Watch: A Dazzling 10-Point Tube At Brazil’s Premier Beach Break

Fernando de Noronha is a dazzlingly beautiful, wave-rich island off the coast of mainland Brazil. 

You’ve seen it in several major surf films (most recently in Globe’s Strange Rumblings In Shangri La) and even for the Stab x Quiksilver King of the Groms 2015 International Final. 

On this paradisiacal islet resides a beach break of remarkable quality, more often than not boasting wedgy, azure tunnels for the advanced slider. If surf comps were based on wave quality alone, this would be the sole considered site for Brazil’s CT event. 

As it were, Fernando’s remoteness means there’s no financial upside to holding an event there, so the world’s best are relegated to Rio and Saquarema (which, admittedly, produced the goods in 2018) as to allow more Brazilian fans to watch live (and buy merch!). But luckily for surf fans and knights of the QS realm alike, Brazil shaka co. Hang Loose has ponied up enough cash to put Noronha back on the map in 2019, as proven by the QS 6,000 event that started today. 

Waves were fun but somewhat challenging for the opening day of competition. The only surfer who did not struggle was Brazil’s Samuel Igo de Souza, who scored a perfect-10 and a back-up nine en route to a Round 1 victory. Please watch the video above and tell us it’s not fabulous. 

Competition should resume tomorrow with similar-looking conditions. Some names to watch out for are Jack Robinson (QS #1 at the moment), Gabriel Medina (current World Champion of surfing), Yago Dora (Brazilian aerial savant), Mateus Herdy (World Junior Champ), Reef Heazlewood (finaled at the Volcom Pipe Pro), and Eithan Osbourne (who “blew up” at the QS in Israel). 

However, these won’t be the most impressive waves nor competitive field for a major QS event in 2019.

More on that soon.