The European Tour of Bodyboard (ETB) officially kicked off its 2026 season this week at the Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit Festival, with Portugal's top riders delivering outstanding performances across all four competition categories.
As the opening stop of this year's European circuit, the event brought together riders from across Europe to compete in Open Men, Open Women, Pro Junior Boys and Pro Junior Girls, reaffirming Santa Cruz's status as one of Europe's premier bodyboarding destinations.
In the Open Men's division, Miguel Ferreira (Portugal) claimed the first ETB victory of the season with a score of 11.65, finishing ahead of fellow Portuguese riders Vicente Campos and Frederico Castelo Branco, while Issam Mouyass (Morocco) completed the podium in fourth place.
While the Open Men and Pro Junior Boys divisions marked their first appearance of the 2026 ETB season, the women's categories arrived in Santa Cruz following the season-opening Boogie Chicks, the women-only event that launched this year's European Tour.
After finishing third at Boogie Chicks, Luana Dourado stepped up to claim victory in the Open Women division with an impressive 15.75, ahead of Filipa Broeiro, who had finished runner-up at the opening event. Former World Champion Joana Schenker and Mariana Silva completed the final.
Portugal continued its dominance in the junior divisions. Vicente Nunes secured victory in the Pro Junior Boys category, ahead of Vicente Campos, Orion Christ (France) and Kyoshi Santos. In the Pro Junior Girls, Carolina Dias secured her first ETB victory of the season after finishing runner-up at Boogie Chicks, while the opening event winner Luana Dourado added another podium with second place. Alice Teotónio and Nikita Djerrahian-Badilla rounded out the top four.
ETB Santa Cruz 2026 Results
Open Men
- Miguel Ferreira (Portugal)
- Vicente Campos (Portugal)
- Frederico Castelo Branco (Portugal)
- Issam Mouyass (Morocco)
Open Women
- Luana Dourado (Portugal)
- Filipa Broeiro (Portugal)
- Joana Schenker (Portugal)
- Mariana Silva (Portugal)
Pro Junior Boys
- Vicente Nunes (Portugal)
- Vicente Campos (Portugal)
- Orion Christ (France)
- Kyoshi Santos (Portugal)
Pro Junior Girls
- Carolina Dias (Portugal)
- Luana Dourado (Portugal)
- Alice Teotónio (Portugal)
- Nikita Djerrahian-Badilla (Portugal)
Hosted as part of the renowned Santa Cruz Ocean Spirit Festival, the event combined elite-level competition with a vibrant programme of cultural, environmental and community activities, once again showcasing the strong connection between surfing culture and the local community.
Following a successful opening event in Portugal, the European Tour of Bodyboard now heads to Anglet, France, where the second stop of the 2026 season will take place from 25–27 September. With the first rankings now established, Europe's best bodyboarders will continue their quest for the continental titles on the French Atlantic coast.