Surf

The first surfers to drop into waves in Brazilian seas were neither Cariocas nor born in the country. It was in Baixada Santista, in the 1930s, that the American Thomas Rittscher surfed the first wave in Brazil. Soon after, it was the turn of his sister Margot and the Brazilians Osmar Gonçalves and Juá Hafers, at Praia do Gonzaga. The boards, which they made themselves to practice the new sport that had come from Hawaii, were made of wood and could weigh as much as 80 kg!

Image description: The image is a side-by-side comparison of two photographs. The image on the left is an old black-and-white photograph showing two individuals in swimwear. The individual on the left is standing with hands at their sides, while the individual on the right is facing forward, with arms at their sides. Both are near a vertical object, possibly a surfboard. The image on the right is a modern color photograph showing two elderly individuals in swimwear. The individual on the left has their back to the camera, while the individual on the right is facing forward, with an arm around the other's shoulders. Both are on a sandy beach.

Rio de Janeiro became part of surfing history in the following decade, when American soldiers began exploring the waves of Rio. From then on, the city's first surfers emerged, in the Arpoador of the 1950s. Spearfishing practitioners (Arduíno Colassanti, Irencyr Beltrão, Paulo Preguiça, and Jorge Paulo Lemann, among others) also began to stand out on surfboards. The heartthrob Arduíno Colassanti was the sport's first celebrity in the country, starring in successful films and dating famous actresses, such as Leila Diniz. Jorge Paulo Lemann, in turn, would go on to become one of the richest men in Brazil.

Many surfers were shapers and made their own boards, among them Persegue, Betinho Lustosa and Walcyr. Since the supply of fiberglass boards was small, the carioca's entrepreneurial and creative spirit created madeirite, facilitating the advancement of the sport in the city. Irencyr Brandão used a friend's factory on Ilha do Governador to build boards with naval plywood, the same material used in spearfishing boats. Shortly after, a small lumber mill on Rua Francisco Otaviano, Serraria Arpoador, also began producing madeirite boards. They didn't float properly, making it necessary for surfers to use swim fins.

In 1964, the magazine "O Cruzeiro" announced surfing as the great novelty of the summer. That same year, Australian Physical Education teacher Peter Troy delighted the surfers of Arpoador with his wave-riding style, never before seen in Brazil. Showing off various maneuvers on the surface of the waves, Troy gave new directions to national surfing.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a surfer in action. From background to foreground, we see ocean waves with white foam. In the center, the surfer is in the middle of the wave, balanced on a surfboard. He wears a protective helmet and swim shorts. In the background, there are structures that appear to be part of a beach or coastal building.

The growth of the sport led to the creation of the Federação Carioca de Surf in 1965, the same year the city's first fiberglass surfboard factory, São Conrado Surfboards, opened. The factory belonged to retired colonel Parreiras, an unlikely owner of a surfboard production line. Unlikely because the country was living under a military dictatorship that viewed surfers as dangerous activists, linked to the hippie movement, rock music, and the counterculture. Becoming popular in the midst of the civil-military dictatorship and riding waves against repression, the sport became a peaceful form of protest against the dark, oppressive situation the country was experiencing. Along with the "desbundados" surfers came the Tropicalistas and other tribes that took a critical stance against the ruling political regime. Instead of weapons, they resisted with surfboards, poems, and songs.

The stage for all this ferment was the Píer de Ipanema, set up to support the construction of a submarine outfall along the stretch of beach facing Rua Farme de Amoedo. The sand removed to lay the pipeline was deposited by the sea, forming the famous Dunas de Ipanema. “Dunes that hid the young crowd from the repressive eyes coming from the boardwalk. With the seabed stirred up, the sea rose and formed perfect waves. The surfers came from Arpoador. The weed came along too, joining that of the artists who started coming to watch the waves, the surf and the sunset. It was a party.”

Among the surfers who used to hang out at the spot were Rico, Daniel Friedman, Pepê, Bocão, Fedoca and Petit. Defying the law of the time, which banned the sport between 8am and 2pm, they spent the whole day in the water. Meanwhile, the dunes buzzed with the presence of some of Brazil's leading artists, including Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Chacal, Jards Macalé, Jorge Ben, Jorge Mautner, José Wilker and Luiz Melodia. Besides the theater, literature and music crowd, the psychoanalysis and university folks came along too, all mixed together.

One of the icons of that time, Rico de Souza – champion athlete, shaper, and ambassador of surfing in Brazil – launched a clothing brand under his name, a forerunner of surfwear. Petit and his tattooed dragon on his arm were immortalized by Caetano Veloso in the song "Menino do Rio." In 1977, Pepê won the Waimea 5000, a stage of the World Circuit held at Arpoador Beach. Bocão was the first Brazilian to take part in the traditional big-wave championship Eddie Aikau and one of those responsible for bringing extreme sports into the media.

Bocão and Antônio Ricardo made television history with the show ‘Realce’, broadcast nationwide by Record. We had the honor of recording testimonials from both of them, made especially for Rio em Movimento. Check out the videos:

In the 1980s, the sport exploded in the country, with support from the media and a shift in surfing's image in society, which came to see it as a serious and professional activity. Internationally, Brazilian surfing is currently at its best moment, with many young talents competing with the world elite. Watch Biel Garcia's incredible moves at Praia da Reserva in this video from Canal Off.

The female highlight among Cariocas goes to big wave surfer Maya Gabeira. Persistent and courageous, after two accidents she faced a 20.7-meter wave and entered the Guiness Book, the book of records, as the first woman to surf an unlimited wave.

Surfing entered the Olympic Games at the Tokyo 2020 edition, held in 2021. It was the first time surfing was included in the Olympic program, with men's and women's events in the shortboard category. The competition was held at Chiba Beach, on the Japanese coast. Brazilian Ítalo Ferreira won the first Olympic gold medal in surfing, and in 2024 Brazil earned a silver and a bronze, with Tatiana Weston-Webb and Gabriel Medina, respectively.