A few days ago, a clip of showed up on the internet that showed Miguel Blanco taking a pretty painful shortcut off the rocks. I tracked him down just after the clip was released to see how he was and took the opportunity to get a short interview.
Just for reference, Blanco is one of the most talented surfers to ever come out of Portugal. At 19-years-old, he has won the Portuguese title in every category from under12 to under18, a few of them twice. He’s also placed second in the ratings at the competitive national tour, the Liga MOCHE, right behind Frederico Morais. His competitive highlights wouldn’t be complete without his 6th place at the prestigious European Pro Junior Tour, which gave him access to the World Junior Championship, held last year in Ericeira, Portugal.
If everything had gone according to plan, he’d be on the WQS right now and most likely, he’d be qualified for the Prime Series (no QS10,000). But at the end of 2013, despite having been a breakthrough year for him, his long time sponsor, Quiksilver, didn’t renew his contract. That was a huge blow to his career since Portugal is a small country and has a very limited market and that, put together with a financial crises, is making it almost impossible for most of his generation to make a push in the international scene. Despite that, he still works hard every day, keeping his hopes and dreams of having a real go at the WQS alive.
Are you ok?
I am! A little bruised up, but I’m doing fine!
So, what happened?
Well, I went surfing in Costa da Caparica, near Lisbon and took my girlfriend, who was filming me. I had a really good session and when I got out I saw some really good waves, so I wanted to go back in!
I bet you decided to take a shortcut!
I did, I didn’t feel like paddling all the way out the back so I decided to jump from the jetty.
How big were the waves?
They weren’t that big; there were some decent sets but not very big.
When that wave came and almost took you out, did you think you were in trouble straight away?
That set come out of nowhere and I thought I was going to die! I didn’t know if I was going to die right there on the rocks or if it was worth it to dive. I ended up jumping, but the wave pushed me back onto the rocks.
Your board took a big beating as well.
For sure, it broke and also had like 43 dings.
What about you?
I got a few cuts on my feet and my shin and my knee is all bruised, but nothing too serious.
What happened next?
I jumped in the water but couldn’t move very well–I guess I was a bit shocked by the impact. Good thing I recently got sponsored by a clinic. That’s where I went next and it’s all good, I should be able to surf again in a couple of days.
Did you think the video would have such a big reach in such a short amount of time?
I didn’t, it’s pretty crazy.
You’ve been to Hawaii recently. Did you have any scary moments like this?
No. There were some big sets that would pop up out of nowhere, but nothing as scary as this. I could have been hurt really badly!
Ok, we’ll be waiting for your next stunt.
Yeah, let’s try to avoid another one of these!
For more from Antonio, check out ONFIRE Surf.
