As from now on, Ellen Zoe will write a monthly Costa Rica Surf Report. We hope you enjoy this information.
Time was only Federico Pilurzu of Tamarindo and Lisbeth Vindas of Jaco had the sponsorship money to travel around the world and compete on the ASP (now World Surf League/WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) dates. The QS is the circuit where surfers try to win enough ranking points to get into the Top 10, a position that rolls them over to compete on the Championship Tour (CT) with the likes of Kelly Slater.
Today, at any given time there are up to 10 Ticos that are competing anywhere outside their home country of Costa Rica. In the past few years, Carlos Muñoz of Esterillos and Noe Mar McGonagle of Pavones have ranked in the Top 100, allowing them the opportunity to participate in QS Prime events in locations as elite as Hawaii. Noe Mar’s sister, Leilani was last year’s WSL North American Junior champion.
With the QS season just starting up, we already see Noe Mar doing well. At the Australian Open of Surfing at Manly Beach this month, he finished in 9th place, when it came down to a Round 5 heat against Brazil’s Marco Fernandez. He lost in the final two minutes, but scored enough points in this showing to earn a #62 ranking on the QS chart.
At the Ron Jon Vans Pro Junior event this month in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Leilani surfed well enough to make it into the finals, where she placed 4th behind some really great US surfers: Alyssa Spencer, 1st; Samantha Sibley, 2nd; and Kirra Pinkerton, 3rd.
There were some other kids participating in the Junior Boys contest there, including Malakai Martinez of Tamarindo and Aldito Chrinois, but they only got as far as Round 2 and Round 1, respectively. They are also an important part of this Costa Rica Surf report.
Meanwhile, in the main QS1000 event, Jaco’s Jair Perez, a former Costa Rica national surf champion, only got to Round 2, with Chirnois finishing in the same round, while Tamarindo’s Tomas King passed to Round 3. Tomas is the current Guanacaste champion back home in Costa Rica.
Perez had a better showing at the 2017 Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit at Rincón, Puerto Rica, where he surfed to 5th place in a non-QS event.
“The waves in Puerto Rico are good, it’s amazing water, with beautiful colors,” Perez said. “For this contest, they were not so good, but still rideable. And the people are always amazing, always welcoming me, and the food is good. I felt at home there. I made good heats, but then in the quarterfinals I couldn’t finish with a good last one. I lost needing more than a 6. I came in 5th at the contest.”
Anthony Fillingim showed once again how important it is for him to compete at home in Malpais. Last year he clinched the Costa Rica national championship there, and just this March he won the second of two consecutive dates of the KIA Circuito Guanacasteco de Surf, presented by OTIS, in Santa Teresa.
“The waves in the end really were unfavorable, but as my coach tells me: I always have to make the best of the worst there is and I think I did. I tried to surf smart, go through the points little by little and look for priority, ” recalled Fillingim, who dedicated the win to the late Santa Teresa surfer, Campbell Cardoza.
Along with Fillingim, the finals heat included others from the area Ramon Taliani, Lorenzo Wickstrom, as well as José Joaquín López of Jaco.
In the Women’s division of this Costa Rica Surf report, Nicaragua’s Valentina Resano beat Serena Nava (Playa Grande), Rubi Brownell (Puerto Viejo) and Christine August (Tamarindo) in the finals.
The next Circuito Guanacasteco de Surf date will take place in Avellanas on April 8 and 9.
Copa Kina Surf Results
Santa Teresa
March 11, 12, 2017
Open
1. Anthony Fillingim
2. Jose Lopez
3. Lorenzo Wickstrom
4. Ramón Taliani
Women’s
1. Valentina Resano
2. Serena Nava
3. Rubi Brownell
4. Christine August
Juniors
1. Sebastian Mora
2. Tiago Carrique
3. Sam Reidy
4. Dean Vandewalle
Boys SUB 16
1. Sam Piter
2. Dean Vandewalle
3. Tiago Carrique
4. Sam Reidy
Girls SUB16
1. Rubi Brownell
2. Serena Nava
3. Kitty Brewer
4. Candelaria Resano
Boys SUB 14
1. Sam Piter
2. Aaron Ramirez
3. Sam Reidy
4. Darshan Antequera
Groms Sub 12
1. Candelaria Resano
2. Kendal Rosales
3. Auxiela Ryan
4. Kalani Abrahao
Finally, here’s a great highlight video of Martinez, Chrinois, Tiago Carrique (Playa Negra) and Dean Vandewalle (Tamarindo) hanging out on Hawaii’s North Shore. https://vimeo.com/206428502
