Photograph: DR
Diogo ‘Malveirão’ Líberal is 31 year-old cook from Guincho, surrounding areas between Cascais and Sintra. He is also a bodyboarder known in Portugal as a true soul surfer, one that runs after the biggest, heaviest slabs in the country.
‘Malveirão’ has a unique relation with Ericeira, especially with Cave, the heaviest, most awing wave of the village. Ericeira, he says, is his second home and it isn’t rare to see him surfing the village’s secret waves when the swell turns up, which grants him a certain visibility when the photographers are chasing the same type of conditions to shoot.
Nearly a couple of months ago, ‘Malveirão’ released “Fishing Waves”, a video profile where he tells the stories and tales about his experiences and passions in the sea. Much of the footage was captured in Ericeira.
Following the presentation of the video, ‘Malveirão’ told AZUL all about his relation with Ericeira and, especially, Cave.
“The first time I went to Ericeira was in 1997’s Summer. I remember very well my surfing debut in the village. It was in Ribeira d’Ilhas and a just felt enchanted by the place from that very moment. Although the waves weren’t that good – 1,5 metres with Northern winds -, it definitely left a mark on my life forever.
What I like the most about Ericeira is the number of waves that can hold several swell sizes. There are just so many waves in such a short piece of coastal line. It is an amazing view when the waves are perfect and those peaks are all working. For me, Ericeira is the Portuguese Hawaii.
My favourite wave in Ericeira is Pedra Branca, maybe because of the number of great sessions I’ve already had there. Memories I keep in me.
What makes me so passionate about heavy, shallow waves is the adrenaline and pleasure I can get fro those types of waves, which I can get in any other place. My relation with Cave is like love and hate. I’ve had amazing days over there, but I’ve also been hurt a lot there. I think it is the most incredible waves in Portugal, especially when you see it from within the sea. It is inexplicable. Then there’s the other half of it, that one where the wave is extremely dangerous. You never know what’s going to happen.
I’ve had several scary moments in may life, but the biggest was in Cave. I got stuck to the rocks, completely dry out of water. I’ve cracked my coccyx and stood three months without surfing.
Portugal has amazing waves and Cave is one of its finest. It is amazing to expose Portugal’s bodyboarding scene.”
Esta publicação também está disponível em | This article is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
