Supertubos in a nutshell? 75% closeouts. Boogers, lots of boogers. The occasional World Champion face slap. Snarky localism that may or may not implicate more boogers. And Italo Ferreira. In that order!After two action-packed events, the emergence of the Pipe Queen and some guy called Mamiya snatching the yellow jersey from some 50-year-old over in Hawaii, the world’s best have made it to the old continent.

Just over 100 clicks north of Lisbon, sandwiched between Ericeira and Nazare, lies Peniche, a hard-working fishing town famous for its seaside fort, its anglerfish Caldeirada and its bronzed sandbanks that either churn out frothy pits or frothy, tide-plagued monsters.

Either way, Peniche is the logical choice for the WSL to move its circus from azure blue to different shades of green for a different kind of surfing spectacle that requires fewer 6’7 Tokoros and boardies and more 6’2 Sharp Eyes plus Graphene.

For anyone who’s been to Europe in the winter months; what I’m about to say next is redundant, but for everyone else; the Atlantic Ocean just keeps giving in the form of powerful and gritty surf that requires a different kind of mojo to let’s say, waves in the Pacific or the Indian Ocean.

It’s not perfect. This isn’t Hawaii. It’s feisty and rugged. The wind smacks you in the face, and big, nasty cleanup sets will get you. Mental preparation is just as necessary as physical fitness. The water is cold. 4/3mm cold. All in all, it sounds like a pretty shitty gig, but weirdly it’s all of the above that turn Supertubos into one of the most entertaining stops to watch.

For the first two days of competition, both men and women graced us with their presence sporting custom jerseys turning international women’s day celebrations, coming up on the 8th of March, into a 5-day bender. Feels slightly exaggerated, considering the Russian muppet is basically starting World War 3, but heck, I do like to see Caio Ibelli showing some love for Goofyfoot powerhouse Chelsea (Georgeson) Hedges.

While some chatter about the new faces on the WSL broadcast team would make for another pointless paragraph, let’s instead talk about what actually matters – surfing, lots of great surfing. Shall we?

Sally Fitz breezed through her Opening Heat, turning in the highest heat total (15.56) in Round 1, sending fellow Aussie India Robinson into sudden death. 

Speaking of sudden death. What do Tia Blanco and Kelly Slater have in common? They were both on the Ultimate Surfer – yes. They both like white wetsuits – apparently. But also, they both found themselves in the Elimination Round after getting crushed in their Round 1 heats. Kelly got lucky, making it into the Round of 32. Tia, well, not so much. An equal 17th in her first CT event is all that Portugal had to offer.

Two other surfers that just escaped going home early were Tyler Wright and Brother Andino. The former had a weird first day in the office. After a pretty lackluster Round 1 Heat, Tyler scored the best 5.83 I have seen on a Beachbreak this year. And that includes both divisions.

The latter? Kolohe Andino’s 7.93 was nuts. For a split second, it seemed that we were back on the 7-Mile miracle looking Backdoor straight in the face. If Backdoor and Supertubos had a child together, it would be Kolohe’s frontside pit. As square as it gets, you could park a truck inside, with the early evening sun shimmering through, reflecting on the water surface. Can you fall in love with a wave? Or is it weird? I go with you sure can, you weirdo!

Supertubos also showed us that you’ll likely go far in the event if you can fly. Do you need proof? 2x event winner Italo Ferreira showed us three different airs in 10 minutes for a trio of good to excellent scores. Samy Pupo punted a big air 3 for an excellent 8.10. A few Heats later, (the other) Ultimate surfer Zeke Lau’s reverse to claim combo was awarded a solid 6.33. Rumors have it that Zeke is currently shortlisting names for his pit to air to claim to whitewater carnage maneuver. I hope Albee Layer takes to Instagram for this one.

And then there’s John John – the only surfer by the way still wearing his last name in honour of International Women’s Day on the back of his jersey. If he doesn’t punt, he pits. If he doesn’t pit, he punts, turning in another excellent heat as the WSL choir boys Joe Turpel and Pete Mel so beautifully revealed.

That wraps up the Opening Rounds for both men and women. When we return, Sammy battles older bro Miggy for Pupo family bragging rights, Sally Fitz takes on Steph Gilmore, and Barron & Brisa’s run in yellow continues all while the world around us is going mad. What a time to be alive!