Name: Paula Uchoa
Date of Birth: April 19, 1990
Home Break: West coast Rio de Janeiro. I grew up closer to the classic Leblon and Arpoador breaks, but I started surfing on the west coast, Barra, and ever since wouldn’t mind the trip for a good wave a bit more out in the wild like Grumari, in the natural reserve.

FLKLR board of choice: MarMar & Messy Tessi
Instagram: @paulauchoa_

Paula

Well, most of this stories start the same, with a "Who dat"? We asked one of photographers to help us scout a classy female surfer that could help us shoot our new line of recycled swimsuits suits... we got Paula's insta handle feed and couldn't help to notice her style both in and out of the water. She is speaks from her heart and also lets her guide her path. Long story long, we are now writing about her in our story chapter and this is her Folklore Story...

What's your FLKLR?

My very first story to tell about my relationship with the ocean always makes me have a belly laugh just from thinking about it. When I was the littlest person on the beach, still walked funky, my dad used to take me body surfing under his arms on the shore breaks of Leblon. He tells me this story laughing so hard the tears run down his cheeks, because apparently he would avoid at all cost looking at the beach, where my mom was panicking yelling at him to get me out. I LOVED it. But he says if he made eye contact with her, we’d have to get out of the water. 😂 I grew up in the ocean because of his froth body surfing though, I body surfed my whole childhood and as soon as my big brother got himself a new surfboard I inherited his old one and got out there to actually surf for the first time. Nothing changed about mom. As a grom, I’d got out of the water after making eye contact with a panicking mother many times. “You’ve been surfing for so long!”. This is my favorite story for sure. Dad tells me with laugh crisis pauses. Mom tells me about to cry saying I was way too young and dad way too reckless. I never stopped surfing, and I carry this folklore in my heart as I always base myself as close to the ocean as I possibly can. 

Who's style do you admire the most?

This is a hard one. And my answers are usually unconventional, out of the mainstream surfers crew.

Leah Dawson @leahloves is my girl crush. I love her style and diversity, she rips on every board she surfs with. Gabriel Nascimento (@surfereditor) is one of my favorite longboarders of life as well, I’ve known him since I was 7 (he was 5, my friend’s little bro) and all of a sudden the kid is ripping all over the globe. 

What inspires you?

The ocean is my best friend, my temple, my confident, my source of life. Nothing inspires me more than the ocean.

No sunscreen or Underwear?

Neither. Never.