The Rio 2016 Olympic Torch will arrive in the home of Brazil’s big wave surf culture on Wednesday (1 June) when it will be carried by legendary Brazilian adrenalin junkie Carlos Burle across the waters where he earned his surfing stripes. The two-time big wave world champion will take the Olympic flame out on his board from the sands of Maracaípe, one of Brazil's most famed surf beaches.

“Carrying the torch in Maracaípe makes complete sense to me, it’s a place that has represented everything in my life,” said Burle, who made global headlines in 2013 when he surfed a giant wave estimated to be 100 feet (30.5m) high in Nazare, Portugal. This came just hours after the Brazilian saved his co-surfer Maya Gabeira from drowning.
 

Now 49, Burle has been part of what he calls surfing’s “long maturing process” and he thinks his participation in the torch relay is a wider recognition of the surfing community. He is a passionate advocate of his sport, which he believes has the power to bring about positive social change.

“People who are truly happy and fulfilled in life know that material things aren’t everything,” he says. “Surfers have a very strong connection with nature and can set an example for people to have a simpler lifestyle, where less is more. The big lesson is that the good things in life are simple.”

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Burle also uses surfing as a means to raise environmental awareness. Since 2015 he has headed up the campaign Água Limpa é Onda (Clean Water is the Wave), a project that has as its primary focus the depollution of São Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro, where Burle now resides. He intends to extend this environmental work to other beaches and lagoons around the city.

“I like to make a difference,” he says. “Work is being done and we’ve had debates with local resident associations. We need to work together and understand that basic sanitation is vital.”