A decade ago on the boardwalk adjacent to a Rip Curl Search event, Gabriel Medina approached me on a bicycle. In the moment before our paths crossed, our eyes connected, our hands simultaneously and inexplicably went up and we high-fived. Just two strangers sharing a moment baked in the preamble of a World Tour event. Since then, I’ve always had a softness for Gabe. Despite his “enfant terrible” episodes and family struggles played out in the surf media, at his core, just like any of us, he’s simply a stoked surfer.
Oh, and he’s a national treasure in Brazil.
Gabe recently hosted Kelly Slater at Beyond The Club in São Paulo. Kelly has made many appearances lately ahead of the KSWaveCo facility launch in Austin. Kelly can be seen wearing the same Austin Surf Club T-Shirt he wore in the recent Stab In The Dark series.
In this clip the two world champs geek out on boards and gear before sessioning the world’s largest Wavegarden Cove.
