Short Biography

Peter Mel’s name is synonymous with big wave riding. The Santa Cruz native was a paddle-in pioneer at Maverick’s in the 90’s. During the landmark El Nino winter of 1997-1998, Peter was regarded as “The Man” and earned a special award created just for him at that year’s Big Wave Awards. When tow-ins started happening he trained hard with the new equipment and was rewarded with massive waves on the historic first voyage to Cortes Bank in 2001.

Peter’s a big guy, 6-4, and he uses his long arms to majestic effect on his patented “Condor” cutbacks. Peter is always a threat at Quiksilver’s Eddie Aikau and Maverick’s events. He surfs Mav’s whenever it breaks and practices for it during the summer in draining barrels in Tahiti and Mainland Mexico.

But don’t think he’s just some big-wave virtuoso that can’t even pull a cutback in waves under 10 feet. Peter’s a great small and medium wave surfer who was at the forefront of creating the aerials that you now see everyday at your local break. Peter is happily married and loves to go surfing with his two kids. He’s genuine, friendly, nice guy who loves to laugh and joke around.