On Monday morning local time Brazilian surfer Ricardo Dos Santos was shot three times at Embau Guard, his local beach. One of the shots pierced Dos Santos' kidney and lung. Friends  immediately called for help, and when the helicopter arrived Dos Santos was still concious but "very disoriented". After being stabilised Dos Santos was airlifted to St Joseph's Hospital in Florianópolis where he underwent emergency surgery.

Dos Santos has since undergone surgery twice and received 40 units of blod. Fellow surfers are using social media to appeal for more blood.

Adriano De Souza wrote: "People, Ricardinho warrior is still undergoing surgery and is in need of blood donation. We will share and who can go, I'll be grateful, because we could be saving his life. Let time # forçaricardinho."

There are mixed reports on what caused the shooting. According to Dos Santos' family, he was shot by two men while standing in front of his house. One of the men had parked a car blocking work being done to Dos Santos' house. While other reports have Dos Santos confronting a group for playing loud music and using drugs on a family beach.

If the latter is true the shooting is a grim conclusion to an issue Dos Santos has been fighting. In 2011 Dos Santos wrote an opinion piece in Brazilian surf magazine, Waves, titled "The Outburst of a Local". In it, Dos Santos bemoans the transformation of Embau Guard from a "beautiful and pure place" to a place where bad guys play music all night and leave garbage everywhere. Dos Santos questions why the locals and police don't do anything and chillingly answers his own question: "I would say the locals do nothing because they are afriad to take a shot. And all because they are asking for some peace..."

Dos Santos remains in a critical condition.

More news to come.