The 2024-2025 season of the Volcom Surf Happening series for the youth resumed on Saturday, February 22, in the beautiful town of Sagres, Portugal. Surfers who qualified through the online competitions last summer gathered for the main event to battle it out for the €4,000 prize purse. It was incredible to see a wide range of European countries represented, with up-and-coming surfers from Spain, UK, Italy, Ireland, Canary Islands, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and, of course, Portugal—hanging out like one big family.
With a solid 3.5meter, 18second northwest swell forecasted, the sheltered beach of Mareta was ideal for running the competition. The day began with rippable blue A-frames under the sunshine—a dream in the middle of winter. The event’s unique format pushes surfers to unleash their maneuvers, as each competitor surfs three heats throughout the day, with only their best wave and best maneuver considered for the overall score.
The first two rounds saw great surfing from most competitors, with plenty of fun waves on offer. However, the low-tide closeouts in round three made it more challenging to land combos. Congratulations to Mel Canhoto from Portugal and Irish surfer Joshua Karbus for sweeping the event, claiming the best wave and best maneuver titles in their respective categories!
Women Best Wave
1 – Mel Canhoto
2 – Julieta Rodriguez-Villamil
3 – Sofia Matos
Men Best Wave
1 – Joshua Karbus
2 – Theo Coathalem
3 – Samuele Agliani
Women Best Maneuver
1 – Mel Canhoto
2 – Julieta Rodriguez-Villamil
3 – Chiara Cuppone
Men Best Maneuver
1 – Joshua Karbus
2 – Theo Coathalem
3 – Daniel Roman
After the prize-giving and a classic product toss, the day ended at Three Little Birds with a surf movie night and free food for all participants. The venue later opened to the public for the premiere of young local Salvador “Sassa” Catarino’s clip, ‘Paranoid Whisper’, in collaboration with Captain Fin. The crowd was amped, and the party kicked off when Sassa’s band, Candler, ignited the chaos. It was then time for the younger ones to head to bed, while the valiant kept the night going with DJ Miso Blue. A huge thank you to Algarve Surf Clube, Vila Do Bispo Câmara, Captain Fin, Three Little Birds, and all the staff who helped make the event run smoothly!
