However, the falling tide forced the organisers to revert to a single podium, postponing the return of the longboarders to the waves of Eurosurf until Tuesday.
The repechages were complicated, as the falling tide suddenly transformed the waves of podium 2 into powerful breakers requiring extreme commitment and significant risk-taking, which proved too much for several athletes.
![Santa Veverre [LAT]](/images/2025/EuroSurf_2025/Day2/_EG_7487.jpg "Santa Veverre [LAT]")
![Charlotte Mulley [ENG]](/images/2025/EuroSurf_2025/Day2/_EG_7569.jpg "Charlotte Mulley [ENG]")
![Rachel Presti [GER]](/images/2025/EuroSurf_2025/Day2/_EG_7525.jpg "Rachel Presti [GER]")
There is a strong focus on experimentation and training, both on the sand and in the pool integrated into the Aldeia Neptuno park.
European Surf Federation
2, rue Jacquemin Perpère
33680 Lacanau
France
The final day of EuroSurf 2025 in Santa Cruz lived up to the crazy week experienced by the organisers, ESF officials, families, volunteers, athletes and coaches.
On the morning of the finals, the wind picked up and the swell grew stronger. The waves reached up to 1.8 metres, with the smallest at 1 metre, and the strong current forced some competitors out of the water to reposition themselves.
Nicolas Garcia at the end of the suspense.
In longboard, the favourite is Italy's Federico Nesti. The tall, slender longboarder seems to have been on a roll since the start of the week. Without a leash, whatever the conditions, he strings together noses in hang fives or hand tens and usually finishes with a confident re-entry.
However, in this final, he is up against three talented contenders who are more motivated than ever by their respective teams, who are aiming for a good performance at EuroSurf.
Tom Breen (IRL), boosted by his excellent performance the day before (+15 points), the young blond surfer misjudged a priority call on Nesti and was penalised very early on for interference, which dashed his hopes of winning the title.
Douwe Robroch, the Dutchman, despite a wave scoring 6.90 points, was unable to stay in the final at the same level as in the previous rounds and failed to find a second score.
Nesti, meanwhile, rode a string of lefts, always flawless and efficient, dominating the competition and securing the Italian championship in this category.
But then there was Nicolas Garcia from Spain.
Nicolas tried hard, but it wasn't enough. He scored on his fifth attempt and got back in the game. He only needed a 6.68 wave to get ahead of Nesti.
Nesti is surfing without a leash, forcing him to return to shore every time he loses his board. Not ideal for managing a strategy from the bottom to control the end of the series.
Nicolas, like Luis Diaz later on, doesn't give up and goes all the way. He starts, takes off on the nose, the horn sounds, and it's the end of the series.
Nesti is already on the beach waiting for the final result, the Spanish have gathered around Nicolas scrutinising the live scoring for the verdict. 7.33pts, the Spanish surfer takes the lead and wins the title!
Niclas Garcia (SPN) is the 2025 European Longboard Champion!
Federico Nesti (ITA) 2nd
Douwe Robroch (NED) 3rd
Tom Breen (IRL) 4th
Rasmussen reigns queen of European longboarding!
Among the female longboarders, conditions were difficult, with the passage of the bar being physically demanding. The favourite was Denmark's Thilde Rasmussen. The blonde Viking was discreet on the beach, but formidably efficient on her board in the series.
In this final, positioning was crucial. Finding the longest waves to be able to express oneself was more than risky.
Raquel Bento (POR) paid the price and ended up breaking her board.
Ruby Knox (IRL), boosted by the fact that she was part of the Irish clan, with Gearoid and Tom, in the final of this EuroSurf, took risks but they weren't enough to try and climb onto the top step of the podium.
Rasmussen is less comfortable in this final, the choice of waves is becoming more complicated and, above all, the Spanish Julieta Rodriguez Villamil is determined to show that she, too, can go for the title!
She scores 5.33 points, but no second score. Finally, a 5.77 points arrives, and she can do it.
Unfortunately, Thilde started on a long right, with a long nose and a failed re-entry attempt, but the nose paid off and she scored 7.67 points. The Dane took the lead in the series and then played her priority card.
Julietta manages to shake off the pressure from Thilde and goes for one last wave, but it's not enough.
Thilde Rasmussen (DAN) is the 2025 European Longboard Champion!
Julieta Rodriguez Villamil (SPN) 2nd
Ruby Knox (IRL) 3rd
Raquel Bento (POR) 4th
Gearoid ‘Gman’ Mc Daid is on a mission!
Round 5 sees the top two go through to the grand final, with the other two going into the repechage.
Ireland's Gearoide Mc Daid got off to a strong start, as did Spain's Luis Diaz, and qualified directly for the final. The Irishman was comfortable in these solid conditions and as effective as ever on his turns, which he didn't hesitate to place on the critical part of the wave.
Tim Elter (GER) and Guilherme Ribeiro (POR) went into the repechage.
In this ‘second chance’, they joined Olivier Heintz (NED) and Ruben Vitoria (SPN). On paper, the Portuguese and Spanish riders were favourites. However, the 25-minute series decided otherwise.
Positioning and wave selection proved decisive, with Elter and Heintz moving a little further south of the competition zone and finding the two waves that would allow them to score. Olivier Heintz dominated the small final and set the beach alight with a hyped-up Dutch team believing in their champion.
Elter waited until the end of the heat to find the wave that propelled him into the final.
Ruben and Guilherme were eliminated, unable to find the best waves despite a dozen attempts.
The four champions are focused on the individual title, but they know how much a place of honour can make a difference to the team ranking.
The teams are used to working together to try and get the best result possible, both for the pride of the group and to be among the best nations in the European surfing family.
The Irishman changed his strategy, starting the series on the lefts, facing the waves and, unfortunately for his opponents, proving just as effective as when riding them from behind.
As soon as the final horn sounded, he went for a 6.50-point wave. Olivier Heintz followed suit further south in the zone with a 5.83-point wave. He took the lead in the series with a 4.33-point wave.
Mc Daid regained the lead with another left-hand wave worth 5.70 points.
Meanwhile, Elter and Diaz couldn't find any opportunities. They tried, but the waves closed too quickly.
One after another, Gearoid made the decisive moves. On his first opportunity, he scored 8.17 points, sending the Irish clan wild on the beach. The energy spread and he did it again with 7.67 points!
A glimmer of hope appeared in the eyes of coach Gavin Mc Crea, who had achieved the crazy feat of getting three athletes into the Eurosurf finals, but he knew that nothing was decided until the end.
Indeed, with everyone needing to score two excellent waves (a combo) to knock Mc Daid off the top spot, Tim Elterse scores the first 6.33 points, followed by Heintz with 6.47 points. It's good, but not enough.
While Gearoid tries to put pressure on his opponents, Diaz, carried by his entire team and above all by his experience in the finals, doesn't give up. He takes off on a right, strings together a series of manoeuvres, and the spray of water shows the rage he puts into his surfing to get back into the final, even though he is in fourth place.
The judges award him a 9.17 (out of 10)! He moves up to 3rd place, but the buzzer sounds too soon for him to go for a second score.
Gearóid McDaid (IRL) is the 2025 European Shortboard Champion!
Tim Elter (GER) 2nd
Luis Diaz (SPN) 3rd
Olivier Heintz (NED) 4th
Mafalda Lopez triumphs!
Once again, the standard of the women's competition was incredible. The conditions didn't spare them, but they still put on a show all week.
Wave selection is essential at this level; the quantity of waves caught will never determine the quality. One person who knows this better than anyone is Charlotte ‘backside attack’ Mulley from England.
In round 5, she waited until the very last minute to move from 4th to 1st place in the series. How? With a powerful backside turn that she has mastered to perfection, with a formidable efficiency that makes her an ideal outsider against nations such as Portugal and Spain. Mafalda Lopez (POR) followed suit to reach the final.
Ochoa (SPN) and Salgado (POR) went into the repechage with the added pressure of the team title at stake if they qualified.
They didn't falter. Camilla Kemp (GER) and Alys Barton (ENG) were unable to compete, and the two Latinas were determined to battle it out in the final.
Quality over quantity, an important reminder because that's the winning strategy!
Lopez catches four waves, including two rights that take her to the bottom of the competition zone, forcing her to get out of the water to reposition herself. She is on a mission for the individual and team titles. Her team is with her, running alongside her, 7.83 points then 7.17 points, she takes the lead in the series.
Mulley started with 6.33 points, she's on the lookout, the English believe in her, the Portuguese are trembling, they know she can make the difference in one manoeuvre...
The minutes tick by, Ochoa (SPN) can't find any openings, the Santa Cruz local, in front of her home crowd, is getting frustrated, Maria Salgado is also at a standstill.
Finally, Ochoa relaunched with her backside surfing and scored 6.77 points, but she missed the second score, as did Mulley, who had been patient, but it wasn't her time.
Mafalda Lopez is the 2025 European Shortboard Champion!
Ariane Ochoa (SPN) 2nd
Maria Salgado (POR) 3rd
Charlotte Mulley (ENG) 4th
Spain is the 2025 European Champion!
In the team rankings, Spain wins the European title, denying Portugal the chance to retain the title it won in Santa Cruz in 2023.
The Irish climbed onto the podium in a historic third place. Irish surfing is on the rise and the momentum is incredible.
Behind them, five countries are separated by just 500 points: Italy, Germany, England and Holland.
It's a safe bet that the next EuroSurf will be even more competitive than this one, as the teams are progressing quickly and performing well.
France, the notable absentee from these European surfing games, will certainly be back for the next edition to take part in this European wave that continues to grow!
European surfing is on a positive trend, with increasingly professional athletes and high-performing teams supporting them in their preparation.
Karin Sierralta (Vice President of the International Surfing Association and CEO of the Alas Global Tour) offered the shortboard finalists an invitation to participate in the Central American circuit final next November.
Our eight athletes will rub shoulders with the international surfing elite, as after Santa Cruz, she will travel to India to hand out invitations to surfers from the Asian continent.
EuroSurf 2025 is over, Spain is the European Champion, and Rasmussen, Lopez, Garcia and Mc Daid are the new European Champions.
The European Surfing Federation would like to thank all the athletes, coaches, federations, volunteers, photographers, judges and organisers of the Ocean Spirit Festival, which hosted this latest edition of Eurosurf.
Special thanks to Ms Laura Maria Jesus Rodrigues, Mayor of Torres Vedras, and all her teams who made this edition possible.
See you next year!
In the meantime, the longboarders will be heading back to Salinas for the third stage of the European Tour of Longboard, starting tomorrow!
Mahalo!
All pictures by Tiago Segurado / Ocean Spirit
👉 Ocean Spirit Festival website