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Surfing
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Florianópolis/Nexussurf.com
Trip
If you haven't heard of the island of
Florianopolis, Brazil yet, you should
look into this place and get yourself
familiar. Locals call the place ;Floripa
(pronounced flor-ree-pah) and those
who have been there know it as ;Ilha
Magica, or ;Magic Island. With high
quality consistent surf year round,
great weather, tropical temps, some
of the best beaches in the world, natural
Brazilian beauty everywhere you look,
the best parties, the best food anywhere,
and some of the best looking people
in the world, it's hard to argue for
a better place to take your next surf
trip. Just about 100% of the people
that travel to the Magic Island come
back totally stoked and if you've been
there before then you're probably used
to hearing the same thing from everyone
that is on their way home after the
trip I'm bailing SoCal and moving to
this place. |
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I've
spent about one year total in Floripa
over the last 5 years. When one of my
closest friends called me from down
there 5 years ago in February and said
;It's overhead every day and going off
here. Just pack some trunks, flip-flops,
shorts and t-shirts and forget your
board. Brand new boards are $150 US
here so just pick one up down here,
and get on the plane. I gave the typical
response of ;I can't get off of work
and where is this place again? Two days
later he mailed me a ticket and instructions
for me to easily get my Brazil Visa
in L.A. I bailed from work for a week,
got on the flight, and ended up staying
an entire month. My work had to send
someone down there to bring me back
home and then he stayed a week too.
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Floripa
is a free standing island located just
off the coast of Southern Brazil. It's
connected by a one mile freeway bridge
to the continent. The easiest way to
get there is to book flights on Varig
Airlines (www.varig.com). All US Airlines
fly to Brazil. The most popular Varig
route is LAX to Sao Paulo (GRU) to Floripa
(FLN). It takes 11 hours from LA to
Sao Paulo and then just a quick 45 minute
flight to Floripa from there. The flights
run about $800 - $1200 US depending
upon when you go and all the planes
are totally comfortable full sized jets.
Here are a few travel tips. Fly midweek
to save money and get more open seats
on the plane to stretch out. Also, get
a window seat on the left side of the
plane from Sao Paulo to Floripa. As
you're on approach and you look out
the window, you'll already know you
chose the right place to go to. |
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One
of the first things I quickly learned
on my first trip there was the gift
to all Americans that is the ;currency
exchange rate. Bars are open all night
there so my first night out we went
at it pretty hard at this killer ocean
view indoor/outdoor nightclub called
Latitude. When I woke up the next morning,
I had the $35 receipt that covered the
ENTIRE tab for 4 people all night long.
Cut your wallet in half down there because
one US dollar gets you 2 to 3 Brazilian
dollars. You get higher quality food,
killer entertainment, the same quality
clothing, and more for 50 to 65% off
what we pay here at home. You cannot
beat that deal anywhere. You can exchange
your US dollars at the airport when
you get there |
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The
island is deceivingly big but also totally
peaceful. It's only 20 miles wide by
50 miles long but 350,000 laid back
and insanely good looking people call
it their permanent home Everything in
Floripa stimulates your senses and is
visually overwhelming. You're going
to find yourself pretty hypnotized on
a daily basis by the endless surf, the
natural beauty, the clean beaches, the
clean sand, the water color, and most
of all, pretty much all Brazilian women
in small clothing everywhere. I mean
everywhere. You don't need to hit the
beach or the clubs to check out this
scenery. Just walk outside of where
you're staying and take in the show
bus stops, gas stations, malls, restaurants
they're just walking the streets all
day long, every day. It helps that there
are 7 girls for every 3 guys in Floripa.
Of those 7 girls, 75% or more of them
are your type. Trust me on this. It's
100% guaranteed.
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Floripa
is a rare and unique combination of
modern sophistication and tropical tranquility.
Think the island of Oahu and replace
the reefs with beach breaks. There's
a large downtown area like Honolulu
with tall buildings, modern apartments,
killer views of water everywhere and
big shopping centers with all the modern
stores and movie theatres. The remainder
of the island is spread out just like
Oahu with 42 killer clean beaches with
most all sand bottom breaks, and year
round peaky swells out of the Atlantic.
Because it's an island, it can be blowing
onshore at one spot and then it's offshore
at another spot just 20 minutes away.
You can surf a different spot, virtually
un-crowded, every day of your trip.
Water temps average 65 to 70 in the
winter and 70 to 80 in summer. I've
put on the 3/2 only one time there and
it wasn't even a full. A cold summer
day at Porto is their winter water temp
with some rare isolated exceptions during
big storms. On or close to most breaks
on the island there are little towns
nearby where you can stay in Pousadas
(tropical island hotels), rent houses,
or just grab some of the best healthy
seafood and a glass of almost freezing
Skol (one of the best beers in Brazil).
Even if you stay in a Pousada or rent
a house in a small town at a break,
you're never even more than 20 minutes
from nightlife. Restaurants and bars
are spread out really well all over
the island so you can get that rare
combination of a killer day at the beach
where it's pretty secluded and peaceful,
you get to have a normal shower and
siesta and then it's just a quick ride
to go out at night. This is a rare combo
to find when leaving town for waves.
Usually, if you get the surf, you don't
get the modern conveniences and if you
get the modern conveniences, you usually
sacrifice the surf. In Floripa, you
get it all. |
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In
the US, ESPN shows daily highlights
of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. In Southern
Brazil and more specifically Floripa,
the main sports are Soccer, Surfing,
and UFC and not in that particular order.
The surf gets as much coverage there
on the radio and news as we get here
in L.A. when Kobe drains over 50 against
the Heat. In Floripa, most of the guys
rip and rightfully so. They get to surf
year round beach break peaks with many
beaches that have some punch and get
consistently hollow over constantly
shifting sandbars due to quick weather
changes. Floripa hosts a ton of surf
competitions each year, including the
only WCT stop in all of South America
at the end of October each year. It's
common to see Slater, Irons and other
tour vets out at the club at night after
a long day of surf during October. |
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Some
popular spots on the island include
Praia Mole, Galheta, Mocambique, Santinho,
Brava, and Joaquina. Size is very similar
to SoCal at all the spots. Praia Mole
is home to WCT events and it's by far
the place to be seen. Like on many Floripa
beaches, there's a few kickback bars
on the beach to grab some really good
food and drinks and watch all the action.
There's about 2 mile of powerful peaks
up and down the beach, endless visuals
of Brazilian girls hanging out all day
long, and the most festive vibe in Floripa
when on vacation. It can get crowded
here on weekends but if you hit it during
the week just after the Brazilian summer,
you've got a great shot at un-crowded
barrels to yourself. Next to Mole is
Galheta. You take a quick 10 minute
hike on a path around a small point
just north and you'll get super long
lefts and rights that break into the
middle of a big bay, totally un-crowded.
Aside from the short hike, you've also
got a little of the Blacks element there
in San Diego hanging out in seclusion
if you get my drift. They don't go in
the water so you're ok to drop in on
200 yard rides in safety. Mocambique
is a place that has every element of
the perfect surf experience. It's 2
miles of white sand beach without buildings
or paved roads, see through water, photo
ops everywhere, and waves so far down
the beach that the entire island can
find their own peak if they wanted.
Santinho and Brava are 2 more pristine
beach breaks 20 minutes toward the north
side of the island, they can easily
hold up to double overhead with shape
and juice, and they are rarely crowded
during the non summer months. Santinho
has a killer vacation resort there and
both places have good accommodations,
close to nightlife, and great places
to eat. As always on every beach, there
is the Brazilian scenery. Joaquina is
a popular left peak that bowls and breaks
off of rock formations and is one of
the more crowded spots on the island.
Locals prefer this spot. But, like most
of Floripa, there's always a good thing
to every beach. Start walking south
of this peak and you've got 2 more miles
of un inhabited beach break with more
rights and lefts. Aside from surf specifically
on the island, there are a dozen other
quick surf destinations on the continent,
just a short drive of less than an hour
to all the spots. Each spot has its
own character, nightlife, typical Brazilian
scenery, and good accommodations. |
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For
the rare days that you're surfed out,
have to entertain the sand you brought
to the beach, or you're just into culture,
there's tons of other stuff to do on
the island. The city happens to be an
action sports capital and there's 3
large lagoas (lakes) on the island.
You can rent motorcycles, you can go
kite surfing, sand dune boarding, paragliding,
kayaking, wind surfing, and snorkeling.
You can also take a river rafting trip
and there's horseback riding on the
beach too. For those of you that didn't
bring the sand to the beach, another
great thing to do is grab a bunch of
the Brasilieras (Brazilian girls) you
met the night before at the bar and
rent a boat that takes quick 30 minute
trips to little deserted islands off
the coast of the main island. You can
chill on white sand beaches there, hike
to waterfalls, swim in crystal clear
water, or just bring some cervejas (Brazilian
beer) and your IPOD and have your own
little festa (party). Brazilians live
for parties, food and music. If you've
brought your significant other, take
her on a tour the historical city center,
take a Portuguese lesson or two, and
of course, take her shopping at one
of the huge US-like malls to remind
you of home.
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I'm
fortunate enough to be dialed in when
I'm in Floripa. My girlfriend was born
and raised there, I've learned to speak
Portuguese, and it's another world down
there that's become my second home away
from all the things many of us don't
like about having to paddle out at Porto
on any given day of slop after watching
any recent surf DVD to get fired up
to get wet. I say toss the DVD's, check
out Floripa, and get the real thing.
Since most of you probably aren't fortunate
enough to have had the ;in that I have
to Floripa, there's a great way for
you to get the total experience that
I have from a short trip down there.
There are two US native SoCal guys that
live full time in Floripa and run a
first class, top of the line travel
experience called NEXUS SURF (www.nexussurf.com).
Both guys and their entire Nexus English
speaking staff are super cool locals
and surfers, professional and detail
oriented, and basically do everything
they can to make sure you get everything
you want out of the trip to Floripa
and you walk away planning to come back.
So far, 100% of their clients have said
they're coming back.
Nexus has set up a Floripa trip the
right way. Unlike many other surf-travel
vacations that promise ;paradise and
give you ;survivor, this is the real
thing. We all know that getting surf
is all timing and luck so if you save
your dough, roll the dice on a ;surf
adventure and you get skunked, it's
not very cool if you took time off work
to roll the dice. With Nexus Surf in
Floripa, you're GOING to get waves,
and there's nothing ;survivor about
it. Whether you want to stay in a 5
star modern high rise or a tropical
beachfront paradise with plenty of hammocks,
Nexus will set you up. The Nexus guides
take you to all the best spots that
have the best conditions for that day.
The guides will take beginners to the
right spots and for the rest of us ;experienced
guys, Nexus offers daily guided surf
trips to every break on or around the
island, including boat trips to the
lesser known and hard to find breaks
only reachable by boat where it's never
crowded.
Nexus also has connections locally with
the organizers and operators of the
WCT, WQS and other local surf competitions,
so any time there's a surf event, Nexus
clients can be backstage in the booth
or out at the victory after parties.
Finally, Nexus can setup other details
for you that you won't find on other
trips such as surf photographers to
come out in the water with you and take
shots. Nexus also has a deal to get
you new boards at discounts from Tropical
Brasil, Brazil's version of Channel
Islands.
Because Nexus offers a complete vacation
package, they don't just finish with
you after a long day of surf. Nexus
continues to host the trip at night
for you. Every night on the island,
usually one or two different nightly
spots go off year round. Nexus takes
you through the night, all VIP. Transportation,
no lines, no cover charges, reserved
tables, introductions to locals and
Nexus guides hang with you during the
night.
Aside from taking you to great surf,
hosting great nightlife, and providing
great accommodations, Nexus can get
you setup with a few more cool things
including wireless internet, U.S. phone
lines, big screen TV's, houses with
pools, and more. They can hook you up
with rental cars if you want to be more
independent and check things out on
your own, breakfast service delivery
in your house each morning, and local
cell phones to stay in touch with people
you meet on the island and the Nexus
staff.
All the info you need can be found at
www.nexussurf.com. They can even help
you with finding low cost and fast itinerary
flights to Brazil. If you want to be
more independent and just cruise down
to explore on your own, check out www.floripavacationhomes.com
for really good and reliable accommodation
packages run by one of the same SoCal
guys.
MD, www.swellmagnet.com's own surf doctor
gets regular updates on Floripa from
me so talk to him about the experience
as he's on his way down there with Nexus
for his next trip out of Porto. You
simply will not have a bad time on a
Nexus trip to Floripa. Bring your digital
camera and the biggest memory card you
can find. You're going to blow up the
memory on that thing from the minute
you look out the window on the left
side of the plane as you're on approach
to FLN airport. And if you end up bringing
a Brazilian girlfriend back to the US
with you, I'm gonna say I told you so.
Boas Ondas!
(Good Surf)
Article by Michael Roth pictures courtesey
of nexussurf.com
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