João Valente is a Portuguese surfer, journalist, and one of the most influential voices in surf culture in Portugal. Connected to surfing from a young age, he stood out less through competition and more through his reflection, writing, and promotion of surfing as a culture, identity, and social phenomenon.He is best known as the founder and editor of Surf Portugal magazine, a publication that shaped several generations and helped document, contextualize, and elevate Portuguese surfing to a level of editorial maturity that had not previously existed. The magazine became a historical reference within the national surf scene.Throughout his career, João Valente established himself as a specialized journalist, columnist, and surf commentator, collaborating with various media outlets and regularly participating as a surf commentator on television and at events.He is widely recognized as a guardian of the memory and identity of Portuguese surfing, and a respected figure both in and out of the water.