Peruvian Tomas Tudela launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the first trips this year, to Brazil and Australia, and to cover the costs of insurance and membership that he still owes to the World Surf League.

Through the gofundme.com page, Tudela, 101 in the world ranking in 2018 and 91 in 2017, one of the best Peruvian athletes today, is asking people for 5.000 dollars of which, in three days, he has raised 700.

“This year started very hard with very high expenses that I cannot cover, so I ask you for help to contribute whatever you can to be able to travel,” wrote the Peruvian on the website specialized in raising funds.

“I am on a very good path and very motivated to bring more achievements to Peru like the one I brought when I won in Chile in 2017, being the first Peruvian to win such a big QS and opening doors for many more Peruvians,” he added.

In the following paragraphs, Tomás goes into more detail about this new campaign that he has undertaken.

Why did you decide to open that GoFundMe?
My first goal With GoFundMe we can pay for trips to Brazil and Australia, and I still have debts for insurance, membership and registration (of the WSL) as we already know.

Trips to Brazil (Fernando de Noronha) and Australia are very expensive and the expenses add up in a single month.

How have you been doing with your harvest?
I'm doing very well, I'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me continue my career.

Why didn't you go to the Volcom Pipe Pro?
Because I wanted to start the year in a different way and start in Israel; and as Brazil confirmed I decided to stay home so I could go there and to Australia.

It is a time in Peru when the best athletes have been receiving good support from the government for Lima 2019. Have you not received that help? Or is it not enough?
No, I do not receive monthly support from the government.

At the same time you are a sponsored surfer. Is that not enough to pay the bills?
As we all know, doing the QS, as those of us who make a living from it do, is very expensive and even though Quiksilver supports me a lot, it is not always enough. I am still very happy and very grateful to Quiksilver for really making my career possible.

What is your analysis of the current state of sponsorship and the surf industry?
Well, surfing is growing a lot, but it's not growing that much in South America, not counting Brazil. We're growing, but there's still a long way to go!