Southern Comfort

Rather than heading to the well-documented north of the Brazilian coastline, Stefan Spiessberger and a bunch of the Duotone wing team decided to point the compass south and head down the road less traveled….

Words: Stefan Spiessberger
Photos: Jean Louis De Heeckeren

When you think of wind sports in Brazil, most people picture the northeast, especially spots around Fortaleza, Cumbuco or Jeri. We decided to shake things up and head south. Why? To put our new wave-wing, the Float, through its paces in some sweet, lesser-known spots.

Our Wave Team on the trip included Nia Suardiaz, Wesley Brito, and Finn Spencer, with Tom Aubert dropping in for a few days. All of them had competed in the final event of the GWA Wave World Tour the week prior. The whole team was fired up to get some freeriding done and explore the coast after riding the competition. We set up camp in Ibiraquera, which is the main spot in this area and a really cool little town. Most of us had never been there before, so we were pretty stoked to see what the south of Brazil had to offer.

Lucky for us, we had Yann Rifflet with us on the trip, showing us around and taking us to the best spots. Yann spends half the year in Ibiraquera, so he knows all the secrets to score the sessions that we came here for. Having him with us was a game-changer – local knowledge is gold when figuring out a new spot.

Talk about a welcome, too! On our first day, the wind decided to play nice and blew in from the south – which is not the most common wind direction here but turns some of the spots into perfect right-hand point breaks. Day one was getting us pumped for what was to come…

For the next few days, we were up with the chickens, hitting the water as the sun came up. Let me tell you, those early mornings were something else. It was barely light out, and we were the only ones on the beach. The sand was still cool under our feet, and there's not a soul in sight. All you can hear is the waves and as first light hits, watching set after set rolling into the bay was getting everyone excited to get out there. The conditions were firing, with the wind shifting back to its predominant north-easterly direction, giving us some sweet left-hand waves.

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Wind and waves were on every day and we loved every second of it, riding the main spot of Ibiraquera in the early morning hours and exploring the nearby bays in the afternoon. Stacking clips and getting the shots. We really did get lucky during those first few days of our trip.

Finn Spencer
I really enjoyed the entire Brazil trip and the conditions that we had. Most of the time the wind was blowing the opposite direction from what I’m used to riding in which made it very challenging at first. However, this really showed me how good the Float is for wave riding as it allowed me to improve my riding in those conditions without having to worry about tripping over the wing. I was able to swing the wing behind me through turns and airs and never had an issue with the wind flipping it over.
My favorite session from the trip was one morning when we woke up at 5:30 to go for a sunrise session out front of where we were staying. We had perfect long running lefts with side-offshore wind which was great for some drawn out carves and airs on the end sections. I rode a 2.5 as we had broken a lot of the bigger wings earlier in the week and I was amazed at how easy it was to get going on, even when it wasn’t super windy.

After three days of non-stop action, the wind decided to take a day off. So we all decided to head to the nearby wave pool that had just opened its doors a couple of months earlier. It was a total blast – for some of us, it was our first time in a wave pool, and let's just say we could not stop grinning. It became a super fun afternoon, recharging the batteries for the sessions to come.

With the swell picking up a day before the wind came back, it was the perfect day for a prone-foiling session. Having a jet ski with us came in quite handy and we spent all day getting towed into some fun waves and enjoyed the endless flights to the max.

For our last hurrah, we hit the road and headed south. Hopping on a tiny, typical Brazilian ferry with all our gear felt like a proper adventure. Finding another, empty beach with perfect waves and not another soul around, we had this slice of paradise all to ourselves for hours. Everyone was pushing their limits, trying bigger jumps and crazier moves. The Float wing was a champ, giving us the stability and power we needed for all the fancy stuff. As the sun started to dip and we’d used up all our energy after five hours on the water, it was time for that well-earned sunset beer to end the trip.

Nia Suardiaz
Wing foiling and foiling in Ibiraquera was an incredible experience. Spending time with Finn and Wesley – two of the best wave riders out there – was a real highlight. I had so much fun with both of them, and even though they’re so different, I really enjoyed their company.
The tow-in sessions were absolutely epic, and we were lucky to score some great waves and wind. Surfing in the Wave Garden was equally impressive and such a blast – it’s an experience I won’t forget!

Packing up after that last session, we knew this trip had turned into something bigger than just a photoshoot. Sure, we'd got some killer shots, but we'd also uncovered this hidden gem for our sport. Southern Brazil, with its chilled-out locals, empty spots, and killer conditions, had won us over big time. We'd rolled in as visitors but were leaving as full-on fans, itching to tell everyone about this wing foiling paradise.

On the flight home, we were already plotting our return. The new Float wing had exceeded our expectations, and Southern Brazil? Well, it stole our hearts. We left with memory cards full of sick footage, heads full of awesome memories, and a new favorite spot on the map.