Vitor Oliveira

Wind is a fascinating weather phenomenon. It is a variable constantly trying to find a perfect balance on a planetary scale. Wind only exists because there are differences in air pressure between two or more points. It's like a balloon - if you squeeze it, the air moves or circulates from high to low pressure. If Earth were perfectly flat and smooth, wind would be nearly nonexistent. The sun would heat up the planet almost uniformly, and the global temperature differences would be residual. However, due to the presence of multiple surfaces (water and land), elevations (mountains, buildings, etc.) and depressions, and numerous organic materials (grass, soil, sand, rock, etc.), solar heating's interaction with the Earth is randomly dispersed. Some zones will be warmer than others. Thus, columns of air will rise asymmetrically across the globe. If you stick a needle through a balloon, the highly compressed air inside will quickly move toward the area with less pressure. ...

Oaxaca is one of Mexico's surfing treasure states. The south-facing territory receives privileged swells from the Pacific with a rugged coastline that produces all types of waves. It's hard to believe that just 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Puerto Escondido's Playa Zicatela , the Mexican Pipeline, there's such wonder of Nature like Punta Conejo. We're talking about a longboarder's dream point break that can take surfers on a meditative and life-changing 300-500-meter ride. Unlike its thunderous beach break sister, Punta Conejo is an elegant, smooth, and perfectly peeling right-hander that will get any wave rider paddling out, no matter the size, weather, or water temperature. It's not the only pristine surf break available near Salina Cruz. It's part of a nearby premier list of luxury surf spots, including Punta Chivo, Playa Abierta, La Ventosa, Punta Chipehua, and Playa Bamba. Punta Conejo works best with an S swell and light cross-shore NE-...

There is an informal universal rule in the surfing world that tells us that he who discovers a new surf break or secret spot has the naming rights to it. The world isn't endless - it's finite and limited to the planet's boundaries. As a result, the number of surfable zones is also restricted. With the advent of Google Earth and later Google Maps, surf travel's exploration factor and adventure elements were somehow cut short. The digital world has undermined the magic of discovering a new wave, like when " The Endless Summer " crew unveiled the perfect right-hander at Cape St. Francis in South Africa. Finding a secret spot is genuinely phenomenal. It's exciting to know that you're about to or have just ridden a wave nobody else has ever cherished. Despite all the print and digital mapping of the world's surf breaks, there is always a tiny corner, hidden behind a rock, where you can be the first and find freedom in an empty, exclusive wave. ...

Big waves don't just appear out of nowhere. The formation of abnormally large swells is a sum of layers, normally invisible to the human eye. They start their journey in the ocean thousands of miles away from the coastline, where powerful storms brew and transfer their energy into the ocean in the form of groundswells. Meteorologists, weather forecasters, and surfers alike closely monitor satellite data to monitor the development of these swells. Four key elements come together to create massive waves: Wind speed; Wind duration; Fetch; Bathymetry; When strong winds blow over a vast stretch of ocean for an extended period, they transfer their energy into the water, generating XXL swells. So, if you get a 60-mile-per-hour (96-kilometer-per-hour) wind blowing nonstop for five days over 2,000 miles (3,218 kilometers) of ocean, you've got two good ingredients ready for the big wave cake. Once generated, these wave trains travel thousands of miles across the ocean, gaini...

"I'm at the lake. The wind is forecast to pick up through the day with some moderate gusts, but we have a small weather window to paddle. I think it's fine!" pings a WhatsApp message one late April morning. It's from Cal Major, veterinary surgeon, SUP record holder, ocean advocate, and founder of the charity Seaful - she is standing by the shoreline at Crow Park as I make my way north to meet her. I have dreamed of today's paddle for so long - six years, to be precise, since I first met Cal at the Women's Adventure Expo in Bristol in 2017, and she inspired me to believe in my own SUP dreams.  A short time later, we are on the lake, and I am beaming. After being injured and poorly for much of March and April, I have only just returned to paddling. An outing with one of the UK's most inspiring endurance paddleboarders is the best medicine I could possibly ask for. We are on Derwent Water (or Derwentwater), one of the Northern Lakes, which is the j...

The small fishing town of Bathsheba in Barbados is home to one of the most surprising right-hand reef breaks on the planet. Here's what makes Soup Bowl such an incredible wave. The east coast of Barbados gets a lot of Atlantic winter swells and wind, too. However, if there's one surf spot that truly welcomes onshore breeze it's Soup Bowl. The most easterly Caribbean island nation is cherished by the British Commonwealth and famous for its holiday resorts, clear blue water, and white sand beaches. Interestingly, it owes its name to the Portuguese ocean explorers who claimed the island between 1533 and 1536. The name "Barbados" originates from the Portuguese word "barbudos," which translates to "bearded men." The designation stemmed from the observation of the lush vegetation on the island, particularly trees adorned with vines, which somehow resembled bearded faces. A Hollow Barrel Breaking on a Boiling Reef Barbados' legendary surf...

Kelly Slater and Kalani Miller announced they are expecting a baby. The 11-time world surfing champion and California-born swimwear entrepreneur Kalani Miller are going to be parents. The couple broke the news in a collaborated black-and-white Instagram Reel posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to Ben Harper's "The Three of Us." Interestingly, March 19 is Father's Day in many countries. The baby's gender has not been unveiled, though. Slater, 52, and Miller, 36, will have their first child together. The soon-to-be mother will give birth to her first child in 2024. The American surfer has a daughter from a previous relationship with Tamara Michelle. Taylor Slater-Kelleher was born on June 6, 1996. She has gained recognition as both a photographer and a painter. Kelly and Kalani have been dating since 2008. They met at a Quiksilver booth in California when Slater was competing in Lower Trestles and Miller and her sisters were working in Roxy. Miller once re...

Surfing is all about working the unbroken wave face and maximizing riding time. But how can you optimize and balance these two goals that cancel each other out? Many things separate a beginner surfer from a pro surfer. However, there is one that stands out immediately after each one takes off on a wave - the way they draw a line or trim it. Unlike a snowy mountain, a wave is in constant mutation. As a result, surfers have to adapt their riding to the shape and breaking of each wave differently, whether they're going left or right. Drawing a line on a wave is choosing the ideal path or trajectory to get the most out of the clean, open face and riding for the longest time possible. Naturally, if you're spending too much time on cutbacks, off-the-lips, and carving maneuvers, you'll lose the "train," i.e., you'll get caught by the whitewater and end your ride prematurely. Waves don't wait for surfers. They're on their mission. So, it's up to s...

On March 7, 2024, Cloudbreak delivered one of the most epic swells in Fiji's big wave surfing history. The use of superlatives has become commonplace in journalism and writing in general, and sometimes, we need time to let the dust settle and process the information. However, you can't ignore the facts and the footage as they, in this particular event, could easily replace the role of words. Unexpectedly, for this time of the year, or maybe not, the famous small island of Tavarua was the center stage of a massive big-wave riding showdown. The first signs of this anomaly issued an XXL Code Purple alert that put swell hunters on high alert. It was time to quickly book flights to the South Pacific Ocean archipelago. Surf media followed, with a dozen photographers and videographers eager to shoot anything that moved inside the massive blue cylinders. Remember June 8, 2012, and the "Thundercloud"? If so, do know that March 7, 2024, nearly matches its grandiosity in...

It's one of the world's most out-of-the-radar big waves and certainly one of the most exciting surf breaks in Latin America and the South Pacific. Bienvenidos a El Buey. Arica is a well-known surf town in the north of Chile, which has been attracting surfers and bodyboarders for decades. The region showcases a chain of exciting reef breaks, breaking close to the shore on the wave-rich Alacran Peninsula. These shallow, hard-breaking lineups like El Gringo have achieved international notoriety since the Rip Curl Search landed in 2007. At the time, even the world's best surfers struggled to tame the local tubes. Eventually, Andy Irons defeated Damien Hobgood in the final. The truth is that Arica, the "City of Eternal Spring," is highly consistent for swell and light winds. The small urban community is located in the coastal heart of the world's driest desert - Atacama. The Bull Despite the many options available in the vicinity, there's one gem that...

Is there any correlation between warmer or colder ocean waters and bigger waves? What is the influence of temperature on wave height? When we think about power swells, meteorologists and surf forecasters look into the intensity of low-pressure systems on large oceanic fetches. Then, they track waves generated thousands of miles from the coastlines and follow their energy-gathering pattern as swells travel toward the shores. The intensity, duration, and area over which wind blows over the water's surface will dictate the power of a groundswell. Nevertheless, these are only the essential wave train formation variables . The existence, for instance, of an underwater canyon near the coastline can then dramatically boost the size of near-shore breaking waves. One of the best examples is Nazaré's Praia do Norte, where local bathymetry plays a critical role in creating XXL waves. Poles vs. Equator But what happens when water temperatures increase? Is there a difference in ...

Siqi Yang is the first Chinese surfer to qualify for the Olympic Games. The 15-year-old will represent her country in Paris 2024 at Teahupoo. It's China's best-ever result in an official international surfing competition. Yang finished the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in 15th place among over 110 female surfers and secured a historical Olympic ticket. But the remarkable story of Siqi goes back to 2022. In a surprising turn of events, China started emerging as a rising force in the world of surfing at the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach, California. The youthful Chinese surfers, led by the then 13-year-old sensation Yang Siqi, shattered expectations and captured the attention of international media. Traditionally, surfing powerhouses such as Brazil, Australia, the USA, and Japan have dominated the scene. However, China's remarkable performance at the ISA World Surfing Games signals a potential shift in the sport's landscape. At the time, Yang, t...