João Noronha

João Noronha was born in Rio de Janeiro and lived all his life near the ocean. He has always been influenced by his family to practice aquatic sports like swimming and surfing. While growing up he got into bodysurfing and bodyboard on the beaches of the southern zone of Rio. At age of 14 he got his first surfboard from his stepfather, a classic swallowtail fish 5’8”, that he had the chance to enjoy on longer and fuller waves in the “Região dos Lagos”, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The passion for the sport began there. To stand on the board and float on the water was a magical sensation, which strongly influenced the paths trod by João until today. Most of the trips through the national territory had as their primary factor the existence of beaches (with waves) and from there some trips through the South American continent followed the simple intention of surfing. At the age of 18, after finishing high school, he had the chance to live in San Diego, California for 6 months. A place where he could surf almost every day and learn more about different types of surfboards. After the experience in California, João returned to Rio de Janeiro and, lead by his interest in photography, drawing, poetry, ceramics and woodworking, began to study visual arts and design. He then had two year experience in a workshop specialised in the construction of furniture using Brasil’s local woods. Nowadays, João is in Lisbon. While worrying about his specialization in photography and visual culture, he embraces other projects related to the area of plastic arts, always influenced by the love of the sea and the lifestyle that surfing proposes. A path that lead him to establish a partnership with Fly Black Bird, to ride and test the boards.