This was the first time a night surfing and Jiu Jitsu tournament was held in Costa Rica, where a cash prize pool of $1800 was also distributed.
Last weekend, the first event of the Tsunami Sushi Surfing & Jiu Jitsu Fight Nights, presented by Monster Energy, took place at Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica. This is the first time a night surfing and Jiu Jitsu tournament has been held in Costa Rica, and it also featured a prize pool of $1,800.
The event consisted of 5 heats of surfing, man to man, without the priority system and with the assistance of 3 judges, where the judging was totally free, that is, without any head judge and where the score of each one was independent of the criteria or judging of another judge.
This year it was decided to integrate Jiu Jitsu into the event, with the aim of increasing the spectator experience, since both sports are considered very similar. Many people from the GAM who train in this sport during the week go to the beach on weekends to practice surfing, hence the idea of ​​integrating them into the event.
These were the athletes who participated in this first edition and the winners of each surfing heat:
Heat 1: Carlos Urbina vs. Manuel Mesen / Winner: Manuel Mesen
Heat 2: Axel Castro vs. Andy ChacĂłn / Winner: Axel Castro
Heat 3: David Monge vs Anthony Segura / Winner: Anthony Segura
Heat 4: Darshan Antequera vs Maykol Torres / Winner: Maykol Torres
Heat 5: Carlos Muñoz vs Oscar Urbina / Winner: Carlos Muñoz.
Four Jiu-Jitsu matches were held, each lasting seven minutes, featuring nationally recognized athletes from the GAM (Grupo de Arte y Militar) known for their performance. Each match ended in a draw, and the participants were as follows:
Fight 1: Darien Zúñiga vrs Steven Chavez Fight 2: Daniel Sequeira vrs Dylan Marquez
Fight 3: Marcela Blanco vs Andrea Salas Fight 4: Jose Calvo vs Jose Araya
According to Marco Montero, the event producer, he tells us about the organization of these events that will be taking place throughout 2024:
“Night surf tournaments have become a Surfing Republica tradition during the summer. We've been doing them for five years now. We really enjoy these kinds of events because they prioritize entertainment over competition, without neglecting the competition itself. Spectators want to have experiences, go out and enjoy themselves with friends, and have a good time while enjoying food and drinks. It's important, therefore, to create a show, to keep attracting spectators who ultimately sustain the surfing industry. Additionally, we always like to innovate, experiment, and do new or fun things. Why stick to the same old events? We have an amusement park in the ocean, and we always like to create different tournaments and events so that the spectators are the ones who ultimately benefit. We want them to leave the event wanting more.”
The event took place in the beach area between the Vida Hermosa Hotel and the Las Olas Hotel, where the attendees had access to the facilities to comfortably enjoy the event. It is important to mention that it is an event open to the public and free of charge.
The Surfing & Jiu Jitsu Fight Nights are made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors: G-SHOCK, Tsunami Sushi, Monster Energy, Hotel and Restaurant Vida Hermosa, Reef Costa Rica, White Claw, Fogo, O'Neill, The Guilded Iguana, Rahso, Camelo Bikinis, and Hotel Las Olas. The next event will take place on Saturday, March 2nd at Playa Hermosa, starting at 7:00 pm.