Good bye: Supertubos is a wave for the daring.

A young gun

Supertubos is a wave you can’t miss out when going to Portugal – no matter if you have the abilities to surf it or to just watch those crazy waves embracing the bold and skilled surfers who go deep into these powerful barrels. When you’re approaching the beach one can already hear the growling, the bursting of water masses on the sandy ground. It’s a spectacle.

Who the…? Guilherme just before entering the barrel AGAIN.

We went there to shoot some sick barrels with Ryan, our friend from South Africa. And while shooting him a guy caught our eyes and we could hardly believe it: Just a kid, but charging like a pro. Asking around in Peniche for a guy between 14 and 16 years old soon revealed that it could be no other than Guilherme Fonseca, by some thought to be next big hit of Portuguese surfers after Tiago Pires…

With only 15 years of age Guilherme surfed barrels in Supertubos for years and is a well known crack among the locals. Just recently he then won the Portuguese youth championship in the class of under 16 years old and under 18 year olds. And with the help of Rip Curl and other sponsors his competition career is picking up momentum.

“I love competition – no matter what I do. When I play soccer I want to be the best, in school I want to be the best – and when I surf I want to be the best.” he admits in the interview: “But you know, when you want to surf a barrel the most important thing is to have fun. No hesitation, no competition – just fun! Seriously: If you do it for any other reason than fun, you won’t make it. You just have to drop in, be happy and commit yourself to the barrel!”

It was amazing to see him out there with other guys way older than him. His father who came to him to the spot this day was whistling for over an hour to make him come out – and he just continued to get one barrel after another. And it was amazing to see how casual he spoke in the interview to share his opinions on Peniche, surfing, life and traveling.

Good luck, Guilherme, and keep enjoying your gift!

Guilherme – A happy, young surfing gun!

 
Back to top