Brazil. Soccer, hot women, samba, shitty waves and aggro surfers, right? Well, kinda, but not only. The common perceptions about South America's largest country are afar cry from what you'll encounter in this land of 180 million people and more than 8000 k's of coastline. In the big cities like Sew Paulo or Rio De Janeiro you'll feel like you're in NYC or Los Angeles. Sao Paulo alone has 18 million inhabitants, almost the entire Aussie population, yet once you move away from the big centres you'll find isolated beach communities with a laid-back country feeling.
BY STEVEN ALLAIN
SURFING IN BRAZIL
The northern States have warm water and reefbreaks, but generally suffer from lack of swell. When the waves do come, they're insane - perfectly shaped 'ittle nuggets.
The exception up north 'is Fernando de Noronha - a tiny island chain that has some of the best waves, in the country. Out in the Atlantic, north swells produce short, powerful, spitting beachbreak barrels, During summer, 6-8-foot days are common, making this one of the prime surf destinations in Brazil.
The southern States start getting good waves around autumn, when south swells and cold fronts blast the coast - bringing, cold water that requires a steamer. The surfing centres are Maresias, Ubatuba, Rio de Janeiro, Saquarema and Florianopolis. These towns have a strong surfing culture and consistent waves, and when the variables come together the waves are fun and often powerful - although rarely huge.
It is the general experience that makes a trip to Brazil attractive. Your chin will hit the floor when you go out in a place like Florianopolis and realise that your high schools hottest chick does in fact look like a pig. You'll quickly learn that Oz has better waves .. as it does compared to most countries. You'll witness poverty and inequality that'll make you look up at skies and thank God for being born Down-Under. Yet you'll find there's much more to Brazil than the cliches. Brazilians are remarkably warrn and welcoming, and you'll come to love the place after being immersed in its rich and joyful culture. On top of that, you can still score some surprisingly fun waves, so what are you waiting for?
While you can travel by bus anywhere, for surfers it's still better to fly to the main cities then hire a car. There are three major domestic airlines and the competition has dropped ticket prices considerably. You'll need the freedom to drive up and down looking for waves - plus you don't wanna take that hottie you just pulled to a bus stop at 3am, do you?
As for surf camps and the like, it's Brazil, not Java or Sumatra. While there are surf guides available in the southem region, you're better off on your own - half the fun is getting there without help.
DANGERS
