Italo Ferreira Is Our 2023 Stab In The Dark Star - Stab Mag

Dakoda Walters wins Surf100 presented by Pacifico.

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Italo Ferreira Is Our 2023 Stab In The Dark Star

Goofyfoot Brazilian World Champion Stars In Stab’s Biggest Board-Testing Franchise

news // Jan 26, 2023
Words by Michael Ciaramella
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Thirteen boards, coming from all around the world, smack dab in the middle of the holidays. A recipe for disaster, if ever you could manufacture one.

Normally, we wouldn’t paint ourselves into this type of corner. But with the 2023 Tour starting in just a couple weeks, there was no other option. If we wanted to include the former World Champ and reigning Olympic gold medalist in Stab’s most popular franchise, we needed to make it happen. 

So we called some local producers. Communicated daily with brands. Booked the most outrageous flight paths you’ve ever seen (125 hours of travel and $7,500 USD RT for our DP Dyl Roberts). And somehow, we pulled it off.  

Italo Ferreira’s Stab in the Dark recently wrapped in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil. It was one of the most exciting productions I’ve ever been a part of — from the location (absolutely stunning, and also inundated with Brazil’s rich and famous for their annual ‘Noronha Week’), to the theme (you’ll see soon), to the inner workings of one of surfing’s fiercest operators. 

Here’s an example of one particularly impressive day in the life of Italo: 

  • 5 am: Wake up 
  • 6 am: Physio session
  • 7 am: Breakfast
  • 8 am – 12 pm: Test 3 boards
  • 12 pm: Lunch
  • 1 – 3 pm: Test 3 more boards
  • 3 pm: Short break
  • 4 pm: Rides his own board
  • 5 pm: Futbol on the beach
  • 6 pm: Dinner
  • 8 pm: Attend a local party/concert
  • 10 pm: Gym session

…And we had to keep up with this guy for 10 days straight! 

Episode one of SITD 2023 will air on April 27th, exclusively on Stab Premium. Stay tuned for further updates, like premiere dates, the 2023 shaper list, and our board courier’s hellish 72-hour travel tale. 

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