Riding high on Copacabana's waves - 21st July 2023

With its iconic status as a colourful and exuberant hub for beach life and attractive people, Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach isn't usually associated with surfing. The coastline here, along with the other city beaches, has waves generally rated mediocre by the surfing community.

Resolving to convince these naysayers otherwise, Carioca, Thiago Costa set himself the bold challenge of surfing for 100 days, each time catching a barrel wave.

Thiago Costa: "I think the barrel wave is the magic moment of surfing. Of course, you have other different tricks, but I think that that moment when you're surrounded by the wave is like - it gives me a feeling of being reborn. It's like I'm stepping out of Mother Nature's womb, starting life all over again."

It was some of Costa's companions who'd prompted him to share the exhilaration of surfing in Rio city, suggesting he upload images of himself training onto social media. They were optimistic it might galvanise one-time surfers to dust down their boards and get back on the water.

And the 100 day barrel wave surfing challenge seems to have done the trick for Gabriel Sodre, a surfer evidently motivated by those images.

Gabriel Sodre: "The guy gets a barrel wave every day. He is an inspiration for us. Sometimes at home, I get discouraged from surfing, feeling lazy. But when I see Thiago posting his barrels of the day that's it. It's a very cool energy. He's always on the search. You can see in his face that he does it out of love. That's what matters. Surfing brings us life. It makes us young."

Although surfing's an activity which is close to Costa's heart, his ambition is that people might be persuaded to practise whatever water sport they find fulfilling.

Thiago Costa: "If I can inspire someone to practise sports, at sea, whether it's paddle boarding, bodysurfing, bodyboarding or surfing, I think the mission will be accomplished."

Not one to rest on his laurels, Costa has a fresh quest on the horizon and next year he's intent on doubling his accomplishment by completing 200 days of barrel wave surfing.

Thiago Costa: "Last year, I lost my camera. I'll see if I'll buy a new one to start 2024. I might reach 200 barrels. I think it's difficult but let's try. I think that's the challenge. Life is always an eternal challenge. Surfing is also a challenge."

Whichever stretch of coastline beckons to them, seasoned and would-be surfers will be able to monitor Costa's progress online.