At the start of the year Frederico Morais was feeling pretty good about life. Having dropped off tour in 2018 after two years on the CT, Kikas roared back to surfing’s top table last year. Wins in the Azores, Portugal and Haleiwa saw him end 2019 as No. 1 on the QS.
A solid winter at home, followed by a pre-season in Australia saw him fully prepped for the Goldy. Of course, we know now that Covid -19 put an end to all that business. Fred returned to his home in Cascais, just outside of Lisbon and has been out of the water ever since.
One positive though is that he had time to work on a banger new clip, called My Place. Not only does it shows just how good the waves get in Portugal; it also illustrated what the CT has missed out on so far this year. Tracks caught up with Fred to talk through the clip and his current state of mind.
Tracks: What’s happening Fred?
Fred: I’ve been at home, we can’t really surf. I had one surf after I got back from Australia and then the beaches were closed. So I’ve been training, working on this clip and trying to stay positive.
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How were you feeling before all the Covid-19 madness?
I had a really good pre-season in Australia. We had a great training block on the Gold Coast with my coach Dog Marsh and Leo Fioravanti and Nikki Van Dijk. I had a new batch of boards off JS which felt amazing. I just felt great and was so pumped to get back on the CT.
And then it went to shit?
Well, yes, it’s frustrating, but we are all on the same page and in the greater scheme of things there are way more important things than the Tour, so we just have to wait it out and try and come back stronger.
At least you could work on the edit. When was that filmed?
The clip was all filmed mostly during February, just before I went to Oz. We had some sick swells and it was great to hunt the whole coast and get a clip together because usually, we don’t have much time during the year to do that.
And there are even some big rotors thrown in?
Aha, yes me and Dog have been working on that side of my surfing, so it was good to make a couple and have them make the edit. As soon as we get back in the water, we’ll get back to it.
And that left looks pretty heavy?
Yes, for sure. Those were the biggest and heaviest waves I’ve ever had at home, maybe anywhere. I was lucky that we had a great crew in the water. Guys like Nic Von Rupp and Tom Lowe, plus all the local chargers and bodyboarders. All the crew were so supportive, and on point with safety, so it made a huge difference.