Special coverage presented by Surf City El Salvador

Without having pre-qualified for the Surf City El Salvador ALAS Pro, Carlos Muñoz went from round 1 to the final with incredible performances. As he placed second in one of the qualifying rounds, he went through the toughest matches of the tournament.

The Costa Rican won one of the two events that ALAS held this year, took home the American title and once again made it clear that he is one of the best in the region and the world.

His complete surfing, which includes incredible bottom turns that end with explosive attacks, but which is also wild and sudden because he achieves incredible aerials and not to mention that he gets into difficult conditions, make him one of the best on the planet.

Last year he was very close to getting into the CT, he accepted it like a gentleman, with his head held high, and in the year of the pandemic he took advantage of the opportunity to connect more with his spirit, something that he points out as key to giving his best surfing, although he points out that he is not 100 percent.

Leaving behind his rebellious years that earned him a suspension from the WSL, he stands in life as a professional through and through, a responsible family man, a beloved friend and a professional who serves as an example for all generations of surfers throughout America.

Below is an exchange with the Costa Rican minutes after winning at La Bocana.

How does it feel to win this championship?
Wow, I'm so happy! We hadn't competed for I don't know how many months and coming back to a tournament feels incredible. I came at the very end, I sent in the registration, they said it was full but Chute informed me that they were going to open up more spaces. So at first I thought I wasn't coming and in the end I decided to do it. I'm very happy to have won, the truth is that I didn't expect it, I thought I was only going to get through a few heats and I didn't know I was going to get into such a good rhythm.

"I thought I was just going to get through a few series and I didn't know I was going to get into such a good rhythm"

Why didn't you expect it?
I don't know, I hadn't competed much and you know that sometimes those butterflies in your stomach go away. I thought: "I'm going to go there and if I lose quickly, the waves will come and then I'll train and surf there." But it turns out that I ended up competing every day and I was happy because all the heats were difficult, with Jhony, Lucca, Bryan... Bryan's yesterday was a heart attack, I thought he was going to lose And I got the right one, then the left one. And I don't know, it was an act of faith, I never gave up, even though I was losing.

"Bryan's attack yesterday was a heart attack, I thought he was going to lose"

And today, when I had to play with Lucca, I was a little nervous and I said to myself: “I’m going to do an aerial as soon as the wave comes out” and it worked. So I put a little pressure on his game and with Oli I went in to enjoy and nothing more. I had already done the work of the four days and things went well for me there too.

What level does this championship represent for you, since you are competing all over the world? It's at a QS level, really, a high level, there's Bryan, Lucca, Jhony... There were other series that I didn't see, but there were Jairo, Jason. The truth is that the level was quite high.

The time I won the 1500m in Costa Rica, I felt more pressure in this one than in that one. The level was quite high and that's why I'm leaving with a good feeling.

You were seen surfing really well, with an advantage compared to the rest of the athletes. Did you feel that you were at 100 percent?
I wasn't in the top 100 (laughs), but I think that this time of pandemic has helped me a lot to find the spiritual part, more in the sense of reading and becoming convinced of certain concepts that I had before, but I think that has helped me when it comes to competing. Not losing faith is the most important thing, especially as a competitor, you don't know what's going to happen, if the wave is going to come out or not. But that certainty that things are going to go well for me, I think, is what helped me get through all the series.

"I think that certainty that things will turn out well for me is what helped me get through all the series."

How was that change you are mentioning?
I have always been a believer in God, but I think that the concepts I had before were different from the ones I have now. I think that everyone has a personal relationship with God. In my case, it has helped me a lot. I have learned things that worried me before, things that I have let go of, things from the past. So, I am on a good path with my family, with my children, with my sponsorships, even though things are like this. So it has helped me a lot when it comes to being focused. At least in this tournament, everything that I have practiced during the months of the pandemic helped me a lot.

And the truth is that it fills me with joy inside knowing that this also helped me to win here, because I didn't expect it... I am very grateful to God.

Are you in a better general condition?
Yes, General, I used to think of the spiritual world as something outside the body, and now I think that the more centered you are on earth, the better. Like being a good friend, having good thoughts, wishing people well, things that are not outside the body… Just being good people.

You've always been a nice and cool guy, haven't you?
Of course, as I said, the concepts I had before were good, but I think that the attitude I had or the example I gave was not the right one and now I am more mature, with children, that has changed a little and this tournament made me open my eyes. I think I am doing things right and God is showing me that this is the path to follow.

"God is showing me that this is the path to follow"

And do you have any regrets from the past?
Yes, of course, there are a lot of things. When I was very young I always had a lot of examples of people who did drugs, went out to party, people who had risen very quickly and then lost everything. So, I always had those examples and I always felt like criticizing. And when the time came, exactly the same thing happened to me that I was criticizing. Until I ended up down, down, down and I saw the light again and I think that sometimes people take the wrong path out of pure rebellion and I think that was what had happened to me in these past years.

Now I have four years of not drinking, not smoking, not partying. I am focused on surfing, I feel that the level is coming back, I have different sponsors that have nothing to do with surfing but the opportunity is there, and I believe that when you repent God gives you the opportunity to move forward and that is what I am trying to do.

Since you mentioned it, do you remember that moment when you were down there?
Yes, of course, now that I look back, the example I was giving to the children was not the right one, the image I was giving was not the right one, the things I had inside I was not projecting, that also kills one spiritually inside.

Now I think things have been cleaned up, I have been closing things that are no longer useful to me, that were left in the past, and it makes me be more in the present moment because I am not worrying about anything because I am not doing anything wrong (laughs).

You are an ambassador for all Latin Americans at events around the world. As is the case with Miguel Tudela now that he is in Pipe and everyone is rooting for him, you often find yourself in that place. Do you feel that when you are in the championships?
Yes, of course. This championship was an incredible thing also because we had not competed for a long time and had not seen all the people from different countries. Everyone was hugging each other and I know that maybe it was because of the codes and all that… But you know that the surfing code is always one of brotherhood and that was felt a lot in this tournament.

What do you think was the key to victory?
It was faith in God. I put my faith in God and that whatever had to happen would happen. If I lost, I would be happy and that was it.

I thought you were going to say it was bottom turns.
(laughs)

Does it have nothing to do with it?
(Laughs), that's right! But that's because the wave was really good, so just leave it there.

And you did those backside attacks well in place, throughout the championship.
Yes, against Bryan I went right, the day before I had been surfing only rights there and something must have been left unconscious because when I went right the wave stopped. I looked for it behind me and, bam bam!

When it was my turn for Lucca, I was nervous because I said to myself: “If I compare power to power, he could beat me,” because he looks strong and he surfs waves that are long all the time. So when I saw the ramp, I said that maybe an aerial could save me, and where I threw it, it worked.

Did you feel like that air was coming in as a nine or a high note?
Yes, because I kicked my tail out quite a bit. What I thought when I saw the ramp was: “I’m going to do the aerial, if I fall I’ll stay inside and if I fall it’s a score.” So when I saw that I was going forward I knew it was going to be a high score.

How is your 2021 starting? Have you made any plans for competitions?
I'm trying to figure out what the WSL is going to do because they are thinking about dividing the tour by regions, so I don't have a clear idea but I know that I want to train, enjoy my family and take advantage of the last moment of the year while I wait to see what the world says because with this Covid thing the Pipe Masters was cancelled and one doesn't know if this thing is going to end.

In terms of sponsorships and your finances, has the pandemic affected you much?
Yes and no, the sponsors had taken out their annual budget, so it didn't affect me much, but I do know that many people lost their jobs, in that sense I trust more in God and He is my provider so I also have to trust that He will take care of me. I thank the sponsors for having trusted me, I think they will like this result. I hope to continue fighting.

And, hasn't this crazy thing of living in a pandemic made you desperate?
Yes, of course, it makes me desperate to know that there are people who are having a hard time, because I don't feel that it affects me that much, but knowing that there are people who don't have anything to eat, who don't have a job, those things affect me a lot. I wish I had the capital to help everyone, but you can do with very little, and I have two little ones. I know that there are people who have children and don't have the means to do so. That makes me feel bad inside, when I feel like that, I cry. I ask that He provide for others because it's not just about asking and asking but also that the prayers are for others. Many times one thinks of "us" and I believe that God has led me to think more about others, too.

 

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by DUKE (@duke_surf)