Remembering Ricardo Dos Santos Five Years After His Murder

Five years ago today, on Tuesday morning, January 20, 2015, superstar Brazilian surfer Ricardo dos Santos was shot in front of his house by an off-duty military policeman at 7:46AM. 

In a flash, the heavy wave standout and internationally respected Brazilian surfer became one of the more than 2,000 citizens killed by Brazilian police every year, and the investigation into his death left a terrible taste in Ricardo’s friends and family’s mouths. 

A year after his murder, we sent Beren Hall to Brazil to uncover the truth behind his death, to shine a light on the dark space left empty by the death of one of the country’s rising stars, learn how such a brazen crime can occur with such shocking ease, and what Ricardo’s death meant to surfing, and to Brazil.

Ricardo was more than just a surfer who inspired John Florence and Kelly Slater to swing ambitiously at Teahupoo. He was more than the first Brazilian to truly put his stamp on The Pipeline. He was an embodiment of the Brazilian dream. And, even more than that, he was a friend, a lover, a nephew, and a son. In Remember Ricardo, Stab travels to Brazil and attempts to discover