Memories of Brazil - Imbituba, SC

(Praia do Porto, Imbituba, circa 2014)

Much have changed in Imbituba, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from the time when I first surfed there. I have not seen any of the changes. The last time I was there was in the late 70's. I know about them from reading online articles very, very occasionally. Perhaps the most important change was the construction of a jetty which I can only assume wasn't good for surfing.

In any case, I have no desire to talk about the Imbituba of today. This is a trip back to the past, during the second half of the seventies. For a young men from Rio without much money for trips, the option was to take a 13-hour bus ride and then rent a very cheap fisherman's hut at the main beach road. No asphalt. 

The bus trip was unpleasant. Not because of the people. They were friendly. But the comfort in the bus was very lacking. Today it would have been a nightmare to attempt it. But at the time, the force of youth and the lust for surfing was all that was needed to make it without worries. And the fisherman's hut - just a wood shack - was actually a good part of the whole experience. No luxuries, no AC. Just natural, peaceful - just right.

The right time to start surfing was at the crack of dawn, perhaps a bit earlier. We would be in the water as quickly as possible, with an empty stomach, and surf usually until 10am or so. Then a quiet, contemplative stroll back to the shack and a hearty granola breakfast with lots of bananas. The early morning in paradise was complete.

On one of these trips, I enjoyed a great read during the later part of the mornings. C. S. Lewis' "Perelandra" or "Voyage to Venus". It is the second book of his sci-fi trilogy and, as far as I am concerned, the best by far. You should read it if you have a chance. The grammatical quality, the rich narrative, the depth of nuance, and the absolutely entrancing dialogs place this book quite high in my list. 

It was at the beach next to Praia do Porto, called Praia da Vila, that I surfed the biggest wave of my life. It was a 3 1/5 -meter wave on the front. A little above 11 feet. I recall this wave well. Unfortunately, I do not recall it because it was a barrel or because I executed some radical maneuvers. In truth, all I could do was hold on to dear life as I rode along its face. No maneuvers, no cutbacks, just speeding along the face and trying to cope with the absolutely overwhelming force pushing from under the board.

Make no mistake. There is more than just a small element of courage needed for surfing bigger waves. Show me a surfer that rides bigger waves and I will show you someone of courage. Of course, familiarity with it from childhood does make a difference as well. I started late, when I was 18. This is one thing I would change if I could go back in time. Insist that my dad throws me on the water (with a board, of course) when I turn 4, perhaps 3.

But I still had much fun surfing for the duration of my college years. And it gave me wonderful friends, like Marquinhos. I used to affectionally call him Marcaquinhos (sounds a bit like little monkey). These are the things in life that will never die as long as you live. They will make you reflect time and again on how good life can be. But they will also make you spiral down into nostalgic moments that are as heavy as big waves that crash on the sand.

Oh well, what better way to finish this memory trip but with a photo of the author holding his Rico board in front of his rented shack. And another with his best friend from college. Wonderful times. Magical really.

(in front of shack at Praia do Porto, 1977)

(October 9, 1976)

Nivaldo Fernandes (right) and Marcos Pinto Frota Carneiro at Universidade Santa Úrsula