Vitor Oliveira

Cherished by many and disliked by others, "North Shore" entered the restricted club of elite cult surf movies. Here are some hidden gems from the 1987 action drama film. Directed by William Phelps, "North Shore" follows Rick Kane (Matt Adler), an ambitious young surfer from Arizona who heads to Oahu's North Shore to prove himself in waves of consequence. Kane's journey is full of struggles as he clashes with local surf enforcers, befriends free-spirited Turtle (John Philbin), and trains under soul surfer Chandler (Gregory Harrison). Along the way, he falls for Kiani (Nia Peeples) and faces off against the ruthless pro, Lance Burkhart (Laird Hamilton), in a dramatic surf competition. One of the most praised things about "North Shore" is that it features real-life surf legends like Shaun Tomson, Gerry Lopez, and Mark Occhilupo, adding authenticity to its depiction of 1980s surf culture. It was definitely not a box office hit but has since gaine...

A solitary wave, also known as a "wave of translation," is a single, crest-shaped wave that moves over the water surface without changing its shape or speed. Unlike regular waves , which have both crests and troughs and rise and fall - called oscillatory waves - a solitary wave consists only of a crest and does not have a corresponding trough. It's a smooth hump of water that stays entirely above the calm water level. As it travels, it pushes water forward as it moves, carrying objects (like a floating leaf) a short distance before stopping them, resulting in a net movement of water. Again, unlike ordinary ocean waves, which pull objects back and forth. Formation of Solitary Waves Solitary waves form when a sudden disturbance adds a mass of water to a still surface. It can happen when a wave breaks and the water from the crest falls onto the surface ahead, creating a single, hump-like wave that moves forward. The process is common in shallow waters near shoreline...

Portuguese surfer Vasco Ribeiro, 30, has been barred from competing in World Surf League (WSL) events following a sudden reversal of his eligibility. Ribeiro, a former world junior champion and five-time winner of Portugal's Liga MEO, received a three-year suspension in 2023 after refusing a doping test during an April 2022 visit by an International Surfing Association (ISA) officer at his home in Cascais, Portugal. His ban was set to last until July 2026. However, the WSL initially granted Ribeiro permission to compete at the QS 3,000 Pro Taghazout Bay in Morocco this week. The decision came after Ribeiro claimed his suspension applied only to ISA-governed events, including Olympic qualifiers, and not WSL competitions. He traveled to Morocco, prepared to return to competitive surfing for the first time since his suspension. Personal Struggles and Hopes for Return Ribeiro openly discussed his struggles during his time away from the sport. He attributed his refusal of the do...

Cam Richards has taken out the 2025 Capitulo Perfeito at Carcavelos Beach, Portugal. The surfer from South Carolina beat Noah Beschen, Balaram Stack, and Pedro Calado in the final. The Portuguese beach break provided a day of punchy, barreling waves for all 16 contenders, with some of the world's best tube-riding specialists pushing the limits of how deep a human can surf inside the green room. In the end, Richards claimed the top honors, bagging the €25,000 winner's check after entering the event as an alternate. "I still can't believe I won. Getting an 8.50 was incredible because I fell five times throughout the day trying to exit a barrel like that," said Cam Richards. "I saw Balaram get a bomb, and I was motivated. I was lucky enough to catch my best wave and right in the final." "It was really fun to do the final with Balaram and Noah. We flew together from the USA to Portugal." "It's amazing to be able to participate in a...

There was a time in the history of professional surfing when there were talks and rumors about creating a parallel "rebel" tour. All eras have their heydays and downfalls. After taking surfing into the mainstream stage in the 1990s and 2000s, the ASP World Tour started to lose its mojo and momentum around the 2010s. At some point, Kelly Slater was (rightfully or not) involved in designing an alternative pro surfing circuit that could meet the fan's desire to see something different and new. The rebel tour never quite materialized, and the World Surf League soon took over. The Natural Selection Tour Concept Sometimes, change is the only way to get things moving forward. Created by snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour (NST) brings together the world's top athletes - from Olympians to film legends - to compete in some of the most breathtaking and untamed places on Earth. At its core, Natural Selection is about more than competition - it's a mi...

Clement Roseyro and Justine Dupont claimed the 2025 Nazaré Big Wave Challenge at Praia do Norte, Portugal. Some of the world's best big wave surfers faced 25-35 foot waves in extreme conditions. Strong offshore winds made the challenge even harder, forcing surfers to adjust their strategies while riding the massive waves. French surfer Clement Roseyro won the Men's Best Performance award with a total score of 21.83 out of 30. His highest wave score came in Heat 1, where he earned a 7.50 out of 10. Roseyro showcased his unique approach to big-wave surfing and improved on his previous performance at the event. "I'm grateful to Nic von Rupp, we're a really good team," Roseyro said. "He taught me a lot, especially about driving the jet ski, and we push each other to perform." Lucas Chianca from Brazil put up a strong fight but finished as the runner-up. Ben Larg from Scotland, who joined the event as a last-minute replacement for Garrett McNama...

Clement Roseyro and Justine Dupont claimed the 2025 Nazaré Big Wave Challenge at Praia do Norte, Portugal. Some of the world's best big wave surfers faced 25-35 foot waves in extreme conditions. Strong offshore winds made the challenge even harder, forcing surfers to adjust their strategies while riding the massive waves. French surfer Clement Roseyro won the Men's Best Performance award with a total score of 21.83 out of 30. His highest wave score came in Heat 1, where he earned a 7.50 out of 10. Roseyro showcased his unique approach to big-wave surfing and improved on his previous performance at the event. "I'm grateful to Nic von Rupp, we're a really good team," Roseyro said. "He taught me a lot, especially about driving the jet ski, and we push each other to perform." Lucas Chianca from Brazil put up a strong fight but finished as the runner-up. Ben Larg from Scotland, who joined the event as a last-minute replacement for Garrett McNama...

It's undeniable that surfing and skateboarding brought a fresh attitude and style to several sports. And in the 1960s, ideas from these board sports helped shape a new way to ride snow. Early snowboard designs borrowed elements from surfing, with a long board and a stance that mimicked riding ocean waves. Skateboarding added a sense of rebellion and creative off-axis trick moves. Together, these influences paved the way for a winter sport that felt free and dynamic in the white powder mountains. In 1965, Sherman Poppen took a simple idea and transformed it into something new. He combined parts of two children's skis to create a board that could glide on snow. His invention, later called the Snurfer, brought the feel of surfing to snowy hills. The simple device would spark an evolution that changed winter recreation forever. The Birth of the Snurfer On Christmas Day 1965, Sherman Poppen experimented with two children's skis in his backyard in Muskegon, Michigan. H...

Italo Ferreira and Caitlin Simmers conquered the inaugural Surf Abu Dhabi Pro. The reigning world champion, Simmers, defeated Molly Picklum, while 2019 world champion Ferreira claimed victory over Rio Waida. With their wins, Simmers and Ferreira both leave the UAE placed number 1 in the world. Enabled by the machinations of the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KWSC) technology, clean three-foot lines of swell reeled through the Surf Abu Dhabi arena. Though small elements of wind came into effect at different points of the day, the mostly neutral canvas provided near equal opportunity for the remaining eight men and eight women to push through the pressure in hopes of claiming the historic wins. Since turning around his 2024 season with a victory at the Tahiti Pro, Italo Ferreira has remained a force to be reckoned with. After being in danger of the mid-season cut, the 30-year-old placed runner-up to the world title for the second time by season's end and is carrying that energy s...

The 2025 Surf Abu Dhabi Pro took an unexpected turn when Filipe Toledo was eliminated in the Round of 16 after a controversial collision with a photographer. During his elimination heat against Kanoa Igarashi, Toledo needed a near-perfect 10 score to advance. The Brazilian paddled into a right-hander and, though struggling with his rhythm, managed to execute a mix of an alley-oop with a Kerrupt flip. As he set up for his final carving turn, his trajectory intersected with World Surf League (WSL) photographer Thiago Diz, who had drifted too close to the competition zone. The impact dislodged two of Toledo's fins and nearly resulted in a more serious accident. Shocked and visibly frustrated, Toledo stormed back to the competitor's area, shouting, "Get this guy out of the water!" Filipe argued that Diz's positioning had been an ongoing issue, citing previous training sessions where photographers had encroached on the action. The incident put WSL officials in...

London will start to build its first wave pool. The capital of England will build The Wave powered by Endless Surf in the Lee Valley Leisure Complex in Edmonton. News about the construction of wave pools in the majestic city of London has been in the minds of local surfers for ages. In 2008, SurferToday redevelopers developers of the £1.5 billion Silvertown Quays project released imagery of Venture Xtreme , an artificial surf lagoon promising six-foot (1.8 meter) waves rolling for 100 meters. It was hailed as the "UK's first artificial surf experience" to attract "100,000 surfers and bodyboarders a year." The surf center was supposed to open in 2011 but never saw the light of day. Then, in 2018, The Wave - the entity that built the Bristol wave pool - announced that the Lee Valley Leisure Complex would feature a Wavegarden Cove surfing basin . The construction never went ahead; Londoners still have to drive to find surf . Londoners to Ride the Endless S...

In 1935, two local pioneers, John "Doc" Ball and Adolph Bayer, gathered a small group of passionate surfers along the Southern California coast. They formed the Palos Verdes Surfing Club (PVSC) at Palos Verdes Cove, making it one of the very first surfing clubs on America's mainland, if not the first. Initially, the duo disagreed on the name - Bayer preferred "Cove Paddleboard Riders Fraternity," but Ball, wary of frat culture, pushed for Palos Verdes Surfing Club. Seven young men joined initially, including future surf legends like Leroy Grannis. By 1941, membership grew to 28. Their meeting was not a random affair but a deliberate step to shape a new lifestyle that honored both skill and camaraderie. At its start, the club had only seven members. Soon, more surfers joined the group, including names that would later become part of California's surfing lore, such as Cliff Tucker, E. J. Oshier, and Tulie Clark. In an era when only a few hundred people...

Barron Mamiya and Tyler Wright won the 2025 Pipe Pro, the first stop of the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT). Wright claimed victory over Caitlin Simmers, the defending winner and reigning world champion, while the defending men's winner, Mamiya, went back-to-back to take the win over 2023 runner-up Leonardo Fioravanti.  Clean four-to-six-foot swell was groomed by light offshore winds, favoring the longer barrels of Backdoor's right, but opening up the occasional Pipeline bomb. Though more subdued than the previous day's swell, the multiple heavy-hitting matches that played out across finals day were no less thrilling. Wright Earns Second Victory at Pipeline, Reclaims Yellow Leader's Jersey Featuring in her third final at the North Shore of Oahu's most notorious wave, two-time world champion Tyler Wright claimed her 17th CT victory today. The Australian will now enter stop number 2 of the 2025 CT season wearing the yellow leader's jerse...

Nic Von Rupp believes he has surfed his biggest wave ever. But could he have broken the Guinness World Record? The race for the perfect number is on, and the HBO documentary "100 Foot Wave" only sent fuel to the fire. Has anyone ever ridden a wave measuring 100 feet (30.48 meters) from trough to crest? Possibly. If not, will anyone ever do it? Definitely. The quest for the ultimate XXL surfing wave is similar to the conquest of Mount Everest. It took 30 years for humans to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain (29,031.7 feet or 8,849 meters). On 29 May 1953, Sir Edmund Percival Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to conquer the Everest peak. Why are Multinational Brands in Big-Wave Surfing Big-wave surfing is increasingly becoming an industry within the main classic industry, sometimes shadowed by excessive financial interests . Extreme surfers are now backed by multinational brands eager to capitalize on their attempts to break Guinne...

Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), confirmed that Lower Trestles or Huntington Beach are the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic surfing program venue options. The decision to run the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles was the cherry on top of the cake for the sport of surfing. For surfers worldwide and Californians in particular, it was like the closing of a circle that started with Duke Kahanamoku popularizing board riding in the Golden State from 1913 to 1929. Therefore, the possibility of surfing competing for gold, silver, and bronze medals in Southern California somehow feels like an emotional homecoming. Although Hawaii is arguably the spiritual crib of the "sport of kings," it was on the US West Coast that it grew and started its planetary expansion. The largest hub of the surfboard manufacturing industry is also a long stretch of coastline with diverse and consistent quality waves. The number of rideable surf breaks spanning the...