Portugal, Trip to Top 22.

Supertubos, Peniche.

Marco Mignot’s performance? Carving his way up to the Quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro WSL. Sure, you might say, Marco, Marco who? Never heard of him!… That won’t be the case tomorrow. With this performance, Marco is getting closer to the mid-season cut—a cut that, for some, is as absurd as the scoring system and the discrepancies between scores. But that's all subjective, because averaging the five judges' scores is somewhat like a poorly controlled figure skating routine.

Marco, labeled as a rookie by the WSL, answered back with a few impressive flights.

With Griffin Colapinto and Seth Moniz on his list of defeated opponents, his journey was eventually halted by a Baron Mamiya in peak form—who himself was later beaten by Italo Ferreira, approaching orbit to slice through the final. He was up against Yago Dora, a hint of samba floating in the air, and every vowel pronounced like a Portuguese melody.

Marco is well surrounded, and his path to the WCT is the result of many connections. And this is certainly no coincidence. Jason Apparicio is his mentor, his coach(@Jason_appacio_surf_academy). We roamed the European pro circuit (EPSA) together years ago (laughs). A great person with incredible and rare energy. I witnessed an unforgettable scene on the Naturistes beach, with Jason as the main actor. And the theme? "Harnessing energy."

Unhappy with his total score and the judges' ratings for his waves—leading to his elimination—he went to argue with the head judge. To everyone watching, he had clearly won, and he knew it. Faced with the judge’s stubbornness and above all, his certified incompetence, I saw Jason shift, his aura change. His eyes filled with adrenaline, the veins in his arms swelled with blood—I had never seen anyone summon so much energy. I thought he was going to explode, leap forward, and tear the judge in half. And then, he let out a roar from the depths of the abyss. The entire beach fell into a deafening silence, and the head judge ended up sitting on his ass in the sand.

Marco is made of the same fire, and Jason is the Sensei of the "moment of the present instant"—a crucial factor in elite-level performance. With his unique touch, Jason paves the way, builds the strategy, and much more. Marco is more than capable of mastering his energy and strolling effortlessly towards his destiny. He reignites our passion, we purists who have been sidelined, inspiring us to follow the circuit again. We, the lovers of carving, who grow weary of the monotonous routines of some pros—have we returned to silent cinema? Certainly not! Because the colorful commentators’ lofty analyses are there to prove it to us. And they somewhat resemble the accessory sponsor (sunglasses) I.SEA—Are you kidding, or do you think we are as clueless as kooks?

Anyway, the Final is done.

Yago, holding priority, ultimately blocked Italo, who was chasing a 4-point score with just under 4 minutes left. The wind had shifted, the waves had become choppy, and Yago, victorious, rode back in on a Jet Ski…

Marco doesn’t get carried away, and Patrick Beven and Kauli Vaast would certainly agree. This tight-knit group of riders shares more than just breakfasts at Pat’s place—they share the energy of champions.

Enjoy the trip Marco.

Knocking the door.