Hailing from Cape Verde, an aisland off the western Africa, comes our newest team rider -- Rafael Barros! Rafael has been shredding a Zap for a while now and has been constitently catching our eye with his effortless style and hard-charging attitude. We decided to make it official for 2026 so join us in welcoming Rafael Barros to team Zap! Check in with him below.
ZAP: Hey Rafael, congrats on joining team Zap! Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, how long have you been skimming…that kind of stuff!
Rafael: Hello, my name is Rafael Brito Barros. I’m 25 years old and I’m from Cabo Verde, Sal, Santa Maria. I started skimboarding when I was 14 years old. Before that, I was surfing, but my cousin Didi Nero was skimboarding with his friends. I started using his board and learned a lot from them. After about three years, I bought my first board. It was broken in half, so I repaired it and started working hard and learning new tricks. Now I’m the champion of the island.
ZAP: What do you love about skimming?
Rafael: What I love most about skimboarding is that you can skim in any conditions—big waves, small waves, no waves, and even with wind. You can always go out, have fun with friends, and work on your progress.
ZAP: What are some of your other hobbies?
Rafael: I also surf, skateboard, and kitesurf. I’m also a certified kitesurfing instructor.
ZAP: Who do you usually skim with? And where?
Rafael: I usually skim with my friend Alex David and my cousin Emerson Brito. Sometimes there are other guys too. I also skim alone a lot, because when you want to be the best you have to work hard for it. Most of the time we skim at Reef or Ponta Sino, which are really good spots.
ZAP: What are your plans for 2026? Traveling? Competing?
Rafael: My plans for 2026 are to keep working hard and go to the Euro Skim Tour and hopefully be on the podium.
ZAP: Do you have any plans for filming or anything like that?
Rafael: For filming, I always make videos with my phone or with a GoPro. Sometimes I also take photos and videos with my photographer friend. I would like to make a video for YouTube explaining more about me and my history with skimboarding.
ZAP: Who are you most excited to skim with now that you’re a part of Zap?
Rafael: To be honest, I’m really excited to skim with all the Zap riders, gain new experience with them, and share my experience too.
ZAP: Rafael, we’re stoked to have you on board! Is there anyone you’d like to thank or anything else you’d like to say?
Rafael: First, I would like to thank MEGA for giving me my first Zap skimboard and believing in my potential. I really appreciate that. I’m so stoked to be part of the Zap Skimboards family. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity. I’m very glad for it, and I will keep working hard to become the champion one day.
