The young Canario sounds relaxed, casual, self-confident - and somehow a little bit sleepy - when I pick up the phone in the morning: "Can you call via WhatsApp? Otherwise it'll be expensive for me," he asks kindly. You wouldn't think at first glance that the grinch regularly shoots himself up into eleven-metre-high stalled doubles. His friendly, funny manner makes him seem totally down to earth and completely relaxed. He knows what he can do, but also where his current weaknesses lie. With a clear goal in mind, he loves pushing himself to the next level with his friends and leaving his Pozo comfort zone to do so.
Hi Marino, how are you? Where can I reach you right now?
All good, thanks, I'm currently on Fuerteventura.
But as far as I know, there's no big swell hitting the north coast at the moment, is there? I saw a clip of you yesterday on a freestyle board in the south of the island ...
(Laughs) Yeah, I'm actually here for the Freestyle World Cup. Liam (Dunkerbeck, editor's note) and I have signed up. We're trying to learn as much as possible in freestyle, so we came to Fuerte a bit early.
Have you always been interested in the discipline of freestyle?
Not really until now, I have to say. But now that I'm here, it's really fun to push myself in an area that's new to me. It's exciting and brings variety to the routine. I also know most of the freestylers from the World Cup on Sylt. It's cool to see everyone again and get out on the water with them. However, I don't have any freestyle sails yet, which makes it a bit more difficult to learn the latest moves - ducking is particularly difficult.
I assume you're hoping for a few waves in your heats so that you can score points with jumps that also count in freestyle. Every now and then, a few solid jump ramps come in at Rene Egli's World Cup spot on Fuerte.
Yes, absolutely. Head-high waves came in on my first day here on Fuerte. I could almost jump like I did in Pozo - I even landed a few double forwards that day, for example, which was really fun.
Is freestyle actually boring if you jumped eleven metre high stalled doubles in Pozo the week before in 50 knots?
No, I wouldn't say that. Learning something new is always interesting. When the latest ducking manoeuvre just won't work, I'm more frustrated than bored. I always want to learn something new, and with Liam by my side, who is going through something similar here, it's all the more fun.
Speaking of eleven-metre-high stalled doubles: You've just come back from the Pozo World Cup, where you took a fantastic second place and won the "Red Bull Rockets". Was that the best contest of your life so far?
Definitely! It was my first time on the podium in the pro ranking. It was not only the best contest, but also one of the best days of my life - I will remember it forever. Last year I lost to Victor by just 0.1 points in the Red Bull Rockets, which is all about the highest jump. When the contest format was announced again for this year, I just thought: I'm going to win this year! Nobody will take it from me - and I've done it!
There was no wind in Pozo in the days leading up to the contest this year. Nobody was really able to ride in. Did locals like you have an advantage? After all, you know the spot like the back of your hand.
It's difficult to say. I mean, many of the top riders who don't live here have been coming to Pozo every summer for over ten years and know exactly what to expect. It was a really bad start to the summer this year, that's true. We had one or two windy weeks in May and since then even us locals hardly surfed in Pozo until the World Cup.
But Pozo is not a difficult spot. It's not like Hookipa, where you land directly on the rocks if you don't know the spot or haven't familiarised yourself with it. In Pozo, it's all about being as fast as possible and shooting yourself out high (laughs).
So you felt good before the event?
Yes, very good. I was very relaxed and well rested. I hung out with my friends a lot, which distracted me from thinking too much about the contest and getting nervous. That was great.
What does your daily routine look like on a windy training day at home? Do you still surf for as many hours at a time as you used to?
No, not quite as much (laughs). When I was 13 or 14, I used to surf for four hours in the morning and another three in the evening. Now I try to pick the best times of the day and use them efficiently - when the tide is right and it's not so crowded on the water, so I can concentrate better. I'm taking my training on the water a bit more seriously now.
I try to get all my jumps in the box in a one-hour session in the morning after a good breakfast. Once I've ticked everything off, I come in and take a long lunch break. In the afternoon or evening, I go out again for a bit longer, up to two hours, and try something new on the wave, for example.
You've already finished school and are now fully focussed on your career as a windsurfing pro, right?
Yes, my windsurfing career is currently one hundred per cent in my focus. I want to improve as much as possible and one day wear the world champion crown.
That sounds like a clear goal. When did you actually start windsurfing?
My father put me on the board when I was just seven years old. I started competing in the junior categories when I was eleven. There was a brief period in between when I wasn't so motivated. At the time, my dad just said: "If you don't fancy coming to the beach, just stay at home." He never forced me, but he knew that I would get bored at home and be back the next day (laughs). At 17, I started to take my career more seriously and I've been giving it my all ever since.
I've heard that you learnt jumps like the pushloop into forward extremely quickly. How long did it take you?
The move was really easy for me. The summer before last, I was out in Pozo with a few friends and I said: Today I'm going to push forward. They said I didn't have the guts for it. And then I showed them (laughs). On my very first attempt, I landed relatively harmlessly on my back. The next windy day, I did a few. At the time, I couldn't even do the double forward.
How long did it take you to complete the double?
A bit longer, I have to say. It wasn't so easy for me at the beginning. But one morning I did a clean one - that same evening I started the stalled double. I thought it couldn't be that much harder. I just shot out as high as I could, pulled up twice and landed (laughs).
Is it your friend Liam who you push yourself the most on the water?
Yes, I train with Liam the most. He lives right next door and takes his career just as seriously as I do. We also usually travel together and have a good time together overall.
I generally enjoy surfing with the younger generation around Takuma Sugi, Jake Schettewi, Miguel Chapuis and Julian Salmonn. Julian is also one of my best friends, whenever he comes to Gran Canaria he stays at my house and we surf together.
In the single elimination at the Pozo World Cup, you lost to Brawzinho by just 0.04 points in the final. You could almost call that a tie. Were you disillusioned when you realised how close it was, or did that motivate you?
When I won against Ricardo Campello in the semi-final, I was already incredibly excited. I could hardly believe it. I knew that I had secured a podium place, no matter what happened in the second round. I almost burst into tears on the beach. I was pretty relaxed on the water afterwards and just enjoyed competing in my first final against a rider like Brawzinho. I even managed a pushforward, which was scored with a perfect ten. How could I be disappointed? Although, well, I was a bit annoyed when I realised how close it was and that I could just as easily have won. But as I said, I was so overwhelmed to be on the podium, there was no time to be upset. My motivation was higher than ever afterwards. In the second round, I even won the first final against Brawzinho, but he beat me again in the super final.
You just mentioned your victory against Ricardo Campello. Was Ricardo a kind of mentor for you when you were younger?
Yes, Ricardo used to help me a lot. As a junior, he gave me the most attention of all the pros and helped out wherever he could. He even gave me his small boards and sails when I didn't have any sponsors yet. I will be forever grateful to him for that.
What kind of equipment did you ride at the Pozo World Cup this year?
On the first day, in the single elimination, I rode my 3.4 sail the whole day, it was so windy that I didn't even think about changing to a 3.7. At the end of the week, in the second round, the wind was a little weaker. I first rode 3.7 and then 4.0. My standard Pozo board has 74 litres. I don't ride custom boards in Pozo, only standard boards. I get along really well with that.
How long have you been riding for Goya?
For seven years now. I have a very good relationship with Francisco and Lalo Goya. They are just cool guys who love and live windsurfing. I'm very happy to be part of their team. They help me as much as they can, for example on Maui last winter.
How was your trip to Maui, the island of your least favourite wind direction?
I've learnt a lot, let's put it that way. About boards, about Hookipa, and I learnt to surf a bit better with wind from the right (laughs). I also made a lot of new friends. It was a really cool trip overall, with good waves and cool people.
Do you enjoy riding waves with less wind just as much as shooting yourself into orbit at Pozo?
(Doesn't think twice) I prefer jumping! But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy riding waves. In the future, I don't just want to be a pozo specialist, but a good all-rounder. That's why I'm currently working on my wave riding and, if I can, I also train when the wind blows from the right.
Does that mean you will also try to prove yourself at more exotic IWT/PWA wave events in the future, where surfing is the main focus? I mean, you've shown the world this summer that you're one of the best jump pilots with wind from the left.
Yes, definitely! At the event in Chile at the beginning of the year, I missed the final by such a damn small margin. That annoyed me so much. I know that I need to train more in offshore conditions. I swore to myself that it wouldn't happen again.
Do you like travelling or do you prefer being at home in Gran Canaria?
It's all in the mix. I love travelling, but I also love being back home. I spend a lot of time in Gran Canaria with my family, our dog and my friends. I miss that when I'm travelling. When I had to stay at home during the pandemic, it wasn't bad for me at all as I had so many nice things to do.
When you came out of the water after the final in Pozo, your father was the first to arrive with your dog. Is he also a kind of coach or caddy for you?
My father always helps me everywhere and is one of my best friends.
In conclusion: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully I'll already be world champion in the wave or at least one of the top riders fighting for the title - in all conditions, not just in Pozo.
