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ARE YOU READY FOR IT? POZO 2025 BUILD-UP & PREDICTIONS!

Buckle up folks…it’s that time of year again when the world’s best windsurfers descend on the wild and windswept shores of Pozo! We’ve whipped up a whirlwind preview featuring the key contenders, a look back at last year’s crazy showdowns, plus bold predictions from our elite panel of carefully selected expert pundits… Sarah Quita Offringa, Dieter Van Der Eyken, Lucas Meldrum, Robby Swift, Timo Mullen and Finn Mellon. So, hold on to your hats and get ready for Pozo 2025!

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So, who’s your money on for Pozo 2025?

Will Philip Köster come back from his 3rd place finish last year with a vengeance, unleashing his signature impeccable double loops and powerhouse onshore stunts? We heard he was unhappy with the way he was judged last year…he even threw down a triple loop in the losers final out of frustration. That means he could be on the warpath this year! Or…can Marcilio Browne keep his unbeaten tour streak alive now he is up against the Pozo locals? Of course you can’t discount Marino Gil, the 2024 champ, who could easily serve up another home-turf masterclass?

What about the women?…we heard on the grapevine that Daida Moreno is on the entry list once again, the queen of Pozo could well throw a spanner in the works for the 2025 title race. Obviously, Sarah Quita Offringa is a perennial threat, last year’s winner is one to watch and we are still waiting with bated breath to hear if Lina Erpenstein will be ready after her injury in Chile….fingers crossed she can take part. Don’t discount Justyna Sniady who has been ripping in the warm-up sessions in Pozo and Vargas! Meanwhile, Alexia Kiefer…Pozo local is on a hot streak and knows this spot better than most. Also watch out for Sol Degrieck (still only 15!), who is growing taller and stronger by the day and has been putting in the hours training in Pozo this year.

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ON THE RADAR

Yep, its closing in fast… Pozo is now firmly on the radar and all the players will be heading to Gran Canaria early to acclimatize to port tack onshore, after a string of mostly wave-riding-only events. Marcilio Browne and Robby Swift have already jetted in from Maui along with their families and have been straight into the thick of the action. We have seen Marcilio landing back loops on the wave so it looks like he is already getting dialled in.

The locals have been out in force, showing who is boss at their home break! Philip Köster has been throwing push forwards for fun as well as back loops on the wave. Who knows what other tricks this Pozo magician has up his sleeve. Liam Dunkerbeck has been throwing down the moves and Marino Gil can fly into Gran Canaria air space when it gets windy. The Japanese crew, which include Takuma Sugi and Takara Ishii are also in town and those boys have plenty of Pozo experience under their belts and could cause some upsets!

Oooh yes don’t forget Ricardo Campello who is no doubt one of the best port tack jumpers on the planet. He will be sailing on the ‘Monkey’ his new signature sail. If Campello can get on a roll, he could also be unstoppable with his crazy stalled doubles, extreme push forwards, insane table tops off the lips and huge frontside hacks.

Think…tiny sails, relentless howling wind, rocket airs and onshore chaos. This isn’t your average windsurfing location…it’s a full-on battleground and survival of the fittest.

The 2025 entry list is stacked. The seasoned vets are quivering in their foot straps while the young guns are hungry to make their mark. Expect high drama, ridiculous jumps, and massive bail outs…

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Quick recap from last year:

Marino Gil took the win in style on his new JP / NeilPryde gear, edging out Julian Salmonn (no doubles or push forwards!) in second. Philip Köster had to settle for third, while surprise sensation PWA freestyle champion Dieter Van Der Eyken nailed fourth. World champion Marcilio Browne, always a crowd favourite, powered through the double elimination like a man possessed, climbing all the way to 9^th…which, thanks to the format last year was as far as he could progress. We are not sure yet if it will be the same format this year or the PWA will return to a full double elimination…Maybe they will wait for the forecast?

Meanwhile, Marc Paré, Simmer’s main man, missed out due to injury. But he’s back, fired up and sailing better than ever. Keep an eye on him. In some of his latest video clips he is absolutely on fire.

In the women, it was Sarah Quita Offringa who came out on top in the absence of Daida Moreno but we hear that Daida is considering entering again this year.

Meanwhile Lina Erpenstien is serious doubt after picking up a nasty injury in Chile so it could be down to the likes of Justyna Sniady, Alexia Kiefer or Sol Degrieck who could land the podium slots.

Get ready…Pozo’s about to go nuclear.

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POZO PREDICTIONS

Who’s your pick for the podium? Let the pre-event debates (and our wildly inaccurate predictions) begin!

OK…We are going to throw our hat in the ring and here are the Windsurf Magazine’s top three predictions for men and women in 2025 at Pozo. We have also included a few wild cards who we predict could outdo their expectations…here goes…

WINDSURF

Men’s Wave

1: Philip Köster …yep it’s about time Köster shows them who boss in Pozo. We reckon he is sailing better than ever…as long as the conditions are firing he will be tough to beat at his home break.

2: Marcilio Browne…bit boring but Marcilio is a machine these days and such is his crazy level, he is just so hard to beat. He comes with a clear game plan, totally prepared, bangs out doubles and push forwards for fun and rips in the waves. He is also very well backed by Goya and is never short of equipment designed specifically for him.

3: Marino Gil…last Years winner, goes massive but does he quite have the same mental strength and consistency of Philip Köster and Marcilio Browne…we will see.

Women’s Wave.

1: Hmmm this is tough one…Daida Moreno. We think the queen of Pozo has the experience and the skills to win at here home spot. Daida is fiercely competitive and has all the moves. One way or another she will be hard to beat in Pozo unless the conditions are mediocre.

2: Sarah Quita Offringa…She has incredible skills and she could well go all the way. Does Daida intimidate her? That is a possibility…so Sarah will have to get her game face on and unleash all of here skills to win back to back in Pozo.

3: Justyna Sniady: We are giving the third slot to Justyna Sniady who looks to be going a lot higher this year in the jumps department. Her wave riding is solid and if she can raise here game in the jumps we think she is a contender!

Wild Cards

Simmer’s main man, Marc Pare returning from injury last year could go all the way. From some of the videos we have seen he is on fire and judging by his last two events, he is hungrier than ever to make up for lost time. Check out his stalled double on Instagram! Trains hard, works hard on his equipment and is full of passion, Pare is one to watch. We also reckon the likes of Liam Dunkerbeck could break into the top four in waves and his Duotone team-mate Victor Fernandez is not to be discounted either. Oooh then there is Campello and Antoine Martin…boy this is tough narrowing it down.

In the women’s battle Alexia Kiefer is one that could even win in if the chips fall into place and also keep an eye on Lisa Wermeister and Maria Morales who are both improving sailors and could be forces to be reckoned with.

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LUCAS MELDRUM

MEN:

For men I think Philip Köster, Marc Pare, Marino Gil.

WOMEN:

For women Daida, if she competes, Sarah Quita Offringa, Alexia Kiefer.

LM: “I think Philip Köster will win this year I sense he has some unfinished business and he’s sailing very well. Marc just looks flawless from what I’ve seen with a lot of style and Marino has it all too after winning last year I think he’ll be up there again.

Daida’s free sailing is better than ever, 360s, shakas and landing some doubles, I don’t think anyone can match it. Amazing how she’s still improving every year! Sarah Q is always solid and competitively so in tune and Alexia’s wave riding and turns are some of the best including the men so I think that will take here to the podium again.

WILD CARD

In the men, I think Adam Warchol could be a dark horse. He’s kind of out the radar for many people but he’s slowly becoming one of the most powerful sailors on tour, almost Polakow style. He’s also now living in Pozo so knows the spot very well.

Pozo survival tips!

Probably eat a lot of cake and bulk up so you don’t fly away on the windy days…ha ha.

Be careful where you rig your kit as some places the wind swirls around and can blow your board away…

Bring the smallest sail and board you have!

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DIETER VAN DER EYKEN

Top 3 men predictions

1: Philip Köster …I think his out for some revenge and he has been looking good on the wave which if you combine with his jumps is pretty unbeatable!

2: Marino Gill, been sailing good but let’s see how he deals with the pressure of being last year’s event winner.

3: Marcilio Browne…We haven’t seen him sail yet recently on port tack onshore but if you looked how dominant he was in the double elimination last year it’s hard to count him out..

Hot shot to make the final Marc Pare, haven’t seen him sail but he has made a podium before has won two world cups so far and loves strong wind..

Young Blood,

I think Carlos Kiefer will step up good this year since he finally started to wave ride & puts quite some more time into it. Plus he got twice as big so if it goes ballistically windy he will have no problems at all.. Gregory Stathopoulos (on Goya) from from Greece also has been sailing well in Pozo. He likes the strong winds has the moves on the wave quite dialled in and will get his doubles pretty sorted by the contest start I would say!

Own chances: I will be happy to sail top 10, more is possible potentially (less as well since the level is incredibly high) but will depend a lot on the circumstances. I feel good in my sailing but know I also need some more “difficult” conditions to excel in.

Top 3 Woman’s predictions

1: Daida Moreno, the queen is back and she is still ripping. She will be difficult to beat.

2: Sarah Quita Offringa, she will be gunning for a good result and in my opinion the one that can get closest to Daida.

3: Alexia Kiefer, she made her first podium at home last year, she did have an injury but is back on the water from what I have heard.

Lina Erpenstein, still will be keen to compete but after her injury in Chile it’s a race against time to see if she will be able to compete or not… Iballa has been sailing the best I have seen over winter on her wave riding so it will depends how the jumping goes and if she can cause some drama like in Tenerife last year.

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FINN MELLON

Top 3 predictions

Men – Marc Pare, Marcilio Browne and Philip Köster.

Order hard to predict but I think this year might be Marc’s year at Pozo. He’s looking on fire and has had a good winter traveling. I feel he’s on a strong roll.

Women – Sarah Quita, Lina Erpenstien and Pauline Katz.

I’m not sure if the Moreno twin’s are doing the event but if so, they must be in the top three contention. Otherwise, I see Lina and Sarah battling for gold. I also have a good feeling about Pauline’s sailing at Pozo, she’s been training real while by the looks of things.

Wildcard Sailor 

Men- Dieter Van Der Eyken and Liam Dunkerbeck!

Women- Sol Degrieck.

They are all fantastic sailors. I think Sol might have a breakthrough event one of these years so why not now? I saw her working on some good new wave moves.

On the men’s side I think Dieter is a great wildcard pick (Does that count after his great result last year? Ha ha) I feel he is such a technical sailor and sails such a clever heat so I can see him working his way through some good heats. And I heard he’s been doing some nice doubles!

Top 3 tips for surviving Pozo

1. Bring an impact suit. Takes away some of the back slap.
2. Look after your body! Pozo batter’s your feet, hands, back etc so look after yourself if you want to clock up plenty of hours on the water!
3. Learn how to rig your small sails well!

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ROBBY SWIFT

I would have to say it’s between Braw, Marino, Philip, Marc Pare and possibly Victor but I have a feeling the others might be a bit strong now. Actually forgot to mention Ricardo as he hasn’t been competing in the past few events. Definitely add him to the possible top 3 situation!!

Braw is Braw, he has been training like a machine. Very strong in the air and on the waves. Philip is Philip! He is also a machine. I think he was really underscored last year but his sailing is incredible. I hope he gets the correct scores this year. Marino is the youngest of the incredible Pozo sailors now. Full of fire, extremely technically sound and has a confidence about his sailing, both in and out of competition. I think he will be hard to beat. Marc wasn’t able to compete in Pozo last year but won a couple of events right after so I think he will be fired up and on a mission. He will certainly be one to watch. I saw some videos of him ripping recently. On top form!

WILDCARD

Myself and Dieter managed to put ourselves in that picture last year. I would love to push into that bracket again, or even higher if I can! I have been training a lot so we will see. I think Alessio will be super fired up. He has been ripping. Julian Salmon did really well last year too, 2nd place. He will be one to watch.

POZO TIPS

I like to get there early as I think you need to try to expose yourself to those kinds of winds a lot to get comfortable in the strong, gusty winds. It’s also a little counterintuitive but going fast makes it feel like you have less power in your sail so don’t be scared and go slow. If you’re new to Pozo, I would recommend to stay up wind and away from the bunker. There are always a lot of pros going really fast in and out down at the bunker and it can be intimidating. Also, there are nice little waves to ride up wind and some jump ramps without the threat of ending up on the shallow reef full of sea urchins. Many people head down to the bunker as soon as they get there and have an unfortunate, spiky walk of shame to get back in and then back up the beach, so try to avoid that!!

I always try to warm up before sailing and stretch in the evenings. It helps get the body supple enough to handle the chop and the gusty winds. Also, do a bit of pre-training before you come. I always try to bulk up in the gym a bit before coming here, so I have a little extra muscle to handle the impacts. It seems to help!

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TIMO MULLEN

MEN

1: Marc Pare… I think he just wants it more than anyone else, he has the skills, he has the moves and he is in that next level where he can do everything but he has a different explosive element to his sailing, he makes the difficult moves look difficult, he is raw!

2: Philip Köster…The video parts you most look forward too pre the event, Philip again is in that other league, I’d say he gets screwed over by the judges a lot, probably because everything he does is so perfect, so it makes the moves he his doing look too easy.  He should be getting extra points not less! Everyone wants to watch a Kelly Slater heat, Philip falls into that category…the GOAT at Pozo.

3: Victor Fernandez…This is my wild card, but not so wild in my opinion.  He wants another World Title, you can tell, he is super relaxed, he has all the moves, maybe lacking the Push Forward (he might well have those now) but he is technically unbeatable on a scoresheet!!

WOMEN

1: Daida Moreno: She is back and throwing doubles!  She has all the moves, Goitas, 360’s, all the jumps, on paper she should win but she has had a few unlucky heats at Pozo conditions wise that can wobble her.

3: Alexia Kiefer: I love her style, she has the turns and the jumps, and the local knowledge, she is always smiling, so that alone should put her on the podium!!

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SARAH QUITA OFFRINGA

Women:

1: Daida Moreno

2: Sara Quita Offringa

3: Justyna Sniady

I don’t think Lina will compete due to her injury..

I asked Daida if she’s competing the other day… and she said she’s thinking about it!

In that case, I do think she will dominate. I’ve seen her sailing and saw some clips, and she is not messing around, and possibly sailing better than ever. Any of us would have to have an outstanding heat and her an average heat to have any hopes of winning honestly. Either way, I love the challenge and will give it my all.

Justina has spent so much time in Pozo and has really good strategy in the contests, besides that she has a solid variety of jumps, which for me will put her in the top three.

Lisa Wermeister has been a stand-out rider to for me in general. I’ve seen her spent hour and hours on the water, in any conditions. And I can see her pushing. I think she could do really well if she can just keep her head on her shoulders!

Of course, Alexia Kiefer, Pauline Katz and Maria Morales will also be out there giving everyone a hard time.

Men:

Philip Köster

Marc Paré

Braw

Marino Gil

I can actually see any of these 4 take the win. But I’m nudging a little more towards Philip Köster for the win, as he’s done that multiple times and I’m sure he wants to reclaim the Pozo title after last year.

Everyone is amazing, but Philip’s jumps look effortless. To the point that they look easy.

Besides that, he always has something special up his sleeve while wave riding.

It’s hard to put an order on the next riders but I feel like Marc is so solid in competition since last year. It will be really cool to see him make it to the top.

Braw, is the most complete rider of them all and super fun to watch always in Pozo so would love to see him on top.

And then Marino as last year’s winner…I wonder if he will feel a bit more pressure to do it again?

But you know…he’s sailing so solid and he’s extremely confident. I think he will just go out and rip again.

Let’s see what Takuma Sugi does this year! I think he’s still flying under the radar, even though he really stands out on the water!

Tips for surviving Pozo nuclear winds:

I broke my board on my first 3.3 session after 10 minutes. I dropped out of the sky on top of it.

And then the second session I came out of the water extremely frustrated not having tried a single jump.

Which, is the fairly normal procedure here. Every year you start over again.

The first couple of sessions you feel like you can’t do anything.

And then after 3-4 sessions you start getting into it and really enjoy.

So, I feel like the best way to tackle Pozo is to not have too high expectations and take it session by session.

Eventually it’s the most normal thing in the world sailing in 45 knots on a 3.3m sail.

If you’re not sailing and the wind is driving you crazy. Have a coffee at El Viento and watch the action.

Or get out of Pozo for the afternoon and enjoy a whole different scenery in the South, or go for a drive to Las Palmas 🙂

PWA WORLD TOUR

WORLD WAVE TOUR

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BEST JUMPS OF 2024!

 

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