Paulo Mandacaru began shaping his own surfboards in São Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 18, testing them in Ubatuba, a city known as the “Mecca” of Brazilian surfing.
Years later, he turned his hobby into his profession, and in 1987 he moved to California with the goal of learning and refining his craft. He lived there for two years, where he met and worked with some of the most important names in the surf industry, such as Donald Takayama and Gary Linden.
After returning to Brazil in 1989, he worked for Brazilian Linden Surfboards. In 1991, he relocated to Portugal, shaping for one of the most well-known European brands, Polen, where he stayed for six years. In 1997, he launched his own brand, PMD – Paulo Mandacaru Design.
Today, with over 40 years of experience, more than 25,000 boards shaped, and countless surfers around the world appreciating his work, his name continues to grow as a synonym for performance and quality in surfboards whether shortboards, retro boards, hybrids, guns, or longboards. It is hard to find a shaper who feels as comfortable across the different areas of modern surfing.
