Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Physical 100: Italy’ revolving around a hundred Italian athletes as they face brutal physical challenges in hopes of proving their mettle, stamina, strategy, and strength are at the forefront. After all, what’s on the line for them is not only their reputation but also a lifetime of bragging rights and €100,000 – they face off against one another until the best of the best is crowned. Amongst them was Edoardo Papa, a now 25-year-old professional surfer determined to underscore the fact that although water is his domain, he can thrive on dry land too.
Edoardo Papa Credits His Father For Giving Him His Passion and His Career
Edoardo Papa was born on May 5, 2001, to professional windsurfer Andrea Papa and his partner in the beautiful town of Pescara, Italy. Therefore, he got his start in the waters of the north, initially going there just to spend quality time with his father and then falling in love with the waves. According to his own account, after his father noticed how much he adored being in the water and had “tamed” the shores at home, he himself took the young boy to the ocean. Their stop was Fuerteventura, a stunning volcanic island in the Canary Islands, Spain.
“It was my father himself who took me to Fuerteventura, for the first ocean voyage, which, in our way of understanding life, is a bit like a sort of baptism,” Edoardo once revealed. “He was at sea with me, facing the Atlantic. And I fell in love with the table and its philosophy,” with the table referring to the surfboard, and its philosophy being the fact that sports transcend individuality, even in the water. That’s when Edoardo knew he wanted to pursue surfing as a full-time profession when he grew up. He thus spent every moment of his free time in the water, overcoming his last mental barriers to prepare himself to face the waves of every challenging body of water across the globe. Since Edoardo’s own father was a windsurfer before evolving into a sportscaster and trainer, he became his son’s very first coach.
“His personal and sporting story helped me a lot in learning what it really means to be a professional athlete,” he said. “Over time, our relationship has become a special one, we could say interesting, given that as soon as I understood that surfing could be more than just a game, he also became my coach.” Andrea actually remained his son’s coach until he was 16, but the youngster maintains that their journey has always been “together, in total symbiosis, with the possibility of seeing the very essence of my passion reflected in his eyes, his greatest gift… If I am able, today, to fully define myself as a professional, I owe it to what he taught me about being in the world.” Hence, it’s no surprise that they maintain a tight-knit relationship to this day.
Edoardo Papa Has Been a Professional Surfer Since the Age of 15
Edoardo’s passion for surfing, combined with his skills, quickly made him one of the best young athletes in his area and attracted a lot of local, national, as well as international attention. Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his humility and was still over the moon when he was selected by both the Junior National Team for the World Championship in Japan and the Senior National Team for the World Championship in France in 2016. He made his debut in the Wind Surfing League the very next year, participating in 2 events (4 heats) to enter the international ranking system and secure a rather respectable position of 970, considering his age.
Edoardo’s 2018 season was even better, as he climbed the ladder, surfed even better, and secured a rank of 719, despite participating in only 3 events (5 heats) over the summer because he still had school. He wholly immersed himself in his sport following his graduation, traveling to Spain, France, Portugal, Indonesia, the Maldives, Australia, and wherever else necessary to practice and compete. It thus comes as no surprise that he not only ended the 2019 season ranked 636 but also did so as part of the Italian National Team, which won the European Team Championship.
Edoardo Papa Continues to Travel the World and Thrive as a Surfer
Things changed for Edoardo in 2021 as he broke into the top 120 surfers in the world with a rank of 119, only to then keep his momentum going. In fact, over the past 5 years, he has been dabbling in the 50 and 60s range, but has shown the world that his performance is going to be even more elevated now. After all, despite the 2026/2027 season still being ongoing, he is already sitting at the 27th position in the international surfing rankings, all the while competing all across the globe. That’s another aspect of his profession that he loves – he actually gets to travel to different locations, experience different cultures, and engage with different people as he chases challenging waves.
In fact, in 2026 alone, Edoardo has been to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, Morocco, France, England, and Spain, where he has been pushing himself to new heights. We should also mention that the now 25-year-old athelete and dog dad has recently also added hyrox and cycling into his regimen to ensure he can tackle everything that comes his way. He wants to surf for as long as possible, so he is taking no chances when it comes to his mental or physical health, and that is evident in the way he leads his life. Even as of writing, he is actively training and spending as much time in the water as possible to prepare for upcoming competitions, with his target being “Falling less and trying to follow bigger and more incisive maneuvers.”
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