Mano Ziul, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil came to the sport of surfing in 1986.
A soft-spoken engineer, Mano developed the original digital scoring system - Beach n Byte - for the ASP judges - moving them from whiteboard markers and laminated scoring sheets to digital terminals, which revolutionized the sport. This innovation now allowed surfers to get their wave scores and heat results in real-time, as well as set the pathway for live scoring to be accessible to fans worldwide on the internet.
Ever the problem-solver, Ziul possessed an uncanny knack for identifying issues and working through solutions years in advance of the rest of the world. The greatest evidence of this ability came in 1997 when Mano single-handedly delivered the world's first digital broadcast experience from the Buondi Sintra Pro in Portugal (where Mick Campbell defeated Luke Egan in the Final). This was not only a breakthrough in surfing, but in all sport and entertainment properties, cementing the reality of the Dream Tour - being able to deliver the world's best surfers in the world's best waves LIVE, regardless of how remote that may be.
Over the following 25 years, Mano's contributions to the sport underpinned professional surfing's rapid growth. He served as Chief Technology Officer, building out the website and continuing to troubleshoot and enhance the delivery of the world's best surfing LIVE from the four corners of the Earth.
In recent years, his health has taken a downturn and our hearts are with his family and friends as he closes out his final chapter.
There's no question that Mano Ziul transformed the sport of surfing for us all in incredible ways, and he'll always be remembered for delivering the world's best surfing to fans around the globe.
Thank you, Mano.