Italo Ferreira is by far one of the last people any surfer on tour wants to find themselves in a heat against. He can do things on waves that no one else can do, and he can do those things with a pretty staggering consistency. But the tour isn’t all about skill, and for Italo, the 2023 season hasn’t exactly come together. But that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the best surfers in the world on any given day. After leaving the Margaret River Pro in the Round of 16, he jumped on a plane and headed to Indonesia.
Before Marg’s, Ferreira was 17th. Going into the Surf Ranch, he’s likely not going to be in a spot he’s happy with. In Bali, however, he proved that he’s definitely got what it takes (not that we needed proof). So on April 26, he surfed Uluwatu’s Racetrack section at sunset and, as he is prone to doing, he blew everyone’s minds.
Uluwatu is of course known best for the Main Peak section, but on those smaller days when it’s not working, Racetracks can be. As the next chunk of reef at the end of the Peak, Racetracks is a ridiculously long, speedy wave with multiple sections for airs, barrels, and turns. The farther down the reef you go, the faster it gets, and the last section, when it’s almost sucking dry, is home to some of the best barrels on the planet.
