Taro Watanabe - 1st Place Northern L.A Boardriders Contest (Malibu, CA)

Great to see some incredibly stylish surfing take-out the Northern LA Boardriders  (@northernlaboardriders) comp this past weekend at Malibu (CA).  

Wave Ki student, Taro Watanabe won the Final with a 9 and a 10 against a stacked field, defeating some of the region’s top surfers.  

He was riding a 5'4 @Pyzel 'Astro Pop' quad, check out his video on instagram of one of his winning rides from the final.

The best part of it all is that he told me he met a bunch of new friends to surf with around home. To me that is the real prize. There is nothing quite like that good ‘ol surf comradery and community vibe, which it appears, is still really healthy today down at spots like ‘The Bu’ and countless other places where people come together to surf and socialise.  

There’s been a recent resurgence in local boardriders clubs across the US and in places like Australia such clubs are ingrained in the history of our sport. They’re essential elements to local communities, and surfers of all ages, genders and backgrounds.  

Congrats Taro! 

Check out Taro’s latest edit from a recent trip to Bali here.