Is Brazil Still Producing The World’s Hungriest Young Competitive Surfers?

The road to surfing greatness is not one paved in flawless chunks of Indonesian reef, and those who wish to surround themselves with the members of the top echelon of professional surfing will quickly realize the importance of finding comfort in uncomfortable situations. 

Therefore, a training camp in unavoidable competitive scenarios is by design one of the soundest investments a coach could make on behalf of their athletes. 

In episode 2 of the third season of EDP’s ‘Surf For Tomorrow’ docuseries spawned by Tiago Pires, coach Zé Seabra escorts the group across the Atlantic to the land of Futebol, Samba, and heated paddle battles. Straight off the jet and into the chlorinated waves of Praia da Grama, the crew test out The Slab and philosophizes on the pros and cons of pool vs. ocean surfing before heading off to Camburi to compete on waves resembling those of school notebook drawings of QS conditions.

From a warm-up session akin to a mean-spirited hazing ritual, to surfing 6-man, 15-minute non-priority heats with targets on their back, nothing came easy. However, Janire Etxabarri stood out from the pack — taking a W back to the Basque Country — becoming the first foreign surfer to win the Hang Loose Surf Attack.

The final leg of the trip was spent in Florianópolis under the surgical eye of in-demand CT coach Leandro Dora, whose process we get to witness from an unusually close distance. At one point, Dora tells 15-year-old Matias Canhoto (who shows uncanny shades of Medina), “You have until Friday to land a big air!” Just how many of us would be able to keep our jobs under the pressure of such a request?

Dora’s no-frills mentoring stresses that no matter how much talent or praise you get, nothing but loads of dedication and hard work will have you reach that coveted CT ranking board. For those looking for more QS-adjacent content, this episode might just be the prequel you’ve been waiting for, ice-baths and all. Sit tight for the next episode, as the group returns to Europe for a gruelling string of contests in contestable conditions.