The last goodbye of Tiago Pires to competition

CASCAIS (January 21 2025) – Tiago Pires, the first Portuguese surfer to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour back in 2007, is giving his last goodbye to competition during the 11th annual Capitulo Perfeito powered by Billabong, the invitational tuberiding contest taking place at Carcavelos Beach, Portugal, with a waiting period running until March 11th.

After announcing his retirement from professional surfing in 2016, Tiago stopped competing altogether with just a few, very selective exceptions, the Capitulo Perfeito being one of them. Now, the event that brings together the best tuberiders in the world for a one-day, one-swell competition is hosting the ultimate goodbye of the Portuguese Tiger to competition, with a special farewell ceremony which will mark the start of the final heat.

You can’t really tell the story of the Capitulo Perfeito powered by Billabong without mentioning the greatest Portuguese surfer of all time. Tiago was the event’s very first champion after winning the inaugural edition back in 2012 with a 10-point ride in the final. In 2015, while finishing in 3rd place, he claimed the event’s top honor of being awarded with the Ricardo dos Santos trophy, a special award reserved to the most fearless and committed surfer of the competition.

Tiago’s campaign in professional surfing circuits remains unmatchable in the Portuguese surfing scene, especially when it comes to riding barrels. Apart from 10-point rides scored in the most challenging event venues, with special emphasis on the Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline in 2005 and the Billabong Pro Tahiti at Tehaupoo in 2008 (his debut year in the Championship Tour), he also stood out in the Rip Curl Pro Search 2008 after getting tirelessly barreled at Uluwatu on his way to a Top 3 finish. A few years later, in 2014, once again the Billabong Pro Tahiti saw Tiago giving one of his best performances ever during his 3rd round heat, securing the win with a 9.67 and a 9.00 and still discarding an 8.57, an 8.00 and a 7.50.

Away from the competitions, the Portuguese Tiger was also a pioneer in surfing hostile, deadly barreling waves. He was one of the first surfers to tow-in at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, and one of the first to surf the Cave, Ericeira’s below-sea-level slab that once cracked John John Florence’s head open. In 2011, Tiago introduced the infamous Portuguese wave to Kelly Slater, in an historic surf session with just the two of them in the water.

Tiago’s ultimate retirement from competition is expected to be a memorable moment highlighting the 11th annual Capitulo Perfeito powered by Billabong. With this special ceremony, contest directors are aiming to celebrate and honor not only Tiago’s campaign on the Capitulo Perfeito but also his unmatchable career, and above all his love for barrels.

The 11th annual Capitulo Perfeito powered by Billabong remains on hold until contest directors determine an ideal swell lining up in the Atlantic Ocean, providing the event with the highest chances of scoring the heavy spitting barrels Carcavelos is world-famous for. Aritz Aranburu, Balaram Stack, Bruno Santos, Clay Marzo, Craig Anderson, João Guedes, João Maria Mendonça, Miguel Blanco, Nic von Rupp, Noa Deane, Noah Beschen, Pedro Boonman, Rob Machado, Santiago Graça, and Tiago Stock are on call for when the event gets the green light.

In 2025, for the first time in the history of the event, contest directors are holding one final wildcard – Performance Wildcard – to be a last-minute appointment, allowing them to keep an eye on the season’s best performances and address an ultimate invitation to a world-class tube wizard.

This year there’s a 50.000 EUR global prize money on the table. Watch live at www.capituloperfeito.com once the event is called ON.