To many observers, like 1989 World Champion and WSL commentator Martin Potter, and former top-44 surfer and WSL commentator Ross Williams, Adriano is more eager to learn, more willing to fight, and spends more time learning the game and trying to evolve his surfing than any of his peers/competitors -- with the likely exception of 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater.

to be natural-talented people who don't give a 100% effort on their professional careers -- and thus rarely reach 100% of their competitive potential during surfing heats.

Warshaw noted that during Adriano World Title campaign he "rode with near-monomaniacal intensity and often willed his way to heat victories against more talented surfers".

Warshaw also stated that Adriano was for the most part heralded as a worthy and deserving World Champion "after years of being ignored or ridiculed by surfing's English-speaking tastemakers".

[2] The tale of how Adriano asked -- and then begged and then convinced -- Banzai Pipeline top local surfer Jamie O'Brien (surfer) to stay at his house during the season finale in Hawaii (in order to be able to surf the break everyday and to learn its tricks straight from O'Brien) became famous in the surfing world.