Greg Long (surfer)
| Greg Long | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1984 San Clemente, California, U.S. |
| Surfing career | |
| Years active | 1996–2013 |
| Sponsors | Billabong, Xcel Wetsuits, Von Zipper, Ocean Minded |
| Major achievements | 2001 NSSA National Championship winner 2003 Red Bull Big Wave Africa winner 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest 2009 Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational winner 2009 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave contest |
| Surfing specifications | |
| Stance | Regular (natural) foot (left foot forward) |
| Favorite waves | Mavericks, Todos Santos, Cortes Bank, Pipeline, Hitchcock's, Trestles |
| Favorite maneuvers | Barrels, Big Waves, Tubes |
Greg Long (born 1984) is an American surfer from San Clemente, California. He is the only surfer to win the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational, the Mavericks Surf Contest, and the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event. Additionally, he is the most decorated surfer in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the best big wave surfers in the world.
Born and raised in San Clemente, Greg and his brother Rusty Long were introduced to the ocean at an early age by their father, who was a lifeguard. At the age of 16, Greg moved to San Diego where he lived with his older cousin David Long who surfed with Greg and helped progress his skills. Greg surfed the waves at Trestles, California at an early age and was highly regarded throughout the community as an up-and-coming star. At 17, Greg won the NSSA National Men's Open Title in 2001, and looked to have a promising career in competitive surfing. But, Greg's passion for big surf forced him to leave the professional circuit and focus entirely on traveling the world in search of biggest waves.
At age 15, Long first paddled out to what eventually would be his home big wave break, an island off the coast of Baja California called Todos Santos. There, he honed his big wave skills throughout his teen years and had many sessions with big wave rider Mike Parsons. After surfing Todos for a couple years, Long took his big wave act to spots such as Mavericks, in Northern California, and Dungeon's, in Cape Town, South Africa. He won the Red Bull Big Wave Africa at Dungeon's in 2003 at age 19. The win officially put him on the big wave map, and he has since been a standout on every huge swell all over the world.
On January 5, 2008, Long and fellow riders Brad Gerlac, Mike Parsons, and Grant "Twiggy" Baker towed into waves at the Cortes Bank off the coast of San Diego that were estimated to be around 60–70 feet on the face. That same year, Long won the Mavericks surf contest in 20-foot (6.1 m) surf. In June 2008, he signed a sponsorship deal with Billabong.
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