Cover photo: Omar Castiglielo @mardelplatacapitaldelsurf

Tomás López Moreno, the young Argentine power surfer, went from being a relatively unknown name in the Latin American surfing scene to a standout in several free surfing sessions and in competition.

The world saw him beat Mason Ho and Kai Lenny at home with two hits for Backdoor, he has taken part in El Gringo gigante where he got a couple of memorable waves and he has just released a film that does justice to his talent.

Without sponsorship but without looking to the sides, enjoying the water and thinking about the next trip, Tomás López Moreno has grown in his surfing and in the world of surfing through his lungs, talent and power.

In the following paragraphs he tells a little about all this and more.

You've seen a clear rise in your career over the last five years. We see you making quality videos with classy surfing, riding heavy waves in Indo and northern Chile and getting high scores in Pipe. Do you see it that way? Has your surfing taken a leap in the last five years?
Well yes, I feel like my surfing has taken a leap in the last five years, the truth is yes, I feel it every year. If I think about it, I feel like it takes a leap every time I go make a new quiver board, because I feel like there, by improving my perception while I surf, in training, I feel that maybe there are things about the board that can help me raise my level and go in search of how I want to attack the wave.

So I think that on that side yes, also, obviously thanks to the trips, having gone to Hawaii, Indo, those tube waves, Chile more than anything, surfing in dangerous waves, with people and friends who know and push you to want to improve, to push yourself bigger and bigger, the truth is that thank God, yes, putting in a lot of training, but the truth is yes, I feel that every year I make a leap in the level of surfing.

What do you attribute it to?
The reason, I said it there, also because of the people and the surfers that I have shared lately over the years, obviously one only looks for the way, but for example for the big waves, it's fine that I like them, but sometimes you are motivated to be with someone who rides bigger than you, so you want to be able to ride one like the ones that this other person rides, it's good.

You have always been known as a power surfer, how did that come about? Was it natural or did you implement it in a deliberate way?
Power surfing has been with me all my life, it was born with me, because nothing, when I was little my family told me that I had to force myself even to get on a little chair that I couldn't reach, but I used all my strength, I wouldn't let them help me, I got angry, as I grew up it seems it was in my blood and I always wanted, when I stopped I wanted to destroy a wave, just as when I wasn't good, I would stop and they would tell me “electric”, I would die of anxiety from wanting to kill the wave, until over the years, I learned to breathe a little, downshift, but still, when the section came up, I would go for it with all the power I had.

"When the section comes up, I go for it with all the power I have"

Why do you think you have almost no sponsors?
The truth is that I don't know, at the same time I know why I haven't searched for or sent an email to a brand for two years, it's because at the same time I've sent emails and many people have responded to me as if they had the complete team.

Other people have wanted to give me clothes and two wetsuits, which thank God is exactly what I don't need. When I've asked them for at least a couple of plane tickets, they've said no, with a brand that I talked to last year, so I don't know, I couldn't tell you because I don't have sponsors, I don't know if it's because of the social media thing that is very important these days, I have no idea, but nothing, I'm going to keep training because it's also what I love, I love surfing.

I believe that one day something will come looking for me, I am here (laughs).

Does it bother you sometimes to see that there are surfers of your level who are sponsored and you are not?
The truth is that it doesn't bother me and it hasn't bothered me either that surfers of my level, more or less, have sponsorship, because it's through contacts, or friends or at the same time that person or that surfer deserves it, for some reason he has it. It may also be that I move the networks better, that I surf better, that I have better results, whatever, but on some level that surfer deserves it and the truth is that it doesn't bother me, I know that I'm doing things right, I'm moving forward on my path, I don't look to the sides and if at some point a sponsorship appears, I welcome it because I know that I deserve it.

I put effort into everything I do and if it didn't happen, for whatever reason, I know that in the future it will happen and I'm calm because nothing, I know that every day I'm surfing better, thank God I recovered 100% from an injury I had in January at the Volcom Pipe that didn't let me surf, so the quarantine came in handy there.

"If at some point a sponsorship appears, I welcome it because I know I deserve it"

You recently released a really good movie with Dukswell, what can you say about it?
Just a little while ago, almost a month ago, we launched Epic Shit and I'm really happy with that project. Dukswell, the truth is that we connected to work, from the first day we both realized, to put it in some way, the power we had, he had the camera, I had the surfing, we needed the waves and Mar del Plata gave us the waves so it was what happened.

I'm also happy with the people, everyone liked it and nothing, I like it so much that there is a local video here in Argentina, in Mar del Plata, where there is almost nothing. It was a nice project and the first of many to come. I'm happy to motivate the generations to come, in everything, one sees the videos and gets motivated, I hope that those kids are watching the video and getting motivated before going into the water like I watch Julian Wilson, Filipe Toledo, that's good.

 

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A post shared by 𝙻𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚣 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚘 (@tomylm) el 8 of Jul from 2020 to 8: 59 PDT

How did you deal with the quarantine, the pandemic and everything that it entails?
The quarantine was really hard for me, to be honest, the first month I thought they were going to release us in a month, which didn't happen, then I had a huge anxiety attack, so strong that I didn't get through it well at all, I had to find a way out on my own, and there I started with learning to meditate a little, doing more yoga, being more in the present, trying to control my head and I think that was my reason for the quarantine, they say everything happens for a reason, maybe the quarantine was good for me to learn this new thing and at the same time to recover 100% from my knee that was really bad, I could hardly surf, I enjoyed it little, although it was enough just to be in the water.

So, all in all, quarantine was a good thing. This pandemic kind of cancelled our year, although I am really grateful that they cancelled the year to give me and other surfers who were injured time to recover and at the same time train a little more, to be able to enjoy a little more with the family since one is away a lot. I see everything as positive, always looking for the positive side of everything.

Among surfers, with travel and everything, I think that this pandemic is going to make us more careful with everything, since we are from airport to airport and that is where I think it is transmitted more easily, person to person and from there it goes to any other part of the world, so tomorrow it will not be the same as what we have been experiencing these past few years, but well, hopefully everything will return a little more to normal.

How desperate are you to travel again?
The truth is that I'm desperate to travel. My God, it's been like seven years since I spent a full winter here in Mar del Plata. I thought I was going to suffer, but the truth is that I didn't. We had a June and July when the waves didn't stop. Now it's taking a week off, but it's coming back so it's not treating all of us who stayed here so badly in winter, which is good. I thought it was going to be worse. Still, I'm crazy about traveling. I want to go to Brazil, get my new boards, the SRS, there in Floripa, so nothing, I can't wait to be able to get my new boards and surf in warmer weather.

 

 

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A post shared by 𝙻𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚣 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚘 (@tomylm) el 31's 2019 May Have 2: 01 PDT

*Not everyone gets a bomb like the one above in El Gringo.