tables to earn a trip to
Peru with his parents at 15.
The next year he earned
his way to Mavericks,
the iconic surf break
in Northern California.
Chasing big waves
eventually became his
profession, and he hasn’t
stopped exploring the
planet in search of them
ever since.
Fast-forward to today
and after years of honing
his craft, Skudin, now 34,
is a consistent top-ten
finisher on the Big Wave
World Tour, the first-ever
New Yorker to earn a spot
on the circuit. And while
getting paid to travel the
globe to surf big waves
is an unquestionably
cool job, it’s also really
hard. The sport requires
constant physical training,
an entire support team, and
lots of patience. “It wasn’t
an overnight thing,” saysSkudin. “I was silently at
every big swell for 15 years,
earning respect from my
peers, learning how to be
safe, building confidence.”
Big waves by their
nature are fickle, and
they require the perfect
combination of conditions
even to form in the first
place. In a typical year,
most competitors on the
circuit surf big waves just
20 days. Skudin, who
these days chases waves
only in the Northern
Hemisphere, averagesabout 15 big-wave days a
year; sometimes he gets
just nine. “The thrill of it is
unmatched. Sometimes I
pretend that I want to retire.
But let’s be honest, that’s
not going to happen.”
The flexibility in his
schedule allows him to
return to Long Beach every
summer to help run the
surf camp he started with
his brother Cliff 13 years
ago. Cliff runs the show,
Will spearheads marketing
and sponsorship, and Beth
(mom) and Woody (also aBRANDED CONTENTE
ven if you can’t
remember every exact
detail, you probably have
at least a few memories of
learning how to swim or
surf. Will Skudin doesn’t
recall either. The New York-
based professional surfer
grew up like a tadpole on
Long Beach, New York,
part of a legendary family
of swimmers, lifeguards,
and champion surfers.
“We didn’t just go to the
beach in the summer like
most families,” says Skudin.
“We went all year round.
Every birthday and event
happened on the beach.”
But Skudin can recall the
very moment he decided
to become a big-wave
surfer—the day he met
famous waterman Laird
Hamilton on a beach in
New York. “That was it,”
says Skudin. “I became
obsessed.” He saved up
enough money busing
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first year, nine kids signed
on. This past summer the
Skudin Surf team taught
thousands. And thanks
to the nonprofit Surf
For All that Cliff started
a few years ago, many
of those new surfers
are special-needs kids.
“All summer long, every
day, I witness so many
uplifting moments,” Skudin
says. “And not just for
the athletes, but for the
coaches and volunteers,
too. I still love big-wave
surfing, but I like to say that
the waves that the Surf For
All kids catch are the only
waves that really matter.”