Governador Valadares has become an unlikely river-surfing hotspot whenever the Rio Doce floods through town, with locals regularly filming themselves surfing the brown, churning water right alongside the city's rapids. It's a natural, advanced wave—meaning conditions depend entirely on seasonal rain and high water, not anything engineered—with the best windows in spring, summer, and fall when the river runs high. Multiple surfable rapids can light up through the city at once. Given the volume and debris that comes with flood-stage water, this isn't a beginner session; come with real whitewater skills and respect for the current.