Yago had a lot to smile about last week in Southern California. Photo: Nolan//World Surf League
As improbable as it sounds, before last week’s Trestle Pro, Yago Dora had never competed professionally at San Clemente’s famous cobblestone reef. The only time he’d surfed a heat at Trestles was when he was still a teenager during Volcom’s Totally Crustaceous Tour in 2015.
Dora, the 29-year-old Championship Tour veteran from Florianopolis, Brazil, qualified in 2018 – the year Trestles was replaced by Kelly Slater’s pool on tour. When Trestles later returned as the title-deciding event under the Final 5 format, Dora never cracked the top five to compete there. But after his win last weekend at the high-performance A-frame, it’s clear that competitive surfing had been missing the Dora-Trestles combination. The wave is perfectly suited to his innovative style – and his well-rounded approach wraps it all in a tight competitive bow for us to witness.
Despite his lack of Lowers experience in the professional ranks, Dora and the wave are hardly strangers. He called San Clemente home for two years in 2015 and 2016 and has always made regular trips there to pick up his Mayhem boards. His comfort at Trestles showed as he mowed down heavyweights like Ethan Ewing, Kanoa Igarashi, and Griffin Colapinto en route to victory.
“(Even though) I’d never competed in a professional event at Lowers before, I was very confident,” Dora told me. “I’ve spent a lot of time surfing Lowers during my career. I would always come to California, grab some boards, and go try them out at Lowers. I always felt like I surfed the wave pretty well.”
Even with all the reps at Trestles, Dora acknowledged that learning how to navigate the lineup without the notorious crowds required an adjustment period.
“It was a little different to figure out my first few heats,” said Dora. “The lineup with no one out feels a lot different because you can take off from the exact spot you want, you can do the turns where you want without 100 people in your way. When you’re freesurfing, you’re always adapting your line to the crowd. So just being out there with one more guy, it was so cool to have the whole playing field to work with. As soon as I figured that out, I felt so much better. (With crowds) you’re never in the exact spot you want to take off, and especially for the left, you want to use that first big section. To be able to take off from behind and hit the first section was really good.”
Getting a decent quota of waves is a challenge for all but a select few locals and legends who surf Trestles. But Dora feels like he’s found his place in the lineup – even if he has to battle for waves – and he holds the Lowers surf community in high regard.
“I feel like I have a lot of respect (at Lowers),” explained Dora. “I’ve spent a lot of time there. I always try to be respectful, and I feel like the locals respect me back. And it’s not like people are being uncool out there, (the challenge) is just the number of people. You’re inevitably going to be fighting for a wave at some point in your session, or you’re going to get frustrated, or someone’s going to paddle around you.”
Dora’s stellar debut performance at Trestles marks the first CT event at the wave since it was chosen as the venue for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. While qualification is still two years away and Brazil’s roster is stacked with formidable Trestles surfers like Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira, and Filipe Toledo, Dora made a strong case as a compelling candidate for Team Brazil in 2028.
“It’s all about relationships, baby!” Yago Dora’s relationship with Lowers Left is definitely solid. Photo: Emma Sharon//WSL
“I was really excited when I heard Lowers is going to be the venue for the Olympics,” said Dora. “Even if they did it at Huntington Beach, I’d be psyched because I’ve had a win there as well. But Lowers is just a lot better. It’s the ultimate high-performance wave.”
Now Dora heads to Brazil ranked second on tour, just behind leader Jordy Smith. His best finish to a season ever was sixth, which was last year, so he’s in uncharted territory chasing the yellow jersey this late in the season. Still, with a first and second in the Rio event the last two seasons respectively, you wouldn’t bet against him leaving Saquarema with the rankings lead.
“I’m really looking forward to the next few events,” Dora said. “Brazil is a place where I always feel really good. It’s just so nice surfing an event in your home country. I can’t wait. I love J-Bay, I love Teahupo’o, I love Fiji. I’m close to being number one in the rankings, but I’m not thinking about that too much – just one event at a time. I’m thinking about going to Saquarema and performing the best I can, getting the best result I can, and enjoying the process.”
