Has Your dad had a big impact in your surfing life? These surf dads taught and encouraged some of your favorite surfers. Read about some of the best surf dads below.
CARSSIA MOORE
Carssia is a Hawaiian surfer whose dad, Chris, has a big influence on her surf career. Her dad taught her how to surf and has helped her become a fierce competitor. When she was thirteen she said in an interview, “The best advice ever given to me was to always try your best and have fun ‘cause that’s all that matters. My dad told me that!” Check out this video of Carissa shredding waves.
GABRIEL MEDINA
This Brazilian professional surfer has a passionate surfing stepdad, who he also calls dad, encourages him to be a great surfer. Gabriel’s dad, Charles Rodrigues, introduced him to surfing, and says that he believed in him when nobody else did. Watch this video below for an insane flip Gabriel achieved!
ROB WRIGHT
This dad is a passionate surfer who is a father of five. He raised a surfing family, and two of his kids are ASP World Tour pros Owen Wright and Tyler Wright. Here is a video of Owen and Tyler Wright at an Australian pro surfer camp a few years ago. Their dad taught them well!
SALLY FITZGIBBONS
Sally began surfing at a young age as she watched her dad and brothers surf out in the water. “It all really begun when I was five years old, a tiny little grom…We lived right on the beach and Dad and my older brothers would always be surfing or in the water doing something. There wasn’t much to do in Gerroa if you didn’t like the beach, so Mum and Dad used to take us down there and we’d pretty much spend the whole day there until it was dark.” This Australian bubbly surfing pro has a dad with the same great sense of humor. So, when she won her first Bells Beach title in 2011, Sally’s dad shaved off his mustache for the first time in 38 years, as he was honoring a bet about her results. Watch this video below as she reflects on life as a professional surfer.