Note sponsored by Volcom

An outstanding tube rider and pipe specialist like Miguel Tudela, he had not finished higher than 17th in his previous six participations in the Volcom Pipe Pro. As these results accumulate, it becomes more difficult to get through, and doing so requires talent but a lot of mental work (in addition to the courage to surf the queen of the waves).

But the seventh time was the charm for Tudela, who finished seventh and was very close to making it to the final.

In the following paragraphs Miguel tells what he did differently this year to finally achieve a good result in Pipe.

It must have felt good to get over the hump and be among the Latinos who have advanced the most in the event. How did it feel for you? 
Yes, it definitely felt amazing. It's been a pretty good championship for me. I'm happy to be back on the courts and to have advanced to the semis. It's a shame we got so close to the final, but that's how it is. I'm super happy, I feel super good and happy to be back in the water.

What do you think you did differently this year?
I think I focused more on competing and less on thinking about getting a barrel. I thought about going through more heats than going through the dream wave and I think that made me focus more on judging the waves that needed to be heats and not on getting the barrel of my life.

There was a wave in that semi, a bombshell that ended up appearing in the Spanish newspaper Marca, which could have been key. What happened in there that you didn't get out?
Yes, that wave would have been the game changer and I think it was a pretty big, white, and choppy wave. The truth is that I was doing the line really well inside the tube and out of nowhere I was standing on my head… I don’t really know exactly what happened, I’m waiting for them to send me the water intake to see but I imagine there was some pretty strong turbulence and my board got stuck or a chunk of water fell on my head. But that would have been the big change to get to the final.

How did you see all the Hispanics and Peruvians?
We saw a very strong Hispanic team and the Inka team was there once again, giving something to talk about. And I think it is super important that we are united and fight for each championship together because that will make a Hispanic soon enter the CT.

How did your knee feel during the competition? You were wearing a knee brace, you could see it, how is that?
The knee is pretty good. It's definitely not 100%, it still swells a little bit when I run, I'm in the water, and I'm moving around a lot. But it's pretty good, it felt good and comfortable. I'm not in pain, but I still have to keep it iced and exercised so it doesn't swell up at night after running. But it felt good and it's getting better.

Now you're off to Noronha, what are your expectations for Hawaii in Brazil?
I'm going to Noronha, the second event of the year. I think it's a pretty important event, the first 6.000m of the year and I think it's a good wave so expectations are high. In fact, the idea is to get through several rounds and score more points, but we're going with our minds set on recovering that competitive style of small waves that is definitely different from what it is at Pipe. And we're going to give it our all, leave everything on the court and see what this championship brings us.