the No. 1 spot on the World Rankings. Hennessy started off her first-ever CT Final with an early lead but Manuel’s opening 6.33 put her right back in the heat and quick in-and-out to take the lead before making a priority error halfway through the affair.
Hennessy’s 5.23 put her back into the lead and required a 4.73 of Manuel heading into the final six minutes as the Kauian went for it all on a major maneuver and fell from the top to the bottom. The Costa Rica representative found one last opportunity and turned in a 7.00 to secure her a massive victory, the country’s first on the CT.

“I’ve just dreamed about this moment and never thought it was possible,” said Hennessy. “It was an honor to surf against Malia. I feel like she has such an amazing connection out here and just all the people in my life, thank you. This is the reason I was able to do this today.”

“You definitely reflect and think about all those moments that brought you here and made you who you are,” added Hennessy. “I barely made it back into the CT. I had to go to the Challenger Series and that was an emotional rollercoaster. I think it’s the people that are behind you and in your village that make you who you are and really are your light. My family, my friends, my mom and dad, my grandparents, Glen Hall who was with me since the beginning in my rookie year and has seen me grow and has seen me at my lowest. Costa Rica’s given me so much, it’s literally given me the gift of surfing. The gift of the ocean and the gift of connection to so many people around the world. I hope I can carry the love of Pura Vida around the world and hopefully inspire people.”

An immaculate run through the competition for eventual runner-up Manuel (above) ended in dismay after taking down event threat and in-form rookie Gabriela Bryan (HAW) for their Semifinal duel. Manuel’s final effort, a 7.33, was enough to secure the heat win and take her into her seventh-career CT Final. Manuel came into the season as a WSL wildcard and now sits at No. 2 in the world.

“It was a tough end to my year coming so close,” said Manuel.”I’m very thankful to Jessi and everyone at WSL for giving me an opportunity to have a wildcard in this first half of the year. It really gave me motivation to prove to myself that I still wanted it and I’m here. I’m back.”

Wildcard Mamiya Takes Down CT Veterans at Men’s Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Presented by SHISEIDO
The men’s Final also featured a battle for the yellow jersey between wildcard Mamiya and CT veteran Igarashi that unfolded in historic fashion. Mamiya is the first men’s wildcard to win an event since 2008.
A slow start gave way to fireworks as Igarashi put pressure on the wildcard after a priority mistake by Mamiya, who recovered brilliantly with back-to-back scoring waves to accrue a 15.00 heat total and left his seasoned competitor in need of a near-perfect 9.50. But the local North Shore competitor wasn’t done yet and dropped the hammer on a major, two-turn combination to earn an 8.83 and leave Igarashi in need of two new waves with just two minutes remaining.

“I can’t believe it, I literally can’t believe it,” said Mamiya. “I thought Pipe was going to be the event I was going to do really well in. I’m so comfortable at Pipe and I wasn’t really super prepared for this event but in my mind I just had to adapt to whatever the conditions are and figure it out. It doesn’t even feel real. I want to thank all my friends and family, my mom and my dad sacrificed so much for me, and I want to thank Shaun Ward too. He’s been with me since day one, and he’s really helped me so much through a lot of tough times.”

“At the end of last year I was really bummed with my performance in 2021,” added Mamiya. “I didn’t make a heat on the QS and was coming off an injury. There were just a lot of things not going my way. I wasn’t even on Tour and got into Pipe through a wildcard and got another wildcard here so I’m just super stoked.”

Eventual runner-up Igarashi (above) battled his way to the Final after matching with even threat Jack Robinson (AUS), 2019 Vans World Cup winner here at Sunset, in phenomenal fashion. The 24-year-old then had to overpower Ethan Ewing (AUS), who looked to be unstoppable in his event run, but Igarashi was able to score a near-perfect 9.03 (out of a possible 10) and left the Australian talent in need of an excellent score heading into the final minutes.
The current World No. 2 will now look for his second-career CT win heading into the MEO Portugal Pro after falling short to Mamiya’s Cinderella story.

“I’m actually really happy,” said Igarashi. “Coming to Hawaii for so many years now, growing up in Huntington Beach, this has always been the place where I’ve really needed to work. I’ve always had a lot of struggles and just with my surfing, and over the years I’ve had to really work on it. Now just coming here and seeing so many familiar faces, I have so many friends here now and it just means a lot because somewhere where I felt so uncomfortable before I’m able to feel a little bit more comfortable and get some scores, and get some results.”

The 2022 Championship Tour Continues in Portugal
The holding period for the MEO Pro Portugal, the third stop of the 2022 Championship Tour, runs from March 3 to March 13, 2022.

The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and WSL’s YouTube channel, as well as the free WSL app. For fans watching in Brazil, coverage of the MEO Pro Portugal Quarterfinals and beyond will continue exclusively on worldsurfleague.com and SporTV. Also, check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.

Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO Women’s Final Results:
1 - Brisa Hennessy (CRI) 12.83
2 - Malia Manuel (HAW) 7.46
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO Men’s Final Results:
1 - Barron Mamiya (HAW) 17.00
2 - Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 12.33
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO Women’s Semifinals Results:
HEAT 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.66 DEF. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 10.23
HEAT 2: Brisa Hennessy (CRI) 15.17 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 8.23
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO Men’s Semifinals Results:
HEAT 1: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 10.37 DEF. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 9.80
HEAT 2: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 16.20 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.83
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach presented by SHISEIDO Men’s Quarterfinals Results:
HEAT 1: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 16.03 DEF. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 13.23
HEAT 2: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 13.50 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 8.43
HEAT 3: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.70 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 10.87
HEAT 4: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 16.27 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 13.27