Strapless Big Air Comp with the Brazilian Brothers

The Brazilian Brothers covered an exciting strapless big air competition in Prea, Brazil. It was organized by strapless pioneer and 2008 World Champion Mitu Monteiro. The weather could hardly have been better, with the wind pumping at 25-30 knots. The brothers were especially stoked that their friend Baby Shark would be participating in his first strapless competition, and they felt he had a good shot at placing, if not outright winning.

Ready... Set... Go!

First up was the racing competition. Riders would take two laps around two buoys set up just offshore. Baby Shark was on his 10m Orbit, which was a bit overpowered for the conditions, but he seemed to be feeling confident.

As the riders came into the final turn, Baby Shark was in the lead, followed closely by a local on a Duotone Rebel. The local took a short tack and overtook Baby Shark, who was getting blown onto the beach as he tried to regain control of his overpowered kite.

Suddenly the local fell, opening the lead back up to Baby Shark. But nearly simultaneously, Baby Shark also fell, stumbling over the break as he tried to get away from the beach. The local recovered first and sailed to victory, celebrating with a massive send.

But wait... the judges were huddled and pointing at the buoy. The local had cut inside the buoy on that short tack and was disqualified! That made Baby Shark the winner, and he was thrilled.

The Strapless Freestyle Competition Begins...

Buoyed by his first win, Baby Shark was ready to put on a show for the freestyle portion of the competition. But he conceded that he needed a smaller kite and Rubens and Arthur made a mad dash for the car because their 8m was at home. This was just up the road, but they had only 4 minutes before the first heat. And so another exciting race began.

With no time to spare, the brothers returned and pumped up the kite, but Baby Shark was already in the water with his 10m, fully lit and throwing down a perfectly executed backroll with an osmosis. He couldn't stick every landing but still made an impressive showing and advanced to the final round.

A Quick Chat with the Competitors

Rubens used the break to catch a couple quick interviews.

Michael Monteiro

Rubens: Hey Michael, welcome back here. How was your first heat?

Michael: It was great. The conditions were amazing with really strong wind. It was a lot of fun to compete against Baby Shark and all my friends.

Rubens: What gear were you on?

Michael: I was on a 2025 10m F-One Bandit and the Magnet surfboard. The board is super light and I really like it.

Rubens: That's awesome. This is Mitu's son Michael and we are here cheering for him. The conditions are really exceptional today. Stay tuned because we got some more awesome action coming your way.

Local Rider Itamar

Rubens: What is your name, my friend?

Itamar: Itamar.

Rubens: Are you originally from Prea?

Itamar: Yes, I was born and raised here.

Rubens: How was your heat?

Itamar: It didn't work out as I planned, but we are out here having fun. This is my first strapless competition, and it's going great!

Rubens: How are the wind conditions out there?

Itamar: It's at least 25 knots out there, so we're having fun!

Rubens: Thanks so much, my brother!

And the Winner Is...

For the finals, Baby Shark did swap to the 8m North Orbit 2026, hoping to pull off some contra loops and another osmosis. He was up against 2022 Brazilian Champion Breno Barbosa on a Duotone Neo SLS.

Baby Shark started with an impressive double backroll, but bombed out on the landing. Breno stuck the landing on his frontroll with a board flip and moved into the lead.

Next Baby Shark pulled off a beautiful kiteloop board-off and landed with his feet on the board, but was pulled off at the last second. Next he tried a double backroll with a board spin and heliloop, but couldn't land that one either. His final backroll with a kiteloop went off flawlessly, but would it be enough to claim another victory after winning the race?

Not quite. Breno continued showing off his strapless repertoire, each trick more impressive than the last, claiming the title for the freestyle portion of the competition. There were no hard feelings, though, and Baby Shark congratulated Breno on his well-earned win as the sun began to set on an incredible day.

Wrap-Up Interviews

Breno Barbosa

Rubens: We're here with Breno, who is from Cumbuco, right?

Breno: I'm actually from Fortaleza.

Rubens: He was just in the final against Baby Shark, how was it?

Breno: It was really gratifying to be in the final with Baby Shark. We both started kiting together back in the day. I actually gave him his first kite when he was just starting out, and this is my first time competing against him. He is a huge reference for the community. He's a monster at big air. I'm so grateful to be here with everybody and this amazing sunset.

Rubens: What about your equipment? What kite were you using?

Breno: I was using a 2025 Duotone Neo SLS 8m. I really like this kite, and I'm so grateful to be sponsored by Duotone. It is awesome to be competing with such great kites. I'm super grateful for everything! I'm super anxious to see the results, like really excited!

Rubens: Thank you, my brother, and best of luck to you!

Josue San "Baby Shark"

Rubens: All right, we're here with Baby Shark. His first strapless freestyle competition. He just got off the water. He made it all the way to the final after winning the race. How was that final, Baby Shark?

Baby Shark: Oh, it was absolutely insane. I actually didn't expect to do the tricks I did. I knew that the wind was going to drop at sunset, but as the tide was going to come in, I thought nah, it's going to be good. And it was actually pretty good. I got a contra loop board-off which was a 10, the best score in competition, so I'm pretty happy about it. I already won the race and I got second on my first strapless competition. So I'm good on that and I will keep pushing.

Rubens: That was an awesome trick. 10-pointer. I couldn't believe it. You were the only one doing kiteloops in today's competition, which was sick. What kite were you on and how did you like the kite?

Baby Shark: I was on the new Orbit, and I'm pretty happy about the performance. I didn't expect that performance on strapless. I had tricks that I never landed before. The kite is just insane. I can't wait for the Ultra.

Mitu Monteiro

Rubens: We're here with Mitu Monteiro who is a kite legend. He was actually organizing and judging today's uh event here in Prea. We are super excited to meet him. He's the nicest guy in the world. What did you think of the event today, and what were the conditions like?

Mitu: It was really cool; we organize this event every year. It's very emotional for me to see all these amazing athletes giving their best. I am a pioneer of this sport and it's awesome to see all the new stuff riders come up with each year. This year, we had Josue participating, and he put up a great show. It's been super fun to be here organizing this event, and seeing everyone so motivated. I am super proud of everyone and I can't wait for another edition next year.

Rubens: Your son Michael was competing in the strapless big air event today. How was it to see him in action here in Prea?

Mitu: Watching him compete was emotional for me. He doesn't kite as much back home, but does it often here in Brazil. He mainly surfs, but always gets inspired by the local guys here. It is a very emotional moment for me to see him competing and sharing our passion of kitesurfing with everyone. It was really great to see him kiting today.

Rubens: Thank you so much, Mitu. It was such an amazing day here today in Prea. The wind was absolutely nuking. The waves were sick and we couldn't be happier to cover this event and we hope to see you in the next video.

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