In all sports there are those who are dedicated to their specialty and barely achieve a prominent place; however, there are other sportsmen and women who occupy renowned places and positions, placing themselves among the best in the world according to their specialty.
In Surf this situation also occurs and for generations there have been outstanding surfers and others who have placed themselves at the top of the specialty, becoming the best in the world, at the time.
The surfers who are dedicated professionally to the sport are classified by the World Surf League.
Throughout the history of surfing, there have been surfers who have occupied the top places in the classification and today we will know who they are.
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The Best Surfers in History
In the development of surfing over time, there have been excellent sportsmen and women who have been at the top of the surfing world.
Duke kajanamuku
He is considered the father of surf, as the sport is known today; to name this Hawaiian born in 1890, is to name the essence of the sport and its beginnings.
Although the first notions of surfing appeared in the 18th century, it was Duke who gave it the impetus to take it to the place it occupies today.
He also practiced swimming, excelling in the 100 meters freestyle and winning two gold and three silver medals in the Olympic swimming.
Mark Richards
Mark Richards catching a wave | Photo: https://www.redbull.com/
The Australian, born in New South Wales, is known as “The Wounded Seagull“; he won four world titles in a row between 1979 and 1982.
He is considered one of the most dominant competitive surfers in the history of surfing.
Tom Curren
Tom Curren catching a wave, with a storm against him | Photo: https://www.surfertoday.com/
A native of Santa Barbara, California, he has won three world titles in 1985, 1986 and 1990 and is considered one of the most stylish surfers in the world.
He won his first title when he was just 17 years old and took his place at the top of the surfing world in 1990; a motivational current has been created around Tom Curren that has inspired a whole generation of surfers around the world.
Mark Occhilupo
Mark Occhilupo taming a wave in the 1990s’| Photo: https://www.surfer.com/
He is known in the surfing world as “Occy”, was born in New South Wales and achieved his first title in 1999.
After being a great promise with a bright future he had relevant failures and was able to achieve his first world title when he was already 33 years old, in 1999.
Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton catching a “Big Wave“
This surfer was born on the island of Oahu, Hawaii; he was the first surfer to be towed by a jet ski, and he also used a hydrofoil board for the first time and managed to get from Oahu to Kaui in windsurfing.
Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater taking a “Pipeline” during a WSL Championship | Photo: https://surflimitmagazine.com/
He has been world champion eleven times and many believe that the American Kelly Slater is the best surfer in history; an extraordinary competitor, capable of highlighting and showing off his qualities with any wave thanks to the manoeuvres he performs with them on a surfboard.
Famous Contemporary Surfer
The best contemporary surfers are constantly participating in competitions to improve their positions in the World Surf League.
The ones we will see in the following list are qualified for the next Olympic Games, which will probably take place in 2021.
Famous Male Surfers
- Gabriel Medina (Brazil)
- Julian Wilson (Australia)
- Filipe Toledo (Brazil)
- Italo Ferreira (Brazil)
- Jordy Smith (South Africa)
- Owen Wright (Australia)
- Conner Coffin (United States)
- Michel Bourez (French Polynesia)
- Wade Carmichael (Australia)
- Kanoa Igarashi (Japan)
Famous Female Surfers
- Stephanie Gilmore (Australia)
- Lakey Peterson (United States)
- Carissa Moore (Hawaii)
- Tatiana Weston-Webb (Brazil)
- Johanne Defay (France)
- Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia)
- Caroline Marks (United States)
- Courtney Conlogue (United States)
- Malia Manuel (Hawaii)
- Nikki Van Dijk (Australia
Most Known Spanish Surfers
Male Surfers
- Gonzalo Zubizarreta (Galicia)
- Aritz Aranburu (Basque Country)
- Jonathan González (Canary Islands)
- Gonzalo Gutiérrez (Cantabria)
- Juanjo Fernández (Andalusia)
- Juan Fernández (Asturias)
- Vicente Romero (Catalonia)
Female Surfers
- Garazi Sánchez (Basque Country)
- Lucía Martino (Asturias)
- Isabel Gundi (Galicia)
- Noive Ceballos (Cádiz)
Finally, we can tell you that if you are a surfer who wants to venture into the world of surfing take it easy and insist on practicing a lot. The famara beach surf camps we offer at our school will provide you with everything you need to learn all the theory and develop the best practice when it comes to venturing into this sport. We are waiting for you 😊🏄🏻!!
