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Abellira, Reno

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academia and surfing

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advertising and surfing

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air-drop

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angle

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Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

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Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Quiet and serene Brazilian regularfooter from João Pessoa, in the state of Paraíba; one of Brazil's most successful competition surfers; world amateur champion in 1988, and ranked #5 on the 1992 international pro circuit. Gouveia was born (1969) in the northeast town of Bananeiras, Paraíba, the son of an agricultural engineer, raised in João Pessoa, and began surfing at age 13. Five years later he was the Brazilian amateur champion, and in 1988 he was the surprise winner of the World Amateur Surfing Championships—the first Brazilian surfer to win a world title of any kind, pro or amateur.

Gouveia turned pro along with Flavio Padaratz, another highly regarded Brazilian. Although close friends, the two surfers were an odd couple: the blond-haired Padaratz was an extroverted goofyfoot from a moneyed family who spoke near-perfect English. The shy, dark-haired Gouveia spoke only Portuguese and avoided the surf media spotlight. It was expected that Padaratz would be the one to crack the top of the ratings—and eventually he did, finishing #8 in 1994. But the small-framed Gouveia (5' 3", 140 pounds) quickly developed into an easygoing but often deadly efficient pro surfer, placing third in his first world tour event outside of Brazil, and finishing the 1989 season ranked 35th, with rookie-of-the-year honors.

After winning his first world tour event in 1990, Gouveia became, as surf journalist Derek Hynd noted, "a god in Brazil, [and] the vanguard of his nation's long promise in surfing." Gouveia had by then developed a refined closed-knee style, grooved but not rote, expertly blending his turns and often finding a sinuous line over flat spots where other surfers had to hop and bounce; his technique was sometimes compared to that of California surf icon Tom Curren. And like Curren, Gouveia had a childlike tendency to become distracted. Having reached the semifinals of a big event early in his career, he nearly missed the match as he'd wandered off to a grassy area behind the contest site and was feeding the pigeons.

Gouveia rose steadily up the pro tour ratings over the next three years, finishing 25th in 1990, 13th in 1991, and fifth in 1992—each mark a new high for a Brazilian surfer—winning four events during the period, including the season-ending 1991 World Cup at Sunset Beach, Hawaii. By 1996 he slipped down to 37th, and dropped off the tour. Two years later he won the World Qualifying Series tour and again, briefly, earned a spot in the big leagues; he competed in second-tier events until 2009.

A hobbyist boardmaker since age 14, Gouveia made some of his own equipment during his pro years, and pursued shaping as a career in the late '00s, with Fabio Gouveia Shapes and Designs

 (1994), and a small number of other surf videos, he was without question the least-photographed and filmed pro of his generation. It was a poetic bit of irony that 

, a documentary, won the Audience Award at the 2004 Rio de Janero Film Festival.

Goofyfooter Ian Gouveia, Fabio's son, made his world tour debut in 2017.

Gouveia, Fabio

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint

Videos