Why I Founded this Company
About a month ago, at the Sydney airport in Australia, waiting to board a flight to Fiji to meet one of my best friends for a surf trip, I met an Australian man who was about 70. For some reason, we got to talking and quickly realized we shared a passion for surfing. The universe brought us two together for a reason, I’m sure of it. He wore no identifiable clothing from a surf shop or brand, but early in our conversation, he spoke about his “good old days” of surfing up and down the East Coast of Australia and all the amazing friends he met along the way. He shared that he still meets up with his old mates about once a year for a camping trip up the coast (sounding oddly familiar), and often, legendary surfer Mark Occhilupo (“Occy”) is in the bunch. He said, and I will never forget, “There is great fraternity in surfing”. He’s right.
Graduation from California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo, California, and my best college mates. We did study, I promise.
Our Company
The California Surf Lodge (CASL) is building a surf experience company and community platform for, and about, the watermen and women around the world who live and love the oceangoing lifestyle. Why? Well, simply because there is no dedicated platform for people who embrace this lifestyle, but also, because there is amazing camaraderie in the surfing world and a special bond that we share with each other and the ocean.
The CASL Community® is a trusted network of verified surfers, wave riders, guides, instructors, boat operators, surf shops, and curated experiences around the globe designed to facilitate your local and global adventure surfing experiences.
Our Mission is to work in service of surfers, wave riders, and ocean adventure enthusiasts to continuously innovate, celebrate, and share the oceangoing and surfing lifestyles by facilitating safe, culturally enriching, and truly life-changing ocean adventure experiences around the world.
My Story
I grew up an inland California kid, in a San Francisco suburb, about an hour from the beach, without traffic (and there was almost always traffic), to frankly, very cold and uninviting surf. During some of my first surf trips to the coast, I was so fascinated by the concept that there was seemingly such little distance between me, floating on my board in the water, and the person riding a wave right next to me. Steep learning curve, I figured. I was hooked. I had relatively little access to mentors, coaches, or guides, only the fortune that my parents put me in recreational swimming when I was young, so I could swim laps in the pool and therefore was somewhat adept in the ocean. Somewhat. That, and the fact I watched surf films on YouTube and Vimeo for hours on end, led me to believe I could and should drive a minimum of one hour to the coast every free weekend possible in high school when I first got my driver’s license anytime the forecast said FAIR, or better, to jump into surf I was not honestly not qualified to be in at the time. And there were a couple of close calls.
Circa 2015. The second or third time I went surfing, I was probably 16. My best childhood friend and I drove about an hour and a half to a beach and surf spot North of Santa Cruz. We paddled out to a lineup of only 5 or 6 people. The waves were good. Naively, we had GoPros on our boards and were immediately told by one of the surfers, “you guys are obsessed with yourselves, get the fuck out of the water”. We took the next wave in and drove about 2 hours back home. Defeated. Which became my entry into the surfing world, culture, and subculture of Northern California surfing and localism.
Circa 2016. The beginning of my college experience, and time and freedom to explore my studies and the local coastline. I spent early mornings, late nights, and almost every weekend exploring the beaches and waves on the coast, learning, living, and loving the surfing and oceangoing lifestyle. I found incredible and lifelong friends through this shared passion. Together, we braved cold mornings, big waves, and have even been fortunate to embrace surf travel internationally together, to Mexico, Morocco, Fiji, Australia, Spain, and France, to name a few.
2024. September/October. The beginning of the most pivotal year of my life, thus far. After attending a bachelor party and wedding in San Luis Obispo, I reconnected with an old friend, who had plans to take a van through the Spanish and French Basque countries in Europe. He extended an invitation and I booked the flight. There, we encountered Brazilian pro surfer Victor Bernardo and shortly thereafter, Ozzie Wright (Wrong).
2024. November. I returned home to San Francisco to pack up my room. Spontaneously, a buddy invited me to a film premiere at Proof Lab in Mill Valley, which starred Devon Howard, Zack Flores, Ian Gottron, Greyson Messier, and Victor Bernardo, who were all in attendance. Funny. During my last surf at Ocean Beach (for the time being), I couldn’t stop laughing. My heart and mind were beginning to open to the world and new possibilities. I met David and Helen, who will come back into my life at some point, and Dan, the first person I pitched the California Surf Lodge concept to. He bit and we exchanged contact information. These are my people. This is where I come from.
2025. January. Back on the road. New Zealand. February. Australia, where we saw Ozzie Wright (Wrong) again in New South Wales, driving a Volcom van. Painted on the side were words “Embrace Change”. Shortly thereafter, I met Jamie who invited us to cook up shortly at his house, which I realized was pretty much a surfboard museum. We also played Catan, one of my absolute favorite games.
Meeting @jamie in the water in Ballina.
Catan at his house shortly thereafter.
I’ve continued smiling at the world, as much as possible, and the more I keep my heart and eyes open to the world, the more the universe brings me. I keep telling myself, “you’ll find what you’re looking for”.
If it weren’t for surfing, I can’t imagine what I would be doing right now. It’s the one thing that has consistently guided my life. It has given me so much and I feel incredibly fortunate to have it in my life. I have founded this company to give back to this world, which has given me so much, and for those committed to live and continue living the oceangoing lifestyle, to encourage and allow young people access to safe surfing.
Celebrating the “Bula” culture in Fiji with Toast, Eliya, and some of the best watermen in the world.
There are so many other stories, and hopefully many more to come, but it’s late and my fingers are getting tired of typing, so when our paths cross, we can talk story then. My parting thoughts: The greatest lessons I’ve learned in life were taught, or have been reiterated to me when spending time outdoors and with friends. Happiness is only true when shared and… you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Cheers to the next 30 years of building the California Surf Lodge (CASL) company, or however many I’m lucky to live. I have no idea where this adventure will lead, but that’s all part of the fun. If you’re reading this, you’re part of this journey, and I thank you for that. Bula! See you down the road. NB.
And a message to youth: If anyone ever says you are wasting your life, or time by going surfing, please do not listen and do it anyway. Of course, please do it safely and respectfully, and remember to do your homework, but please… GO SURFING.
