When I was day dreaming about my theoretical trip to Brazil in years past, I always knew visiting Sununga beach would somehow play a role in the adventure. I figured I should spend at least a month in this town that coins itself the country’s ‘Skimboard capital.’

Well as my dreams to visit Brazil materialized into an actual trip, that idea of going to Sununga never changed either, and next thing I knew, I was renting a room from a friend a short walk down the road from the legendary skim spot.

January is probably the worst time of year to get the strong South Atlantic swells that turn Sununga on, but I got pretty lucky and the ‘beast’ awoke from its summertime slumber for several great days of skimming.

Skimming nearly every day has been a great reminder that my best skim days happened over a decade ago, but it’s still fun to reconnect with the sport that made me fall in love with the ocean and surfing.

Getting to know the crew of skimboarders that make this place tick has been equally as enjoyable as the waves. For whatever reason, the global skimboarding community is inherently more welcoming and open than its surfing counterparts. It’s probably because, in general, there are less skimboarders around the world and more waves to share. Resources aren’t as scarce during a skim session compared to a surf session.

As a result, I find that as I travel the globe I gravitate towards the skim communities, despite the fact that back in California I surfed 10 times more than I skimmed.

Anyway, Sununga is a gem of a wave and skim community. I have no idea when, or if ever, I’ll visit again, but I surely hope I do.