Podcast Maré Sonora ® · video

What this video covers

Christian Fuchs, kayak builder and ocean paddler based in Atibaia near São Paulo, traveled to Portel in the Brazilian state of Pará — 14 hours by boat and roughly 300 kilometers upriver from Belém — for a three-day paddling event covering about 40 kilometers per day around an island.2:18 The mixed fleet included ocean kayaks, OC4 and OC6 outrigger canoes, and a recreational kayak.12:18 Fuchs, whose previous Amazon experience was limited to Manaus, paddled rivers and igarapés at the edge of Amazonian forest, encountering botos, araras, and riverside communities harvesting açaí.9:39 He notes the practical difference between salt and fresh water: saltwater's higher density lifts the hull slightly, theoretically improving speed, but the Amazon's wind-driven chop mimics open-sea conditions despite the fresh water.32:01 The group traveled during the dry season, when river levels were rising again after a severe low.33:12 Fuchs also describes kayak polo — a 5-on-5 contact sport using 3-meter fiberglass low-volume kayaks with EVA bow and stern guards — as a growing discipline his company Eclipse Kayaques now manufactures for, alongside surf and touring kayaks.42:37 The Pará paddling scene, centered on Belém and nearby Barcarena, is expanding rapidly, driven by instructors who trained with Fuchs in São Paulo.3:08

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