Santa Catarina is an island off the southern coast which juts out to sea to catch the most consistent swell in Brasil, swell that comes a-marching in from the Roaring 40s between South America's Cape Horn and South Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Imbituba's a paradisiacalbeachbreak about an hour's drive from the main hub of Floripa. With tiny tides, the banks here are pretty much permanent and thus can provide powerful green peaks stretching out across sand whiter than talcum powder. When conditions are favourable, the whole place lights up with a series of glorious peaks which tube like a PVC factory.

In the 70s, surfers from Rio and Sao Paulo came here looking for surf ... and found girls. With all the Russian and German settlers in the 19th century the female gene pool is a mix of Euro and darker South American qualities. (There are currently seven modelling agencies in Santa Caterina and their scouts comb beaches daily, looking for the next big thing.) Aside from this distraction they also found waves on the island paradise and
never left

Paulo Moura, Fabio Gouviea, Peterson Rosa.

With the swell smaller than most locales on tour, it’s all about speed and creativity. Folk like Taj Burrow make a mess of this place. Andy’s another previous winner, so too the Brasilieros, they were raised on this sort of jazz and will do anything to please the local vocal crowd.

Hang Loose is Brasil's largest domestic surfwear concern. Started in 1982 by Alfio Lagnado, who originally sold key rings in beachside stalls, before graduating to making surfing shorts, to today having an annual turnover of $100m. Alfio and Hang Loose have staged events at the highest international level for a quarter of a century, everywhere from Rio to Sao Paulo to Santa Catarina.

Dad's are the same the world over, in Brazil they have the catchcry of "Only boring people get bored!" in reply to any potential piss-moaning children. That's why, even when the surf is on the blink in Floripa, you'll never see any boring local kids. There are over 100 white sand beaches on this fantastic island, but there's more to do than just the touristy things like sandboarding the huge dunes behind the contest site at Joaquina, or staring dumbstruck at the Hercilio Luz Bridge ... We suggest you catch a game of 'futebol' especially the wild local derby affairs between Figueirense FC and Avia FC. Either that or go around to tennis Ace Gustavo Kuerten's plush pad near the beach (tell him you're your friends with worldprosurfers.com, he'll be cool)for a banging five-setter, make sure not to let his balls smash into your chin though. There's so much to do. And if you are a single male of the hetero variety you could do a lot worse than initiating a wild, cocaine-fuelled sex party with some of the local ladies back at your hotel suite.

If you like seeing Brazilian folk in the nude - and who doesn’t? - then make yourself familiar with the naturalist beach over the next headland from Joaquina: officially known as ‘Galheta’; unofficially known as ‘Boobs and Muff HQ’. Sickos! Hmmmph ... and they make out like we’re the deviants for looking at them. Go figure.