Peace is a beautiful feeling. To understand and be understood is a kind of peace - Joao Gilberto.

The internet means we're living in a global world of ideas. Surfing content rushes back and forth in an overwhelmingly dizzying parade of what internet guru, Bill Davidow, calls overconnectedness. The effect of this on the global surfing culture has been an increasing homegenisation of the uber-radical. The kids from Cabarita, Maui and Reunion ride the same boards and dream of the same airs, performed in much the same style. Only Brazil, with its youthful surf culture, retains a certain entrenched tribalism when it comes to styles.

At times an almost virulent nationalism has broken out over the internet as Brazil rises up out of poverty and begins to assert itself as a surfing nation. Latin passion and pride has seemed incompatible with the fundamental tenets of the strongholds of surfing culture in Hawaii, Australia and the US where individualism, style and flow are cherished as high water marks of a mature culture.

The standard criticism levelled against the Brazilians is they've got ugly styles and they can't surf waves of consequence. With five Brazilians in the second round today at Snapper Rocks it seemed high time to consider the Brazilian question.

I cornered Jadson Andre after his Round 2 win against Gabe Kling. Jadson is short with a small neckbeard. Here is a short record of our convo.

"Last year you had a big win against Kelly Slater and he threw down the gauntlet and said see how he goes at Pipeline and Teahupoo. How do you feel about your progression in waves of consequence following on from that?"

"You have to always improve, you know. You never stop to improve. I'm the youngest guy on the Tour and I still have a lot of things to learn. I work a lot on waves like Pipeline, Teahupoo, on my backhand at J-Bay. I spend three years just travelling to waves like that where I have to improve. I still have to improve a lot of things and thats how it's gunna have to work. I have to train."

"You happy with your progression?"

"Yeah, always. I'm getting better. Every day you train you know you can improve, and I'm stoked to improve, but I still have a lot of things to improve (laughs)."

"Brazilian surf fans are very passionate. There seems to be a general feeling that Brazilian surfers get underscored and get a bit ripped off by the judges. How do the surfers feel?

"I don't know (shakes head). I don't think about that. I think the judges are doing the best job and I really don't care what some guy say on the internet."

"You and Owen had a really good rivalry on the QS. Has that carried over into the WT events?"

"Yeah sure. You know we're such good friends. We always talk about the heat and about the waves. We stay together in France and surf everyday together. It's really good to have somebody that is a real friend and he try to beat me and I try to beat him...it's amazing. He's such a great guy and we always try to push each other".

"Cool. All the best for the rest of the event."

"Thank you man."

Jadson's backhand looked more than serviceable against Kling. His vertical hit is reliable and he only looks a little undercooked on the second phase of a backhand power hook compared to someone like Martinez.

Maybe this whole Brazilian versus the rest of the world thing was nothing more than some overheated internet spam, cooked up by bored IT geeks?

A little while earlier I'd asked Adriano De Souza (also short, with a neckbeard) if he was happy with the level of coverage Brazilian surfers were getting in the Australian and American media.

"Ummm...Brazil is a little looked down on because we don't have a culture of surfing. We have soccer, football, you know. Surfing, we only have about 30 years of history, you know. Australia, US and Hawaii have at least 200 years history of surfing. That's why guys there are a little bit further. But we're there you know. We got five surfers on the World Tour and, ah, someday my countrymen gunna see a one of them as World Champ. The expectation is pretty high in Brazil at this stage".

"Well, Brazil's a country that's really moving forward, the economy's growing, it's coming onto the world stage, is surfing part of that?"

"Yeah, definitely man. Only one of five countries whose economies grew this year....you know India, China, Brazil, Thailand and..ummm"

"And Australia." I interjected.

"And Australia...I mean it's a little different to America. I know the economy is going bad there"

"Exactly. Hey, thanks for your words man. Good luck. "

"No worries man."

I wasn't quite prepared for these statesmanlike Brazilians, with their attitude of humble self-effacement and gratitude. Four out of the five Brazilians got through today and for the crowd which seemed to be mixed roughly 50/50 between Brazilians and the rest of the world that was probably the highlight of a day when the surf just couldn't get it's shit together.

Actually the sheer numbers of people was making my head spin so I sought shelter. I was moved on from a nice white couch in the Roxy merch tent and found a shady spot under a Pandanus tree. Laying down and watching the clouds racing past in the blue sky my mind started to swim. No offence to Brett Simpson and Patty Gudang but I fell into a deep sleep.

I started to dream. I was in New York. The city was in chaos, civil war was raging. Tracer fire was arcing between blue smoke as the ruined city was rocked by explosions and blasts. In this apocalyptic scene I was riding on a tank with Parko and Kling. Parko was screaming, "WE'RE TAKING NEW YORK...WE'RE FUCKING TAKING NEW YORK!" Down the street I could see an open-topped limousine driving slowly through the rubble. Standing in the limo was the famous Slater dome. From the corner of my eye I saw a sniper take aim...I tried to scream...NO, NO DEAR GOD, NO. But the rifle cracked and the figure slumped...I tried to yell at Parko through the noise to stop, stop. Slater had gone down. But the noise of the tank was deafening and Parko kept screaming. He was screaming, "Madman...Madman!"

I snapped out of the dream back to a sunny Queensland afternoon. Someone was screaming "Madman"....it was Carroll, in the commentary booth. What the fuck?

I looked right, towards the line-up. There was Slater, in real life, strolling jauntily down to the arena with a McKee quad Wizard Sleeve and a small, swallow-tailed thruster under arm. Still very much alive and, as he confirmed in a pre-expression session interview, "Not ready to be put out to pasture".

I staggered through the area trying to reach my vehicle. I passed Blair Marlin, manager of both Dane Reynolds and the deceased Andy Irons. I had questions I wanted to ask him but for now I needed some space to regroup. Maybe tomorrow.

I stopped off in Byron on the way home to defibrillate and downshift before I got to the Ox.

Today was a day for the Brazilians.

Tomorrow the big dogs come back out to play.