Quebra Coco: Surf, Solitude & a Time That Won’t Return

We’ve got something special to share—and this one’s been a long time coming.

Meet Quebra Coco, our latest photo ebook, now live in our bookstore.

This project takes you to Madeira—an island known for its dramatic landscapes, but less often talked about for what happens just beyond the shoreline. Quebra Coco is a focused look at surfing here: the conditions, the commitment, and the people who return to these waves again and again.

Madeira isn’t an easy surf destination.

The waves are powerful, the coast is rugged, and the margins for error are small. Reef breaks, deep water, and fast-moving swells define the experience. This isn’t about casual sessions or soft, rolling waves—it’s about reading the ocean carefully, waiting for the right moment, and committing when it counts.

This body of work was documented during 2020–2021, at a time when the pandemic was sweeping through Europe and much of the world. Madeira, however, remained relatively untouched. What emerged from that moment is something rare—an unrepeatable window in time.

Quebra Coco is about a handful of travelling surfers, a few pro big wave surfers, and, of course, the small local surf community that calls the island home. Together, they form the core of this story. It’s not crowded lineups or commercial surf scenes—it’s something quieter, more focused, and shaped by circumstance as much as by place.

The result is a portrait of a unique moment in surfing history—one that won’t be seen again in quite the same way.

The images move between intensity and stillness: heavy waves and committed rides, but also the waiting, the watching, and the environments that define each session. There’s a constant tension between control and unpredictability, between the surfer and the ocean.

Because sequencing matters in a project like this, we’ve designed Quebra Coco to be experienced primarily as a flipbook.

The idea is simple: move through it like a physical photo book. Let the pacing guide you. The order of images, the transitions, the pauses—it’s all intentional. This is the best way to experience the work as a complete piece.

That said, we’ve also included a downloadable PDF version.

If you prefer to keep a copy, view it offline, or revisit individual images in your own way, you can. The flexibility is there—but if you can, start with the flipbook.

A few details for those who like to know what they’re diving into:
134 pages with over 130 photographs in both colour and black & white, carefully sequenced to reflect the rhythm of the work. The book also includes a special dedication to the late Abilio “Billy” Pinto.

Quebra Coco is part of our growing collection of digital photo books and zines—projects that let us go deeper into specific subjects and share work in a more considered way.

If you’re interested in surfing, in place-based photography, or in documenting moments that won’t come around again, this one’s for you.

You can find Quebra Coco now in our bookstore:
https://www.mrandmrsphoto.com/bookstore

Take your time with it. This isn’t a quick scroll.