FOUNDED BY BRAD GERLACH
Brad Gerlach was born in Miami, Florida in 1966. He grew up surfing in Encinitas, California in the 1970’s, and burst onto the pro surf scene in 1985 at age 19 when he beat world champion Tom Carrol to win the Stubbies Pro at nearby Oceanside. His rookie year he climbed to #1 in the world and finished in the Top 10. He was also tour leader for most of the 1991 ASP season.
Spanning a 7 year career Gerlach won five world tour contests, then quit just after his 26th birthday to become a free surfer and grow as a person. He traveled the world, rode experimental equipment, found better waves than the contest circuit had offered and even learned to play music
Brad reinvented his career in the early 2000’s by becoming a big-wave tow-in surfer. He charged on the epic first-strike mission to Cortes Bank in 2001, shot for the Step Into Liquid 35mm film project. He won the XXL Biggest Wave Award for successfully towing-in on a 68-foot wave at Todos Santos Dec 2005. Along the way he freshened up pro surfing’s 30-year-old competitive format by creating his team-based “The Game” concept. The Game brought fun and excitement back to otherwise staid surf contests. It was used exclusively at the ESPN X-Games by the top pros and later by Quiksilver, Red Bull, Fuel and Vice TV for regional and amateur events. The WSL has implemented many of The Game’s innovative concepts into its current format.
Today Brad teaches, surfs, trains and lives in Australia with his wife Anna and sons Zeppelin and Zsigmond. His mission in life is to give back to surfing and the surf community by helping people of all ages and abilities enjoy their surfing more. He truly believes as Phil Edwards once said, “The greatest surfer in the world is the one having the most fun.”
For Brad, the key to unlocking the fun is progression. His favourite students are experienced surfers who had given up hope of getting better. With Wave Ki, they learn things they never knew about surfing and rediscover their lost surf mojo.
Written by Jamie Tierney
TESTIMONIALS
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l had information for the first time in my surfing life that made me surf better and at the ripe old age of 50 l was able to keep developing my craft. l had tools to enhance my performance in the greatest pleasure in my life, which surfing represents for me. Wave Ki is health in a bottle on so many levels.- GLEN CASEY (FOUNDER PATAGONIA AUSTRALIA)
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I had the pleasure of working with Brad at varying levels for about five or six years. To this day, I have never met someone who has the understanding of the finite details of surfing movements that Brad has. His ability to dissect a manoeuvre and really break down the technicalities of it is amazing.- CONNER COFFIN (PRO SURFER)
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Taro just finished his amateur career top of his game and has just begun his professional surfing career, winning his maiden WQS Pro event in Moro Bay. Wave Ki gave him the confidence to do so.- KaoriThe way he was able to dissect technique and to appropriately teach was what I needed during that time. I had no prior success in my surfing until that point but from there on I was constantly improving which meant the results started coming my way.- TaroPhoto credit: Ivan Tanjung- TARO WATANABE (PRO SURFER) & KAORI WATANABE (TARO'S MOM)
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I feel so fortunate to learn from somebody that has so much experience and the drive to pass his knowledge onto others. I know my progression in surfing has been expedited because of the knowledge that Brad has passed on to me, and I've had fun in the process of improving.
- PARKER COFFIN (PRO SURFER)
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Few surfers on earth have dedicated as much time and energy into understanding the body mechanics of skillful wave riding as Brad Gerlach. Surfers of all levels will be blown away by finally experiencing a professional surfer pulling back the curtain on what has long remained a mysterious art form.
- AAKAASH ISRANI (MUSICIAN, DAWN OF MIDI)
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I've had a few great teachers and coaches in my life and Brad is among the best. I live in New York and don't have much time to surf, but having Brad as a coach has enabled me to enjoy to the maximum the limited time I have in the water.- DANIEL LOEB (CEO OF THIRD POINT LLC)
