6: Who were your windsurfing heroes when growing up in Brazil?
Kauli and Ricardo influenced me a lot as they were young, taking the sport to the direction they wanted and winning all those contests. It was amazing because they both came from Brazil and they were doing so well. Before they came on the scene we didn’t have any riders with that much success internationally. I also looked-up at Jason Polakow, Francisco Goya and Levi Siver a lot. I loved their style, so they also inspired me.
7: Did Kauli Seadi help you in the early days to make a name for yourself and get you onto the PWA world tour?
100%, it was great for me to be around someone like Kauli at that age. He’s not only a great friend and super fun to be around but also so dedicated and pushes himself everyday. He also pushed my parents so I could be in Hawaii and start doing a few events. My dad felt comfortable sending me on trips with him. Also to be away from home for that much time was easier with a close friend like Kauli. We both got along so well together, I didn’t miss home so much.
8: Do you like the competitive side of windsurfing or would you love to be a free sailor and just do trips to sick locations?
I like competing for sure! It feels great when I do well, but it feels really bad when I don’t, but that’s the way it is. I would love to do a lot of sick trips and just sail but I still enjoy the little rush I get before a heat and also that feeling when you have a good heat and advance is great. On the other hand the other way round really sucks; but you just have to forget about it and think of something to do next. Competing definitely makes people try harder each day and push themselves a lot more than they would otherwise. At the end of the day, win or lose, you are there, surrounded by friends, windsurfing and pushing yourself, and all of that can only be fun. Of course not everything’s perfect, but I’m trying to make the most of it and, with only four events, it’s easy to compete and still do the trips. I feel like I’ve been around some really fun waves these past two or three years.
9: How old were you when you first competed in a PWA event?
I was 13 years old and I went to Fuerteventura. I had so much fun. I made it through a few heats, windsurfed every day, got to see the place. I also went to Gran Canaria on the same trip. I was completely blown away and scared of how windy it was – and I think I still am!
