Bernardo Jeronimo

I hope everyone enjoyed last weeks feature and given that this month and next sees the focus stay on Portugal with the Sintra Pro from 11th- 16th sep which will also play host to the eagerly anticipated DK World Championships, can defending world champion Sammy Morrentino hang on to his title?

Then the Viana World BB championships 24th - 30th sep, will defending champ Iain Campbell retain his crown ?

Then my personal favourite, the Nazare Pro at Praia Do Norte,

Running from 4th - 14 oct, such a beautiful town with world class waves and beautiful shops and restaurants and of course the iconic shrine to big wave riding up on the hill.

We thought it very fitting to highlight another of Portugals underground talents, Bernardo Jerónimo.

In Bernardo's own words......

"Hi I am 29 and I am from Figueira da Foz, a little Portuguese city but at the moment I am living in Galdar, Canary Islands with my girlfriend Ana Clara.

It was almost 20 years ago when I first tried body boarding, I was around 10 years old and it was during the summer holidays with a couple of friends.

My crew was mainly my sister Joana! She was a good bodyboarder at the time I started, she won the only competition she got into and she used to let me catch some waves with her board when she wasn’t surfing and that was the beginning of everything.

My hero growing up was Luis “Porkito” Pereira, he was the guy! I was lucky enough to grow up with him by my side in Figueira da Foz and he was a real inspiration not only to me but to all the community in general, pushing the limits at Nazaré and being progressive on all types of waves.

My favourite local wave is The edge, the best wave of Figueira da Foz and one of the best Portuguese beach breaks! also Cave! That´s one of those waves that makes you feel alive. For me the most dangerous wave I have ever surfed in my life!

In the world In my opinion the best wave is El Fronton, where I am living now!

That wave is just the most versatile wave I have ever seen!! You got barrels, you got ramps, small it´s good, big it´s good… Personally the best wave in the world!

My first board was a Rheopaipo hornet and in Figueira da Foz we used to be like a bodyboarding family, we hung out with each other all the time like brothers “hunting” the best waves in the country.

Nuno Trovão, Luis Pereira, Jaime Jesus, Fabio Laureano, Miguel Adão, Nuno Martelo, João Faim, João Traveira, Vasco Tonel, João Lé are some of the members of our crew but there are many more.

I quit competing a long time ago because I wasn’t good competing under pressure so I decided to quit! That wasn’t my type of surfing! I did the world tour once and I finished top 30, but, I wasn´t enjoying surfing like that, my focus right now is free surf 100% and traveling the world looking for the best waves with my girlfriend, that’s the way I feel happier! Just enjoying life!

Right now I am working in a Portuguese restaurant in Las Palmas of Gran Canaria and I divide my time between my job, the waves and my girlfriend. This way I can earn the money to keep with my dreams.

Unfortunately, I am not a professional bodyboarder because our sport doesn’t give the athletes the opportunity to live from that in a comfortable way! Even some of the top riders struggle year after year to maintain themselves competing on the tour.

Despite that, I am riding for one of the best bodyboard brands on the market, Milk Bodyboards, a French Bodyboard brand and Janga Wetsuits, a Portuguese brand from my hometown and both trust on my free surf skills and I organize images and videos to promote my image and theirs!

Janga! It´s my home town brand I just love it! The design of the clothes and quality, the materials and the durability… It´s just the best clothing brand for me!

Music to get me pumped? It must be rock, punk rock or Hip Hop I got plenty of groups that I like to listen to but Pennywise, Led zeppelin, Incubus, Cypress Hill are definitely in my top list.

I have so many memories that I can’t even select the best ones, but surfing with dolphins and wales while I was living in Australia was very special!

Right now with my job I can surf during the morning every day and all daylong during my weekend when the waves are pumping here in Galdar but, during my vacations, I am planning to go travel somewhere else, to get away from the routine!

I just love travelling around the globe, we must feel what it must be living with some other cultures, different reality’s! All the trips that I make I try to eat local, normally I don’t reserve any hotels I just go and I organize myself when I get to the place, it sounds a little bit crazy but normally it works pretty well and it´s cheaper than reserving hotels and spending your money not with locals but with big touristic resorts and websites.

I am planning to spent the rest of my life doing what I love to do, travelling, bodyboarding and living next to the ocean, I can’t imagine myself living away from it!

I wish I could do it with the people that I love by my side, that’s my main goal and what I will try to do as long as possible!

Thanks LidLife for sharing my story .....

Photo Credits include:

Van Life Productions

Diogo d'orey @inwaterwetrust

Milk Bodyboards

Kris Martin

Jansje Badenhorst

Bernardo keep following that dream and keep travelling it is the spice of life, thank you for catching up with us.

Next week we head back to Australia to catch up with Silas Ganciar Brazilian born living on the Gold Coast.

In association with

VAN LIFE PRODUCTIONS