I think the first time I really fell in love with the
ocean was when I was 3 years old on a small beach in Maui. I would
stand on my little foam boogie board and let the surge of the small
waves crash around my ankles. I spent all day in and around the water
and when it came time for us to pack up and leave I would scream bloody
murder and throw a tantrum like you’ve never seen. Well it’s nice to
know that some things in life never change and I still have the same
stoke I had when was a tiny tot and can’t count how many times I’ve
begged my tow-in partner for just one more wave...
I grew up in Aptos which is a small town 15 minutes south of Santa Cruz and learned to surf when I was 10 years old. My dad was an avid surfer and waterman and he signed me up for some lessons with local legend Richard Schmidt. With the help of my Dad and Richard I was able to stand up on my first wave and immediately began trimming for the shoulder. With my hero’s hooting me on I felt on top of the world and have been hooked on surfing ever since.
I began entering professional competitions around age 17
and started traveling on the WQS (world qualifying series) from about
19 to 22. I made some rounds and got a few good results but I knew my
passion lied somewhere else... I had always loved doing things that
involved adrenaline, whether it be rock climbing, sky diving, or
summiting mountains, so big wave surfing came quite naturally.
Fortunately for me I had a ton of world class surfers
that lived in and around Santa Cruz that I could emulate. I watched all
videos from Mavericks and studied all the radically aerials until my
eyes bled. Soon enough I was out there surfing with my heros charging
big waves and trying to push the limits in any and all conditions. I’m
truly grateful that I’ve found my passion in life and I am excited to
see what barriers I can break next.
Thanks for taking the time to read it little bit about
me and enjoy the rest of my website!
Tyler Fox
RR