Interview with SURF Portugal Magazine's Online Editor- Diogo Alpendre

Diogo Alpendre. If you've never heard of him in the surf world before, you are now... 

And he's definitely a name to remember. 

Diogo, a 21 year old surfer from Portugal, started a surfing blog 3 years ago.This surfing blog got bigger and bigger and SURF Portugal Magazine took notice. His level of importance with the magazine has grown and as of January 2011, he's now their online editor and has written many pieces for them. Also, he's even had the opportunity to commentate on surf events. Did you watch the 2011 Women's Azores Island Pro? Then you probably heard him commentating! 

I had the privilege of asking Diogo some questions and here's what he had to say-

What got you into surfing?

Diogo: A friend of mine got me into it. We were like 13 and he started surfing with some other friends and one day he invited me to come along and well, it happened. Hooked ever since.

Why do you surf? (or what makes you want to keep surfing?)

Diogo: It's the feeling that only a surfer knows. Of being in the water, feeling connected with the world and the whole World and Mother Nature's energy. It makes me at peace with myself. And I love the rush of being in a wave and having to deal with a lot of things very fast. And it's so cool, it's good for your mind, body and soul..and even your social life. It's a way of sharing with other people that I have never experienced with any other thing or sport.

What made you decide to start a surfing blog?

Diogo: Not really sure. Before I started it, I felt like I didn't have a place where I could express my opinions freely and cover happenings in the surf world as I liked them to be covered... and that got me started. 

When you were contacted by SURF Portugal Magazine, what was going through your head?

Diogo: Yeah, I was super excited, super stoked and kinda nervous because I had done a post criticizing the Portuguese surf mags, saying what they were doing right and wrong, in my opinion, and thought that they were contacting me because of that. (It was ALSO because of that.)

Do you have a favorite/most memorable piece that you've written for SURFPortugal?

Diogo: I wrote a lot of pieces for SURF Portugal! But the ones that come to my mind as my favourites are probably the interview I did with Laird Hamilton a couple years ago and another piece talking about some surfers that, in our opinion, were going to change the face of surfing. That list of surfers, also published a years back, turned out to be pretty accurate... we are in this corner of Europe, and the world, but that doesn't mean we can't analyze things well.

What's your favorite part of being a surf commentator?

Diogo: Being a surf commentator allowed me to travel to a lot of places, so I'd say that's my favorite part of it. But also the fact that it allowed me to work alongside a lot of people, with whom I learned a lot and are some of my mentors.

What's a typical day in your life like?

Diogo: I wake up early and the first thing I do is update SURF Portugal's website and for that I check around 50 or so websites. If I have uni classes after, I attend the classes, if not, I check the surf and go surfing or to the gym. After lunch, I update the website again, go record SURF Portugal's radio show and afterward, hangout with my girlfriend or some friends. It's very important that I keep myself online and available so that if any brand wants to talk with me, they can. Around dinner time, I check the internet again and go to sleep. If any surf event is on, that is my priority and I watch it, from the first heat to the final one, especially the ASP ones. If an event is on during the sleeping period (like Australian, New Zealand, and some of the American events), no sleep for me, I'll stay tuned.

Who are some of your favorite surfers?

Diogo: That's something a lot of people ask me and I can never really answer… I have a lot of favorite surfers. Because this interview is for a women's surfing website, I'll start with the girl surfers. I really like Stephanie Gilmore (powerful and super stylish surfer), Lakey Peterson (powerful, airs, carves), Carissa Moore (all around great surfer), Alana Blanchard (she's beautiful and is a much better surfer than people think! She charges hard and does great carves), Malia Manuel (really polished style), Laura Enever (very exciting surfer, you never know what she'll do next) and I think that's it. The guys- Kelly Slater, of course. Tom Curren, Mark Richards, Rabbit Bartholomew, Dane Reynolds, Wade Goodall, Taj Burrow, Andy Irons, Kolohe Andino, Gabriel Medina, Taylor Knox, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson…and Tiago Pires, obviously.

Where is your favorite surf spot and why?

Diogo: That I have surfed… probably Ribeira D'Ilhas, Ericeira, Portugal- just your typical right point break, mellow wave with some power. The French beach breaks are also amazing. 

That I'd like to surf one day…Trestles, for sure. That's my dream wave! And maybe some spots in Indonesia like Desert's.

Any particular music you like to listen to before you go out for a session?

Diogo: I'm very eclectic, I listen to what I feel like at the time. The Strokes, The Beatles, Mozart, Young Guns 2 soundtrack... it's all on my iPod haha. 

Who/what inspires you?

Diogo: Tiago Pires is definitely an inspiration. But I'm also inspired by people who are determined and follow their dreams and believes and never gives up, in spite of the haters and stuff like that. People like Tiago who, in spite of not having as much talent as others, have the right mind frame and will make things happen for themselves with hard work. Hard work is something I believe and praise.

A Special Word From Diogo: I just want to tell everyone to never give up on what they love and to add surfing to their bucket list. Respect the others in the water so you can also be respected. Write, photograph, record, whatever, everything in your life so you don't feel like you're missing something. Just do something that shows how happy and lucky we are for being alive.


You can check his work out @ www.linhadeonda.blogspot.com and  www.surfportugal.pt. 
(It's all in Portuguese, but no worries... he's starting an English blog soon! Stay tuned!)

Special thanks to Diogo Alpendre for doing this interview!!!