Illustrious visitors enjoyed the first swell of the season in El Salvador

The arrival of Leon Glatzer, Sam and Didier Pitter, Dean Vandewalle, Teresa Bonvalot, Leilani McGonagle, Malaki Martinez coincided with a tremendous surge; Oli Gonzalez and Samanta Alonso were also present

February 23

Costa Rican and German Leon Glatzer, Frenchmen Tiago Carrique, Sam and Didier Piter, Belgian Dean Vandewalle, Portuguese Teresa Bonvalot, Ticos Leilani McGonagle and Malakai Martinez arrived in Costa Rica last week just in time for the first significant swell of the year that made Punta Roca work, and all the other points with the size and perfection that characterizes it.

Panamanians Oli González and Samanta Alonso stayed there since ALAS in December last year and also enjoyed the swellazo along with several local talents: Bryan Pérez, Ericson Adbias, Manuel Rivas and Alejandro Martínez among others.

“We had a good level in the first swell of the year, with solid waves of 8 to 10 feet; Punta Roca 'on fire', the year 2021 started with everything, there were swells in February but not this big. It was a blessing to start the year like this,” local super Bryan Pérez told DUKE.

“The water level was incredible: Leon Glatzer, Dean Vandewalle, Teresa Bonvalot, Leilani, Tiago Carrique, Malakai Martinez had an incredible level of water; I think we all enjoyed that great swell we had. Everyone was super happy, sharing wave after wave, there wasn’t much of a crowd… The truth is that it was a blessing to be with everyone in the water with family and friends,” he added.

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A post shared by Dean Vandewalle (@deanvandewalle)

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For his part, the talented Costa Rican and German who will compete in the world championship representing Germany, Leon Glatzer, told DUKE: “These days in El Salvador have been key for me, I have learned a lot about the waves and the place as well. I have tried different boards in all possible conditions and seen what works best for me. I have my coach here with me and we are analyzing everything to be as prepared as possible when the time comes for the world championship.”

Glatzer was joined by Sam Piter, Vandewalle and Tiago Carrique who travelled with their coach Didier Piter, the legendary Frenchman, QS competitor and multiple participants in the top division of the world tour.

“It was an intense training camp in El Salvador. The boys worked hard but had fun,” wrote Piter, the coach and legendary surfer, on his Instagram.

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A post shared by Leilani McGonagle💖🙈 (@leilanimcgonagle)

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A post shared by Teresa Bonvalot (@teresabonvalot)

Leilani McGonagle and Teresa Bonvalot, in addition to surfing the swellazo, stayed at PuroSurf to continue training. “I love El Salvador. Thanks to the locals and the boys for giving me some waves,” wrote Leilani on social media.

For his part, Oli Camarena, who made a spectacular edit of the swell, said: “The Carnival swell has been incredible here in El Salvador. The training does not stop, I feel quite comfortable and improving my technique every day. We remain focused and giving our best for Panama.”

There were many very experienced foreigners with a very good level in the water, but the video evidence shows that the best tube of the swell was taken by the local Bryan Pérez (see the second slide of the Surfing República video):