2019 ended with that incredible performance by Carlos Muñoz in the QS, which almost placed him in the CT. It also ended with the strong Olympic taste that Lima 2019 gave to all the athletes who competed.

In a normal world, the El Salvador event, the largest ISA World Surfing Games in history, promised to be huge, not to mention Tokyo.

Alonso Correa and Lucca Mesinas had incredible performances in the first stages of the QS: The first was vice-champion of the Morocco stage and third at the Surfest in Newcastle, one of the most competitive events of the year, the second achieved a fifth in China, a ninth in Morocco and two 17ths (one in Fernando de Noronha and another at the Australian Open).

The promising return of major events to New Zealand was coming with the first Challenger of the year, the new name for the QS 10.000 in the reform of the WSL that has not taken place so far.

The QS regional calendar in Latin America looked strong, with stages adding stars and a few new additions.

The news of a virus spreading through China was becoming increasingly louder. It seemed like something that could affect others but not surfing until a statement from the WSL suspended the first part of the events and then suspended everything.

The news began to be about each country's measures against the virus: was it possible to surf? There were countries that said no and others with a very cautious yes.

A study by Kim Prather, a scientist at the Scripps Institution, was misinterpreted or misquoted by the Times, which reported that Covid-19 was transmitted through the air and that the last place Prather would go would be to a beach.

The media and also governments echoed this and in many cases fear won.

There were several surfers who were arrested, in Peru and Costa Rica to name a few.

In what is a historic event for world surfing, several of the best waves in the world broke perfectly with absolutely no one in the water: Pavones, Punta de Lobos and the entire Peruvian coast, to mention a few places, experienced that madness of breaking with no one in the water.

In countries like Chile, Peru and Argentina, 100 days went by without surfing: with a lot of supervision and a lot of responsibility too. That torture was real in 2020.

Finally, the authorities realized that the virus was very difficult to transmit outdoors and the doors of the oceans were opened. They also realized that people's mental health was as important as protecting themselves from Covid.

The reopening was a frenzy: People realized that taking surfing for granted was wrong and that they had to make the most of it. In Argentina, it was reported that wetsuit sales had taken off to incredible levels.

In Australia, demand for surfboards also rose to incredible levels.

Little by little, some borders were opened and traveling in times of Covid became a strange reality.

Indonesia was the most extravagant destination, with the most perfect waves in the world breaking with very few people in the water. Slater followed his friend Strider Wasilewski to Bali and surf there like Gerry Lopez did in the seventies and stayed there for about three months.

The Maldives was another destination that opened its doors quickly and Medina and Italo took advantage.

In the region, El Salvador took the prize starting in September.

In El Salvador, the year ended at a regional level with the holding of an ALAS that met expectations with more than 100 registrants from 14 countries.

Then the Pipe Masters brought a kind of “normality” to the new normal. Although, of course, dealing with the virus: The WSL CEO himself caught it and almost didn’t finish.

It was historic, it is worth saying, the presence of Miguel Tudela in the main event.

2020 is gone, with one of the most important lessons humanity has received, and in a very ugly way: Nothing is guaranteed, everything can go to hell from one day to the next because a Chinese man decides to eat a bat in his soup…

On the DUKE side, the site almost ceased to exist after losing several of its main clients in a year that looked very good. For the first time, it had to rely on the help of readers who gave a huge hand to survive 2020.

They are greatly appreciated for having believed in this website that seeks to report on surfing with authentic journalistic rigor.

The outlook for 2021 is good, and hopefully we, like everyone else, will be able to simply work, which is what we love to do, even if it means wearing a mask.