Two-time world champion Filipe Toledo is headed home, relocating his family to Brazil after more than a decade in California. He’s traded the e-bikes and cobblestones of Lower Trestles for samba parties and açaí of his natal country.
The move was confirmed in an article on his website, ft77.com. Toledo, 30, is originally from Ubatuba in the state of São Paulo, but will now call Rio de Janeiro home and frequent the city’s punchy beachbreaks set against iconic granite monoliths.
“His return to the country is a gift to the fans and to Brazilian surfing,” the article reads. “With the two-time champion living in Brazil again, it will be possible to see him more frequently at events, activities, and projects related to the sport, further strengthening his connection with the public and sponsors.”
Toledo first moved to California in 2014, settling in San Clemente. Making Lower Trestles his home break paid dividends as he won back-to-back world titles there in 2022 and 2023 under the now-scrapped one-day Final 5 format.
He took the 2024 Championship Tour season off for mental-health reasons – appearing in the Paris 2024 Olympics – then returned to the tour in 2025, finishing seventh overall and winning the Gold Coast stop in Australia.
Toledo has been capitalizing on Brazil’s fervent surf culture since moving back, recently appearing with other celebrities in a go-kart race tied to a Formula 1 race in São Paulo.
He’ll have plenty of time to readjust to life in Brazil during the long offseason. The 2026 Championship Tour doesn’t kick off until April at Bells Beach, Australia.
