58 Surf and Turf

Ep.20/ Miguel Blanco

Miguel Blanco is a Portuguese professional surfer recognized for his competitive consistency and progressive approach in the water. Competing on both national and international stages, he has represented Portugal in high-level events, establishing himself as one of the standout names of the new generation of European surfers. Known for his determination, technical ability, and composed competitive mindset, Miguel has built his career through dedication and a deep connection to the ocean. His continued evolution and commitment to performance make him a strong figure in contemporary Portuguese surfing.

Ep.19/ Peter Joli Wilson

Peter “Joli” Wilson is an Australian surf photographer and visual historian, widely respected for documenting the evolution of modern surfing and big-wave culture from the 1970s onward. Although not a professional competitive surfer, his work has played a major role in shaping how surfing is seen and remembered worldwide. Born and raised in Australia, Wilson began surfing and photographing waves at a young age. By his early teens, he was already developing film and combining his passion for the ocean with photography. In 1972, he started photographing surf seriously, and by 1989 he became a full-time freelance photographer. Wilson founded Joli Productions, an extensive photographic archive dedicated to surf culture, athletes, and iconic locations. His work has been published in leading international surf magazines and featured on numerous covers. He is especially known for documenting big-wave surfing, capturing historic moments at places such as Jaws (Hawaii), Teahupo’o (Tahiti), Cloudbreak (Fiji), and Nazaré (Portugal). His photography stands out for its raw realism and storytelling, portraying not only the action in the water but also the people, risks, and lifestyle surrounding surfing. Over his career, he has received major recognition, including multiple Australian Surf Photo of the Year awards. Based on the Gold Coast, Australia, Peter “Joli” Wilson continues to be regarded as one of the most important visual chroniclers of surf history, with a legacy that connects generations of surfers through powerful imagery.

Ep.18 / Paulo do Bairro

Paulo Rodrigues, known as ‘Paulo do Bairro’, is a legendary Portuguese surfer, national champion in 2000, a pioneer of professional surfing in Portugal, with a successful competitive career and later becoming a respected shaper and coach. Closely linked to innovation and the history of Portuguese surfing, he is an icon of Estoril and a reference name in the surf industry in Portugal and internationally.

Ep.17/ João Valente

João Valente is a Portuguese surfer, journalist, and one of the most influential voices in surf culture in Portugal. Connected to surfing from a young age, he stood out less through competition and more through his reflection, writing, and promotion of surfing as a culture, identity, and social phenomenon.He is best known as the founder and editor of Surf Portugal magazine, a publication that shaped several generations and helped document, contextualize, and elevate Portuguese surfing to a level of editorial maturity that had not previously existed. The magazine became a historical reference within the national surf scene.Throughout his career, João Valente established himself as a specialized journalist, columnist, and surf commentator, collaborating with various media outlets and regularly participating as a surf commentator on television and at events.He is widely recognized as a guardian of the memory and identity of Portuguese surfing, and a respected figure both in and out of the water.

Ep.16/ Eric Arakawa

Eric Arakawa is a legendary Hawaiian surfboard shaper, born and raised in Hawaii. He started surfing in Waikiki at the age of 10 and shaped his first surfboard when he was just 14 years old, already showing exceptional talent and dedication to board design. With over five decades of experience, Arakawa became one of the most respected shapers in the world. His high-performance surfboards have been ridden by top professional surfers, including Derek Ho and three-time world champion Andy Irons, playing a key role in competitive surfing history. In the 1980s, he founded the brand Island Classics, which became iconic in Hawaii. He later worked extensively with Hawaiian Island Creations (HIC) and eventually regained creative control of Island Classics. Eric Arakawa has received several honors, including Surfing Magazine’s Shaper of the Year (2003), and in 2025 he was recognized as an “Icon of Foam” at the Boardroom International Surfboard Show, celebrating his lasting influence on surfboard craftsmanship and surf culture.