Paulino Pereira heads to Cape Verde on a forecast and scores the trip of a lifetime as the outer reefs show their heads and deliver a swell he'll never forget!

Paulino Pereira isn’t your typical pro kiteboarder, the Portuguese ripper has been a regular feature on the GKA World Tour where he consistently gives the likes of Airton, Matchu and Mitu a run for their money! When you consider he holds down a “full time” job, it makes his achievements even more impressive. His ability to handle huge conditions is undeniable, and his recent trip to Cape Verde showcased just how versatile a rider he is!

Living in Lisbon, I'm lucky as I'm just a 4-hour direct flight away from the Cape Verde Islands.

This past winter, the wind conditions have been unusually unreliable in Portugal, and so, I was constantly checking the forecast on Sal Island, knowing the winds and swells were bound to hit!

Earlier this year, Sal had amazing swells, which I was gutted to miss due to work commitments, but I was eager to make a trip over there as soon as possible. In my opinion, Sal is the perfect place to train for wave riding and strapless freestyle. You can get left and right-handers with ideal conditions. My favourite spot on earth is Ponta Preta; that wave is unbeatable!

My GKA tour mates Matchu Lopes and Ralph Boelen had been in Santa Maria for over a month, training, and they constantly kept me updated on the conditions. Even though we are competitors on the World Tour, we continuously support each other, and we are great friends!

Finally, I received the news I'd been desperately waiting for, two big swells were coming from Northwest that would hit the islands spot on, and the numbers were looking encouraging! I checked flights and gave my boss notice that I would need to take a few days off to tend to some serious business.  He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what I meant! I think he is used to it by now with all the competitions I've been to recently. I'm so grateful that I can leave at the drop of a hat! 

I work for the Portuguese Air Force as an aircraft electronics mechanic. In a nutshell, I'm responsible for the maintenance of the planes. People often ask me how I get so much free time to do the World Tour. As I work for the Portuguese State, I represent Portugal on tour, and I have a special permit to compete in world competitions. As long as I work out my time off with my colleagues, and make sure the progress of the workflow is maintained, then it's all good! Of course, I can't be travelling all the time. Juggling work and training makes it hard to stay on top of my game, especially during the winter months where the wind isn't very consistent in Portugal, and I am unable to train at home. However, somehow, I've managed to make it work.

I got a call from Matchu saying that Ponta Preta would be on fire with the forecast coming through, and if a local says this, then it must be true! It was time to get the ball rolling! Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I organised a video shoot with photographers Ricardo Pinto and Diogo Cardoso. I try my best to promote Ozone with images and videos as much as possible, as they have supported me for many years and also, it's a great excuse to ride for fun in between competing, and squeeze in an adventure!

The conditions were indeed pumping all the week; there was plenty of time in between the competition to make trips to the north of the island where we scored some spectacular solo sessions. Yes, alone, just me, myself scoring the clean sets one after another for the photographer - a dream come true! There are a few spots on the north coast that are very risky if you get yourself into trouble. That's why there are usually only a handful of people riding over there. Being alone is not the best example to follow, even if it was a dream, the risks are high. If in doubt, stay safe, don't do what I do!

Back to the competition, Ponta Preta as I said before is my ultimate favourite spot for wave kiting, and I feel confident competing in the conditions there. I usually ride with the Reo as the wind is a bit offshore, and it makes it way easier. People regularly ask me how I can snap, and bottom turn like it was side-wind conditions, I think it's down to the Reo's good de-power, drift and low weight characteristics, it makes it forgiving and easy to handle. I was thrilled to get the best score on the first day, just like I had done the previous year. It was a perfect deep barrel; probably one of the best ones I've ever experienced there. The barrels in Ponta Preta usually are not so hollow, and I got the chance to shine on a deep one, and that was phenomenal!

My results were ok, my mission was to get a spot on the podium, but the level of riding is exceptionally high. During the competition, there is a lot to account for; wave selection, barrel or snap, air or floater. It's always a big decision of what to include in the flow, and sometimes, a tiny mistake can set you back, and you can end up losing by 0.3 points in the semifinals heat, and that's just how it went for me, unfortunately!

Once the competition was over for me, we had more time to get some great sessions on Sal Island; both wave and freestyle. Even though we were driving a lot, we still managed to get in three to four sessions a day, taking all the juice from the swell that was continually hitting the island and getting some insane shots.

We got lucky when the waves filled in a lagoon just in front of Ponta Preta. A perfectly mirror flat lagoon where we took a lot of photos and freeride videos. If that lagoon existed all year, I could easily see the wakestyle riders coming here to train; it was like Cauipe, simply incredible!

One of the places worth a visit on the island is the famous salt ponds of Pedra Lume known as 'Salinas of Sal Island'. Pedra de Lume has been famous for its salt ponds forming in the middle of a natural crater, exploitation of which began in the early 18th century. Reading up on it, geologists say the waters in the lake rise from deep in the earth rather than from lateral infiltration from the ocean. It is hard to believe there is always water in it, even though it seldom rains. Its deep infiltrations make it an automatic salt factory, giving meaning to the name of the island.

I'm sure all kiteboarders that visit Salinas think, how magical it would it be to kiteboard there! I've said the same many times, but it is a natural reserve, and they don't usually allow kiteboarding. With the camera crew at hand, this was one of those opportunities not to miss, and we decided to go for it.

The resulting images were unimaginable, a truly once in a lifetime session. Rest assured, we didn't go illegally! We tracked down the owner, and he gave us special permission as long as we were quick, respected the wildlife and didn't go anywhere close to the visitors.

As we drove in, it all came together! The wind, although gusty, was howling, and we found a spot in the red lake that matched the red Enduro I was riding. I couldn't believe I could tick this off my wish list. It was a fantastic experience but also quite painful, the salt got into all the cuts on my legs and stung like hell.

There was a small grassy area where I managed to launch the kite without scratching it, the rest of the area was extremely abrasive, easy to cut your feet, as well as your kite! The salt is so rough on the bottom that when you hit it with the board, it feels like concrete. My poor CodeV1 came out with a fair amount of scratches, ones I now look at fondly reminding me of this extraordinary experience!

By the end of the session, even though it was short, I was completely white, full of salt from head to toe, and beyond thirsty… thirsty for more!

The whole trip was terrific; the swell produced waves that dreams are made of! I got a top scoring wave in the competition, I had barreling waves to myself, I rode the salt lagoon, and we went home with beautiful images and videos.

This place is so special and unique; I feel fortunate to ride and enjoy these islands and to have friends there that keep me connected to the swell updates! Now I am back at work, but I always keep an eye on the forecast ready for the next dream swell to appear.

Videos

GKA Cabo Verde 2019 | DAY 1
By Paulino Pereira

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