Watch: Filipe Toledo // Raíz y Sal

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
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Never mind the tortured artist, in this high stakes world the tortured pro athlete is the one who deserves our sympathy.

"After winning two consecutive world titles, Filipe Toledo chooses to step away from the circuit at the height of his career. Raíz y Sal is a sensitive and cinematic portrait of this break: a journey through Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Brazil, where surfing stops being a competition and returns to being an expression, silence, presence."

Right.

Filipe is not only the best small wave surfer of his generation but he's also the fastest surfer, perhaps ever, so it's a shame the filmmakers opt to show his surfing in a sensitive and cinematic way - i.e they slow it down. There's a good passage that begins around the 11 min. mark with FT doing FT things, but too soon it switches back to sunsets and slow mo.

Filipe is an intriguing fella and a fantastic surfer, but Raíz y Sal doesn't do either aspect justice.

A good film in parts.

Comments

Gowsa's picture
Gowsa's picture
Gowsa Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 12:09pm

I find it difficult to separate the surfing from the Surfer
Yeah, Nah.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 12:57pm

Seems like a nice bloke it is just all the claims and carry on in small waves just adds to the 'won't go' issues in waves of consequence that really drag my opinion of him down. He just needs to own it and proclaim 'I can't surf big chunky waves' and just opt out of those contests, be a small wave specialist.

R00ney's picture
R00ney's picture
R00ney Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 10:26pm

Agree with memlasurf.
Will admit that i only skirted through, probably more from a pre conceived notion of FT more than anything, but i agree with memla on the whole.
Filli can sure log some air/hang time and knows his way through a smaller barrel, no question.
FFS, i'll rate him more highly for that soul arch bottom turn...and the soundtraack was pretty awesome.

basesix's picture
basesix's picture
basesix Saturday, 5 Jul 2025 at 8:10am

I can't look at his machismo body-art carry-on without cringing at the emasculating elo moment.. (you guys with insta, does elo still post?)

NDC's picture
NDC's picture
NDC Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 1:20pm

Yeah stu, was watching his surfing in those early scenes on that (mexican I think?) righthander - thinking the wave looked super slow. Despite the legitimate critics of FT in heavy water I think his surfing coulda been showcased a lot better than this n agree they chose the wrong thematic overlay. Oh well

penderg's picture
penderg's picture
penderg Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 1:48pm

That was sick - assist from Brian Jonestown.
He seems like a legend and his mates (Silva on the backhand?) shred.
The way he gets back on the rail and resets in the blink of an eye is revolutionary.

I accept he claims too much (see all WSL surfers including Aussies) and maybe cant surf death pits. However some of my best mates have way more annoying attributes yet we remain friends and I have no desire to rubbish their reputations in a public forum.

Nolan's picture
Nolan's picture
Nolan Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 5:56pm

+1

Tooold2bakook's picture
Tooold2bakook's picture
Tooold2bakook Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 9:35pm

+1

spaceman's picture
spaceman's picture
spaceman Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 5:53pm

Love the twinny sunset shots for some street cred! Haha.

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 7:27pm

Thanks for the posting this video. We're getting consistent swell, so its good to be continually inspired by the best.
I enjoy surfers pushing the known limits of boards, gravity and themselves. Fil Toledo is great surfer & WSL athlete.
raíz y sal = Root & salt
"Life is full of exciting challenges. And a major part of attaining happiness is finding a challenge well- suited to you: one that may require you to get beyond certain self-limiting beliefs but, with sufficient effort, definitely lies within your ability to achieve."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/evolution-the-self/201707/yes-yo...

Oz sponsored comp safety surfing for a win (& tow-ins drop-ins at crowded spots <6ft like Kirra) is an injustice to surfers everywhere. You can all go with your Oz jetskis crew and legally enjoy surfing somewhere no-one else paddling can catch; challenge some nearby rivermouth sucking on ebb tide, x champs.


A real challenge?
Apologies for my inordinate cutback onto the rocks of surf ignorance & theme.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 7:18pm

I don’t really understand the angst Filipe causes grown men?
We don’t have to have an opinion of him. He’s out there doing his thing. He plays the game that has been put in front of him, and for the most part plays it very well.
Seems like a bloke who’s moving through the world not trying to upset people.
I enjoyed the bit with his mates - was that Brazil? If so wow!

nextswell's picture
nextswell's picture
nextswell Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 9:13pm

Love his surfing. Smooth and quick on rail. Amazing to watch. But… how someone can win 2 world titles without competently mastering solid pipe is just wrong. He played the game in front of him but it doesn’t make it right. Same could be said for Tyler winning 2 pipe masters without a single pipe barrel. I’d say the system is wrong.

wavie's picture
wavie's picture
wavie Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 6:24am

nah I don't reckon same can be said about Tyler, that generation didn't get the oppurtunity or have much of a reason to put in time in heavy barrels, because WSL held them back. different story with the upcoming women though

Lacking's picture
Lacking's picture
Lacking Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 9:14pm

It’s pretty simple really. They want him to admit his symbolic castration so they don’t have to confront their own.

Nick Gee's picture
Nick Gee's picture
Nick Gee Saturday, 5 Jul 2025 at 10:34pm

haha "simple".

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 9:26pm

Heavy waves aside, I really like Filipe's surfing...
...Except, his "coffee cup" hand, when he is not doing a top turn, really bothers me stylistically.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Wednesday, 2 Jul 2025 at 9:35pm

Favourite part of the clip was Deivid Silva backhand at Punta Roca.
He destroyed those sections.

wavie's picture
wavie's picture
wavie Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 6:26am

to artsy fartys for me and cant stand slo mo, maybe its my ADD but in a Filipe clip I want to see him tearing the absolute shit out of mid size open faced waves, 100 hacks and 3 airs with some black sabbath playing in the background

scrotina's picture
scrotina's picture
scrotina Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 2:28pm

anyone else run straight to the comments?

southernraw's picture
southernraw's picture
southernraw Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 3:09pm

What!? No Sally??
Terrible video. Ripped off!

Moonah's picture
Moonah's picture
Moonah Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 3:22pm

Only got a few minutes in. Feels like we’ve seen it all before.

wally's picture
wally's picture
wally Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 5:58pm

I suppose the love of slo-mo on youtube surfing videos is that it increases the length of the vid which increases ad opportunities which increases revenue which is entirely reasonable from a business perspective.

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 6:33pm



bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 6:46pm

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 7:19pm

Bogans say potato, Shaun say Toledo,... lets take the whole year off...

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Thursday, 3 Jul 2025 at 9:50pm

Beaut rural people stay sick.
Rich raconteurs prosper?
The Raconteurs (/ˌrækɒnˈtɜːrz/, also known as The Saboteurs in Australia


Big bueautifux billshite bill....Less for the US public education, less renewable energy, $150B for the USA pentagon war industries; IBM, Lockeed Martin, Boeing, Blackrock investments, etc ? mmmm gime more.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steady,_As_She_Goes

Batswana's picture
Batswana's picture
Batswana Saturday, 5 Jul 2025 at 6:40am

Sorry but those opening lines say it all.

Traveling the world surfing is "war" to Filipe, for which he had to "sacrifice" much in his life.

I'm sure the Ukrainians and Palestinians would like to compare notes regarding war and sacrifice?

Nick Gee's picture
Nick Gee's picture
Nick Gee Saturday, 5 Jul 2025 at 10:43pm

crikey. i've seen way better surfing (and wave quality) from him in WSL comps.

the dude can string together some amazing moves and they choose to cut a lot of it up into singles plus the dreaded slo-mo.

anyway, that's comparing FT to FT. by general standards that was some amazing surfing (though I'm surprised his straight airs are arse), just had to ignore the bullshit in the subtitles.