{"id":83820,"date":"2026-07-23T00:34:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83820"},"modified":"2026-07-23T00:41:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:41:27","slug":"surf-legend-ricardo-bocaos-enduring-legacy-in-rocinha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83820","title":{"rendered":"Surf Legend Ricardo Boc\u00e3o’s Enduring Legacy in Rocinha [OBITUARY]"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Known<\/a>
Known as \u201cBoc\u00e3o,\u201d Ricardo Ramos founded the Rocinha Surf School Association. His legacy was defined by his commitment to promoting the sport and social inclusion in the community. Photo: Fala Ro\u00e7a<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

For the original obituary<\/a> by Karen Fontoura published in Fala Ro\u00e7a, click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Known as \u201cBoc\u00e3o,\u201d Ricardo Ramos founded the Rocinha Surf School Association<\/a>. His legacy was defined by his commitment to promoting the sport and social inclusion in the community.<\/em><\/p>\n

Instructor, surfer, Roupa Suja<\/a> resident and one of Rocinha<\/a>‘s leading figures in the sport, Jos\u00e9 Ricardo Ramos<\/a>, 54, known as \u201cBoc\u00e3o,\u201d was found dead on Sunday, June 28, along the rocky shoreline of S\u00e3o Conrado<\/a>‘s Avenida Niemeyer after a five-day search carried out by firefighters, fellow surfers, civil society organizations and friends. His passing carries an almost poetic dimension.<\/p>\n

Even while pierced with the immense pain of the loss of a family member, an instructor and a friend who dedicated over three decades of his life to Rocinha, it is impossible not to reflect on the symbolism of someone who lived for the sea and, in a way, found in it his final destination.<\/p>\n

\"Outside<\/a>
Outside his project’s headquarters, Boc\u00e3o restored many surfboards and lives through education. Photo: Personal archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ricardo Boc\u00e3o devoted his time to others without ever neglecting to cultivate what gave his life meaning: surfing. He taught the sport free of charge to countless children and youth from Rocinha through the Rocinha Surf School<\/a>, making Cant\u00e3o de S\u00e3o Conrado<\/a> an extension of their home\u2014a backyard where they could practice a sport still considered elitist.<\/p>\n

Beyond teaching, the instructor also restored<\/a>, loaned and donated boards to those who could not afford one, making surfing possible for favela youth. At the same time, Boc\u00e3o emphasized that sports should not replace education.<\/p>\n

\"Instructor<\/a>
Instructor Ricardo Boc\u00e3o always used the left end of S\u00e3o Conrado Beach to encourage children and youth with limited financial means from Rocinha and surrounding favelas to take up surfing. Photo: Personal archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Go to school, then come surf<\/a>,” he said in a video shared on social media by the Barraco Adentro Podcast<\/a> about the work of the Rocinha Surf School. It was a simple phrase, but one that reflected his worldview: sports as a tool for transformation, never as a substitute for academic and civic education.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1989 and formalized in 1994, the Rocinha Surf School Association became a place of opportunity for generations of children and youth from the favela. Boc\u00e3o built a life defined by purpose and commitment to the community and the beach. He was a constant presence at community events, championships, beach clean-ups and initiatives that helped keep the project alive, which often survived thanks to collective effort and the constant search for resources. His name was known, respected and admired by many Rocinha residents.<\/p>\n

Ricardo Ramos disappeared in the early hours of Wednesday, June 24, after entering the ocean at S\u00e3o Conrado Beach in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone<\/a>. The fire department, residents and surfers organized a search for the instructor, hoping to find him alive. Residents remained hopeful as WhatsApp groups and local community social media pages<\/a> joined forces to encourage continued search efforts and offer support.<\/p>\n

Yet none of this takes away from the difficult questions Ramos’ death poses. It invites us to look at mental health<\/a> with responsibility and less silence, and to think about how even those who dedicate their lives to caring for others may face invisible struggles. It also highlights the weight of the social and financial challenges faced by those who keep community projects going, almost always with limited resources and tremendous resilience.<\/p>\n

May Boc\u00e3o be remembered not only for how he passed away, but above all for the legacy he left behind: the legend of teaching surfing to favela children and teenagers. For the waves he taught how to ride, for the children he took in, for the values he imparted and for his conviction that education and sport, together, could change lives. May his legacy be honored and inspire future generations.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The instructor always proudly showed off everything the surf school produced and the impact it had on the lives of so many young people. Photo: Fala Ro\u00e7a<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About the author:\u00a0<\/i>Karen Fontoura<\/i><\/a>\u00a0is a journalism student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (<\/i>UFRJ<\/i><\/a>), a resident of\u00a0<\/i>Rocinha<\/i><\/a>, and a reporter with community newspaper\u00a0<\/i>Fala Ro\u00e7a<\/i><\/a>, where she coordinates the organization\u2019s institutional and project communications. She works with audiovisual production, reporting and the promotion of community initiatives.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Support\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0by clicking here<\/a><\/b>.<\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas For the original obituary by Karen Fontoura published in Fala Ro\u00e7a, click here.\u00a0 Known as \u201cBoc\u00e3o,\u201d Ricardo Ramos founded the Rocinha Surf School Association. His legacy was defined by his commitment […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":83822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1328,1290,1330],"tags":[771,397,2084,3140,577,12,1478,2042,3030,207],"writer":[3664],"translator":[3912],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-83820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-by-community-contributors","8":"category-civilsociety","9":"category-translation","10":"tag-community-pride","11":"tag-education","12":"tag-fala-roca","13":"tag-obituary","14":"tag-inclusion","15":"tag-rocinha","16":"tag-roupa-suja","17":"tag-sao-conrado","18":"tag-sense-of-belonging","19":"tag-sports","20":"writer-karen-fontoura","21":"translator-emily-schwartz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83849,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83820\/revisions\/83849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/83822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83820"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=83820"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=83820"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=83820"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=83820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}