José Otavio, or Zé Otavio, is the given name of a

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian

bodyboarder Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as ''Boogieboarding'' due to the invention of the "Boogie ...

. He was born in the landlocked state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

. He started to surf in Guriri, Espírito Santo, and he developed his skills as a bodyboarder on the beaches of

Niterói Niterói () is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay, facing the city of Rio de ...

, in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. Otavio has continued his career by surfing Brazil's most sought after bodyboarding waves at

Itacoatiara Itacoatiara is one of the 48 official neighborhoods into which the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is divided. Beach Itacoatiara beach is located about 30 minutes east of downtown Niterói by car, or one hour by bus. Itacoatiara ...

beach. He was the first bodyboarder to execute a 720° reverse air spinner caught on tape, which can be seen in the bodyboarding video movie ''QUE! Mutação''.''QUE! Mutação'' YouTube Video
/ref> Otavio has been trained at Itacoatiara, Niterói. He is a first name when talking about Xtreme Bodyboard. He was Brazilian Champion Pro and second in the Pan American at 1997, ISA Games Champion at 1998, and 2x Rio de Janeiro's Pro Champion. He was the one Brazilian representative in Sumol Nazaré Special Edition 09, and he finished second in the event.

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