Born Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha. Enjoyed countless family trips to J-Bay where he learned to love surfing. But watching planes at nearby Stuurman formed his dream to work on planes. Studied hard, earned his Engineering degree at Durban, then headed to Embry-Riddle in America to pursue his master’s in aerospace engineering. First job after graduating was helping maintain planes for the Blue Angels. Became good friends with Long Beach Larry. Larry had always wanted to surf J-Bay and was thrilled to meet a fellow surfer who had practically grown up there. Their first experience surfing J-Bay together was over the top. Now they get together and go there every year.

Mantra: “Work hard, study hard, surf hard!”
Home Break: Port Elizabeth—“visiting family is important!”
Fave Surf Spot: “J-Bay, of course!”
Bust Out Move: Riding the barrel
Fuels up on: Braai (South African BBQ); “for something sweet, Malva pudding or koeksisters”
Best Surf Memory: “Tubing with Long Beach Larry and painting surf hard! on Trestles’ sidewalk!”
Best Beach Buds: Long Beach Larry, Finley (“still can’t believe a dolphin flew a plane”), Trestles Tim, Supertubes Samantha
When Not Surfing: Working on planes, figuring out when he can out surf Trestles Tim a second time
Advice for groms: “School first, then surf, the waves will still be there!”