RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL 2014

Peniche, Portugal

By Francisco Morais

October 26^th, 2014

Moche Rip Curl Pro portugal 2014

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THE WAVE:

Supertubos is a pumping sandbar that offers left and right barrels, plus great launch sections when the size stays in check. Backup sites for the contest include the lefthand reefbreak of Lagide, the wedging righthander of Molhe Leste and the rippable beachbreak peaks of Belgas.

ATTITUDE:

Portugal is a sports-loving country and when the World Championship Tour (WCT) rolls into town, hundreds of thousands of zealous surf fans descend on Peniche. Need proof? Look no further than the 2009 event, when 30,000 fans hiked five kilometers to see the men do battle at the backup site, Belgas. With the country‘s love for the sport comes its love for Portuguese WCT surfer Tiago Pires, who is a hero there.

Filipe toledo

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John John Florence

A celebrated surfing prodigy for more than a decade, 20-year old Hawaiian North Shore local John Florence is hardly a rookie. Better known by the surf industry as “John John,” Florence entered the surfing stage at a mere 5 years old, garnering his skills at one of the most renowned surf breaks in the world conveniently situated literally in his backyard, the Banzai Pipeline. Known for his dominating tube riding skills, striking aerial technique and effortless style, John Florence is no stranger to big wave surfing.

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CONDITIONS:

The town of Peniche has stacks of waves and the season‘s biggest storm seems to detonate on the Portuguese coastline during the event waiting period each year. Barrels range from 2-to-12 feet (1-to-4 metres) high. PERILS: Supertubos packs a punch, and regularly exhibits its ability to break boards and humans. At Peniche for the Rip Curl Search event in 2009, then-wildcard Owen Wright (AUS) ruptured his eardrum and tweaked his spine in a sand-dredging barrel of doom.

ASP WORLD TOUR HISTORY:

In 2009, Rip Curl’s Search event series took the ASP Top 45 to the barrels of Supertubos. The event was such a hit that the ASP made it a permanent fixture of the Tour. Reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) won the inaugural competition and Kelly Slater (USA) took the title in 2010, the year he won his 10th ASP World Title.