The Rush of Bodysurfing in Rio: A Traveler’s Guide
The steeliest surfers in Rio de Janeiro forgo the board. To follow suit, don a pair of fins and jump in head first
THERE’S AN underground scene in Rio de Janeiro that starts early, like 5:30 a.m. Sometimes it begins the night before, when 50-odd bodysurfers who form a WhatsApp group are sharing pictures from the day—a baldheaded, wetsuit-clad wave-rider flying Superman-like across bottle-green water; a group shot of well over 100 exultant bodysurfers in sungas (like Speedos), swim fins flung skyward. The early-morning messages report surf conditions at various beaches: “Leme is firing.” “Diabo looking good!”
Until about a year ago I had...