The best of the best in the Latin-American surf circuits are going over to Santa Catarina, Brasil. Over there, an exciting event will be hosted, as we get the Layback Pro Presented by Billabong. This time, with both Male and Female events.
This year the Layback Floripa Pro will be from Wednesday, November 10 to Sunday, November 14, 2021, at Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, in Brasil.
Top Contenders – Layback Floripa Pro – 2021 Surf – Men’s & Women’s
Top 2 Men’s:
Yago Dora
Yago Dora was a latecomer to the whole surfing thing, despite his pedigree. The reason was, he was 11 years old by the time the surfing bug finally bit. This is a good 6-to-8 years older than most of his peers.
His learning curve was steep too because his dad was already busy filming every session for high-profile team riders. This included the likes of Lucas Silveira, Marco Giorgi, Ricardo dos Santos, and Adriano de Souza.
He devoured dad’s technical input, replayed his tapes, and ate up hours and hours watching Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, and Dane Reynolds clips.
Leandro didn’t push the contest thing on his son or tell him to copy anyone’s style. Meanwhile, Yago was doing just fine forming his own.
During trips to Hawaii and Peru, his father’s videos captured the origins of an aerial dynamo.
Leandro let a few clips slip out into the public sphere. Later, Yago’s explosive approach started getting the attention of global internet powerhouses.
He became one of Brazil’s first pros known as a free-surfing phenom.
His competitive attempts were half-hearted up through 2015. However, after watching Gabriel Medina and Adriano de Souza capture back-to-back World Titles a new fire was lit.
He finished No. 43 on the Qualifying Series in 2016, his first full year out. Later in 2017, he became one of the biggest breakout stars of the year, nabbing two big QS wins on his way to qualifying for the 2018 Championship Tour. This, while also setting the Oi Rio Pro ablaze as a wildcard.
Surfing in his first-ever CT event, Dora showcased his electrifying aerial game in front of a home-country crowd and disposed of John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, and Mick Fanning on his way to an incredible third-place finish.
Wiggolly Dantas
Brazilian professional surfer who is known for his sponsorship through the brands Quiksilver, Mini Kalzone, and Nosso Lar Construtora.
Dantas shares both photos and video clips of his surfing through Instagram for his over 230,000 followers.
The surfer was born and raised in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is known for dating fellow surfer Natalie Plachi.
He first started surfing at the age of three. He went on to compete professionally for the first time in 2005. Then at the age of 15, he was crowned the Quicksilver King of the Groms in France.
Wiggolly Dantas is known for hosting and helping run the annual Brasileiro de Surf Feminino. This is a surf competition dedicated to the female surfers of Brazil.
He is ranked #6 in Men’s QS Rank
Top 2 Women’s:
Daniela Rosas
Daniella Rosas grew up in Máncora, a surf-ringed town in the far north of Peru.
From an early age, she had a natural affinity for all sports and excelled at swimming, basketball, football, and taekwondo; a sport where she was South American champion at the age of 12. However, surfing was always the sport she enjoyed the most, and her passion eclipsed her love of other sports.
She started competing aged eight and was taken under the wing of legendary Peruvian surf coach Roberto Meza.
She also had stints with Sofía Mulanovich’s academy, and the 2004 World Champion has been a huge influence.
At 15 years old, she participated in her first ISA World Surfing Games in 2017, and also became the youngest female surfer to tackle Peru’s famous big wave spot of Pico Alto.
In 2019 she won her first QS event and backed that win at the Pan American Games in Lima.
Whilst the pandemic then curtailed her full-time crack on the QS in 2020 she further proved her credentials when she secured her berth at the Tokyo Olympic Games at the 2021 ISA Games.
The other Peruvian spot was taken by her mentor Sofía Mulanovich, 17 years her senior, and was further icing on the cake.
Silvana Lima
Lima started well behind the line, growing up in a snack shack on the sand in Paracuaru, Brazil, owned by her parents.
She learned to surf on a piece of wood that she adorned with a makeshift fin herself.
Her first “real” board was a hand-me-down she got at 14, yet from those humble beginnings she went on to become an eight-time national champion, a two-time runner up to the World Title, and an inspirational unsung hero.
Her lively performances earned her a spot on the Championship Tour in 2006, and she set the world on fire during her first six years on Tour with five Top 5 finishes on the leaderboard, including her No. 2 rank in 2008 and 2009.
Silvana’s bread and butter was her penchant for progressive moves, and being lightweight and agile with breakneck speed, she was one of the first women to routinely go to the air in competition.
While most surfers would have called it a career, 29-year-old Lima attacked surfing’s minor leagues without blinking and won the 2014 Qualifying Series.
Former Tour star Leonardo Neves began working with her, adding, even more, moves to her arsenal.
She won it again in 2016, and this time she returned to the CT healthy.
In 2017 she blitzed her way to victory at the Swatch Lowers Pro proving that at 32-years-old, she was still on the forward edge of progress.
In 2018 her QS form allowed her to stay on the CT, but in 2019 a combination of injuries and inconsistent results saw her fail to make the cut.
As a consolation though — as the second-rated Brazilian on the CT — she was provisionally selected to represent her country at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
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