Kalani Lattanzi: dropping into a beast at Praia do Norte | Photo: Leal/Red Bull

Brazilian waterman Kalani Lattanzi has been riding the waves of Nazaré, in Portugal. It's reasonable to expect significant stunts from him in the near future.

Lattanzi, 23, is a familiar face at Praia do Norte so, recently, he became the first bodysurfer to have his name and swim fins in Nazaré's Surfer Wall.

Kalani Lattanzi was born in Maui, but he was raised in Itacoatiara, a pounding shore break wave traditionally home to some of Brazil's best bodyboarders.

"Nazaré is a special place for me for a few years. I am happy I am part of this history, and I plan to return every year," said the wave rider.

The half Hawaiian, half Brazilian athlete believes bodysurfing is "the purest way to ride a wave," and says he feels "much safer with just my body than with a surfboard."

Bodysurfers use the swim fins to penetrate the thick layers of water and to get into waves quickly. Then, when they go right, they lead with their right arm, and vice versa. For steering, it's a matter of combining movements of the back, torso, and chest.

Lattanzi thinks that the limit for bodysurfing is 20-to-25 feet. He says he has already ridden a wave that big, "but no one got it on video."

In 2015, he surfed what has been considered the biggest wave ever ridden by a bodyboarder. Kalani Lattanzi dropped into a massive wall of water at Mexico's Puerto Escondido.

Although not the huge waves we're used to witnessing at Nazaré, the following footage confirms the spot's potential for bodysurfing action, and may very well help to put the ancient practice in the mainstream spotlight.

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