Justin Mujica
Although born on Margarita Island, off the coast of Venezuela, Justin Mujica has been flying the Portuguese flag high while challenging on the WQS around the world. Justin’s immense talent on the water saw him claim the EPSA Champion title in 2004 and he’s been charging ever since.
With a handful of top 5 finishes on the tour, Justin has been turning heads and marked himself out as one to watch for the past few years.
Having started surfing at the age of 8, his dream has always been to win some major events on the WQS and get himself qualified for the WCT where he can go up against some of the surfers he’s looked up to in recent years.
INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN MUJICA
WHEN: 23 August 2008
WHERE: Café Le Barrio, over a coffee, Capbreton, France
Do you have a nickname?
"Yeah - Joe. My parents have called me that since I was a kid."
Where are you living at the moment?
"I live in Carcavelos in Lisbon, Portugal. I can see the sea from my house. There are some great long beach breaks. Winter has great swell, but in summer it’s pretty much flat."
Where are you from originally?
"I’m Venezuelan – from Margarita Island. Being Portuguese is not that far from being Venezuelan. I see myself in them. It’s got that Latin similarity.
It’s funny. My mom is English so she has really fair hair. I have the light eyes and the lighter hair (although not at the moment because I just dyed it black) from my mom.
I could have got my European side through my mom but I didn’t feel English. I connect more with the Portuguese."
How did you end up in Portugal?
"I went over in 1998 for the ISA World Surfing Games… and met my girlfriend. I stayed in Portugal a bit longer, and then she came over to visit me in Venezuela, Then I moved to Portugal to be with her in 1999."
Big move?
"When I moved to Portugal it was pretty crazy. I didn’t speak the language at all. I had no sponsors, nothing. I moved there for her, not for my surfing career. I did promotional work in the evening to make money and surfed as much as I could during the day.
I got my Portuguese nationality that year. Then I got sponsored by O’Neill and I won the 2004 European Tour and my life pretty much changed after that."
When did you first get onto a surfboard?
"I started surfing when I was nine years old in Venezuela. My uncle came to visit once with a huge board. I remember taking it out. I stood up on the first wave on my first time on that board and I was hooked.
My father was a great surfer. He was more or less number one on the island. I guess growing up on an island means the beach is always close, so it’s pretty natural to surf."
Did you always want to be a ‘pro surfer’ when you grew up?
"Since I was a kid I always wanted to be ‘a surfer’. I did contests until I was 18. But there is not a lot in the way of support in Venezuela. Because of that I never realized that it could be reality or that it could happen."
What would you do if you weren’t an amazing surfer?
"I was into the idea of being a pilot. I was pretty close to doing my private pilots license and becoming a pilot. I would maybe like to open a business in Portugal with my family as well. I have so many ideas to do different things! Over the next few years I am going to continue on the tour. If I don’t make it I will stay in Europe and do some other things."
You have two kids right?
"I have two kids. Brian Justin and Justin Junior. I’m travelling a lot as a surfer so I get to spend about four months with them in every year which isn’t really that much time."
Do they know you are a pro surfer?
"Yeah. My older son is always checking out the webcast and the competitions online. Little Justin just understands what I do from the results – if I do well in a competition I buy him a present!"
What do you get up to out of the water?
"Running, cycling, working out, staying fit, exercising, hanging out with friends and my kids. When I’m with my kids I like to make my day their day – so whatever they’re up for doing.
At home I have a small group of friends. Most of them don’t even surf. It’s nice to meet up with them and do something completely different every once and a while."
How do you cope with travelling so much?
"I miss my kids and stuff but I think I would freak out if I stayed in one place all year round. You just get used to it. Even in Venezuela I was always travelling to different surf comps and stuff. I guess the only time I wasn’t travelling so much was when I first came to Portugal because I didn’t have that much money.
What’s the worst trip you’ve ever been on?
The worst trip I ever went on was to the Mentawais – not for the destination, but for the experience.
It was over my birthday. We were on a boat going from one surf spot to another. On the second day I cut myself really badly on the reef so I couldn’t go back in the water. I was sitting out for two or three days just watching the boys surfing these amazing waves. In the end I was like – screw it, and went in and it hurt so much.
The one evening we were travelling from one spot to another and the captain got distracted by a story someone was telling and we ended up crashing into the reef. I’d been sitting on the end of the table having dinner with everyone, and the whole table full of food and stuff came crashing onto me.
The boat stayed up on the reef. Everything on deck fell into the water.
We were totally stuck there in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night in darkness. A few guys got into a dingy and went to find help. We could just see them paddling away into the distance. I just wanted to get my board and my stuff and get out of there.
Everyone was totally freaking out. In the end as the tide was changing, the captain decided to try and pull the boat off the reef. He powered it off then went down to the bottom of the boat to check out the damage. We were so so lucky there was no hole. We were seriously in the middle of no where. You could see the snakes in the water and everything. We would have been in trouble. A couple of the guys on the boat couldn’t even swim. They were freaking out. It was the first time I have ever been really really scared. It was my birthday that night – we ended up getting so durnk.
I haven’t been back to the Mentawais!!"
What makes you angry?
"When I lose a heat. I get angry with myself. Also fake people make me angry."
Any regets?
"I would maybe work harder. I made it all by myself. I never got support form my parents or anything like that – I am not saying that wouldn’t be nice! I have been dealing with my own life since I was 15. It gave me a strong base I think.
Maybe I would work a little differently. There is nothing major I would change. But I can look back and there are definitely little things that I would do a little differently."