Just last year, surf fans watched on as Adriano De Souza sustained a debilitating injury heading out for his Round 2 heat at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal. The scene was unforgettable and irrespective of thoughts on the man’s style or your own national affiliation, objectively it was tough to watch. A world champion surfer – innately in tune with the many moods of the ocean – floundering in one foot of water flailing for help in agony. Medically, the cause of injury would later be attributed to mistiming a duck dive and landing awkwardly on a leg, but carrying the expectations of a nation of over 209 million on your back for a decade has to take its toll on the joints, too.
This story has a happy ending, of course. After two knee surgeries and jaw surgery, ADS returned to form in Brazil this year, but the documentary above gives further insight into what was one of the deepest valleys in the career of the Brazilian world champ, and how a period of complete darkness ultimately yielded to bright rejuvenating light.
“Solstice is an astronomical event that means the beginning of summer or winter,” explains the video description of the title. “This is the time of year when the sun shines most strongly in one of the two hemispheres.
“Solstices are related to esotericism and for many cultures have a very important symbolism. For example, for some peoples, the summer solstice is a source of great joy because it represents the victory of the Light over the Darkness.
“The solstice occurs twice a year, on June 21 and December 21, marking the beginning of the seasons, which are contrary in each hemisphere.”
