From Malta to Supertubos: BOMBA Drops In on the WSL CT Tour

From a tiny surf magazine in Malta to the World Surf League Championship Tour. We went to Portugal hoping to make some noise. What happened next was beyond anything we'd imagined.

It all started with Connor O'Leary, a sunrise at Supertubos and a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm from a bunch of Maltese surfers who couldn't quite believe where they'd ended up.

Connor had just emerged from the water after winning his opening heat of the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, edging Callum Robson 11.33 to 10.66. We'd barely introduced ourselves when he spotted the BOMBA branding, told us he loved what we were doing and agreed to a post-heat interview, right there on the beach.

We actually got to him before the WSL's own interview crew, which was a pretty funny way to kick off our first day covering a Championship Tour event.

There we were, a little independent magazine from Malta, microphone in hand, ready to pop off. Connor was an absolute legend, and that first conversation gave us the confidence to approach just about anyone over the following two weeks.

That was the spark. Portugal poured petrol all over it.

From local Maltese surfers to Gabriel Medina

When the World Surf League invited BOMBA to Portugal as accredited media, we knew it was a big deal. We'd spent years building this magazine on a tiny Mediterranean island where good waves are celebrated with the enthusiasm usually reserved for national holidays.

Getting to Supertubos was already a milestone. Having the world's best surfers embrace our unconventional approach to surf journalism was something else entirely.

Within days, we were interviewing Gabriel Medina, Carissa Moore, Italo Ferreira, Bettylou Sakura Johnson, Molly Picklum, Griffin Colapinto and plenty more, including local wildcard Guilherme Ribeiro.

We weren't particularly interested in asking the same five questions they'd already answered that morning. We wanted the personalities behind the competition jerseys, the laughs, the unexpected answers and the conversations that make surfing such a brilliant sport to follow.

Griffin and Molly were especially memorable, celebrating their Portugal victories with us and bringing an infectious energy to their interviews. These were the sort of moments we'd previously watched on screens back home, except now we were somehow standing on the other side of the microphone.

WATCH: Molly Picklum celebrates with BOMBA in Portugal

Watch Molly Picklum celebrate with BOMBA in Portugal on YouTube

Nazaré, old-school legends and surfing royalty

Portugal wasn't all Supertubos. We made our way to Nazaré, where big-wave surfer Gagau gave us a tour of the Red Bull centre and a glimpse into a world where waves are measured in storeys and wipeouts have considerably bigger consequences than getting washed ashore at Għajn Tuffieħa.

We also interviewed legendary photographer Peter 'Joli' Wilson, who's been documenting surfing since 1979. Nearly half a century of capturing the sport's greatest characters and moments, including the kind of photographs that made us fall in love with surf magazines in the first place.

Then came Joe Turpel, Kaipo Guerrero and Jess Starling, broadcasting personalities we'd spent years watching and listening to, who welcomed us with genuine warmth. Kaipo even sat down for an interview, bringing the charisma you'd expect from one of surfing's great storytellers.

A few years ago, we were trying to convince people to read our little magazine. Now we were swapping stories with the very people we'd been reading about. Absolutely bonkers.

The real stars weren't wearing competition jerseys

For all the incredible athletes we met, the biggest highlight of Portugal wasn't a world champion or a famous face.

It was the fans.

The people who travelled across countries to stand on the beach, cheer their heroes, collect autographs, debate heat scores and spend entire days celebrating the sport they love.

Some recognised our shirts and came over for a chat, others discovered BOMBA for the first time, wanted stickers, asked for photographs or ended up being interviewed themselves. We made friends from all over the world and found ourselves becoming part of the atmosphere rather than simply reporting on it.

That's when something clicked.

Professional surfing has incredible athletes, broadcasters and photographers, but it's the fans who give the whole thing its heartbeat. Their stories, personalities and enthusiasm deserve just as much attention, and we reckon there's room for more spontaneity, laughter and genuine connection between them and the stars they follow.

We went to Portugal to cover surfing. We came home wanting to become the voice of its fans.

The Bomb Squad, you beautiful bastards

I've never been prouder of our team.

Fuelled by an unhealthy dose of Red Bull and Coronas, the Bomb Squad threw themselves into two weeks of early mornings, endless filming, spontaneous interviews and the sort of behind-the-scenes nonsense that probably deserves its own documentary.

We didn't arrive with a huge budget or an enormous media operation. We brought our cameras, personalities, questionable jokes and a willingness to get stuck into absolutely everything.

We worked hard, partied hard and surfed harder, somehow even squeezing in a wave check with Joe Turpel himself. We did it all our way, the BOMBA way, and watching everyone grow in confidence with each passing day made me incredibly proud.

To the Bomb Squad, thank you. Whatever happens next, Portugal belongs to all of us.

Built in Malta. Loved everywhere.

There's something wonderfully unlikely about a surf magazine from Malta finding itself on the world stage.

We started BOMBA because we loved surfing, its culture and the wonderful collection of characters that comes with it. We wanted to build something independent, a little irreverent and never too serious about itself.

We certainly didn't imagine it would take us here.

Every person who's bought a shirt, read an article, shared our content or shouted BOMBA across a beach has helped make this possible. The generosity we experienced in Portugal, from athletes and fans to fellow journalists and production crews, reminded us just how special this community can be.

A huge thank you to the World Surf League for inviting us and giving our little magazine the chance to experience the Championship Tour from the inside.

We arrived hoping to prove ourselves. We left feeling like we'd found our people.

"How will we run without you?"

Towards the end of the trip, Joe Turpel said something that's been rattling around my head ever since.

"How will we run without you?"

Coming from the voice of professional surfing, that's the sort of compliment that makes you grin like an idiot for the rest of the day.

Joe was being generous, of course, but those words meant the world to a team that had arrived with big ambitions and no idea how the adventure would unfold.

We've come home with new friendships, bigger ideas, ridiculous memories and a genuine belief that BOMBA can become something far greater than we'd originally imagined.

To Connor, who got the whole thing rolling at dawn, every athlete who gave us their time, every fan who stopped for a chat and everyone back home who's supported this ridiculous little magazine from the beginning, thank you.

We came to Portugal with a few microphones, some BOMBA shirts and a dream slightly bigger than our budget.

We're coming home with something much bigger.

See you on the beach.

BOMBA. Mediterranean born. Just getting warmed up.

Surfing first. Beer immediately after. Journalism somewhere in the middle.