Filipe Toledo’s Father Talks Brazilian Surfing World Champ’s Fear of Big Waves

Back in 2015, Filipe Toledo notoriously scored a 0.00 at Teahupo’o.

It was Round 5, Heat 1 of the (then) Billabong Pro Tahiti, and Toledo faced fellow Brazilian Italo Ferreira. Pretty solid Chopes. A little wobbly, but overhead tubes.

And Toledo…didn’t catch a wave.

Since then, Toledo, arguably the best small-wave surfer in the world, has put in the work with regards to the bigger stuff. (He placed ninth this year at Teahupo’o.)

But his presumed “fear” of big waves has always been a topic of discussion.

And recently, Ricardo Toledo, Filipe’s longtime coach and father, talked about that fear.

As translated by Spanish language surf site, Duke, Ricardo said in a podcast:

"The truth is that he is afraid of hitting the bottom of the coral, that is the fear he has, of hitting himself there and really hurting himself and that suffer irreversible injury. It's something that stays in his head.

“Big waves, he's already surfed several big tides, in Waimea, in Pipeline. He doesn't have that know-how like John John has, like Medina has, like he acquired Italo over the years. It is something that we know but at no time does it detract from the quality of athlete that he is.

“His focus is on the world tour final and another world title. Now is not the stage to show that you throw yourself in Teahupoo. Look what happened with Ethan Ewing.”

(As you’ll remember, Ethan Ewing broke his back at Teahupo’o during a free surf session, potentially knocking him out of the Finals and a World Title opportunity.)

With regards to the Paris 2024 Olympics, in which Toledo will be representing Brazil, and will be held at Teahupo’o, Ricardo said:

“You have to know the moment to expose yourself and the time in which you can expose yourself. He is certainly going to do a preseason there to adapt even more. Something we have to think about is that the window is very short and the games can be done in a maral [sic] meter.”

As for practice ahead of the Games:

"He will be going, it is an eight-hour flight."

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