As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Brazilian surfer Ricardo dos Santos was shot three times on Monday 19th January near his home in Brazil, and the following morning passed away in hospital.

Ricardo first came to the attention of the wider surfing world in 2011, when he won the Von Zipper Trials at Teahupoo, thereby booking himself a place in the Billabong Pro. He posted a solid score of 14.47 in his Round 1 heat of the contest proper, missing out by under a point to Jordy Smith. It was a warning sign of things to come, and he returned in Round 2 to cause a major upset, taking down Taj Burrow in sizeable Teahupoo waves. He was unlucky not to advance to Round 4, losing to Kelly Slater in his Round 3 heat by 17.60 to 15.84, but that was not the end of his Teahupoo love-affair.