Itacoatiara served up plenty of closeouts, but also the occasional gem. Photo: Itacoatiara Big Wave//Facebook
Local surfers dominated the seventh edition of the Itacoatiara Big Wave tow surfing event on Tuesday, August 25. Rio de Janeiro locals Lucas Chumbo, Pedro Scooby, and Michelle Des Bouillons took out the wins in big, unruly beachbreak surf at Itacoatiara.
On the men’s doubles side of the draw, where teams of two each scored a wave while the other drove the Jet Ski, Chumbo and Scooby dominated. Over the course of four heats, they scored the four-highest waves of the day, flying out of gaping barrels in the challenging, shifty conditions.
Chumbo scored a 9.57 in round one and a 9.83 in the semifinal. Scooby scored a 9.87 in round two, the highest mark of the day, and a 9.77 in the semifinal. In the final, their total of 14.43 defeated the teams of Willyam Santana and Gabriel Sampaio, who earned second, and Feilpe Lacerda and Benito Dagostini, in third.
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“I got my birthday present,” said Lucas Chumbo in his post-heat interview after scoring the 9.57. Chumbo turned 31.
In the women’s event, which was not a doubles competition like the men’s, Des Bouillons notched a 9-point tube ride in the final and backed it up with a 7.37. Her total of 16.37 bested Michaela Fregonese and Dominique Charrier.
The event featured 24 surfers in the double category and six surfers in the women’s category.
