A BRIEF HISTORY

My surfing journey began in the early nineties along the Sonoma Coast, where I forged a special connection with local shaper Mitch Palmer. He introduced me to the intricacies of surfboards and shaping, particularly focusing on crafting boards suitable for the challenging, heavy waves often encountered north of San Francisco. These designs proved instrumental in my success at competitions like the Noll Classic in Crescent City, known for its consistently sizable surf.

In 2000, I relocated to Ventura, California, and had the privilege of riding for Bob Miller of Advanced Surf Designs and Longboard Heaven in Santa Cruz. Bob, in my opinion, was an underrated shaper whose dedication to pushing design boundaries and utilizing composite construction provided an excellent opportunity for me to delve deeper into design theory and work with EPS materials. He became both a mentor and a cherished friend, propelling me further into the world of shaping.

During this period, I had the privilege of collaborating with Karl Pope, extensively testing and providing feedback on his innovative products. This included evaluating advancements like the latch system, the transition from aluminum to carbon fiber structural tubes, the hollow stealth, and numerous other developments.

In 2001, I crossed paths with Emilio Hernandez, a talented local shaper from Hueneme who became my regular surf companion. Our shared experiences and camaraderie led me to surf for Emilio, a decision supported by Bob, who understood the challenges faced by young shapers striving to make a name for themselves.

With this pivotal transition, I became fully immersed in the art of shaping and began creating my own unique designs. Emilio introduced me to Butch Towers, another accomplished local shaper who had mentored him. Butch and Emilio became invaluable mentors, offering me space to shape, encouragement, and, above all, friendship. Throughout this period, I continued riding EH surfboards, and it was during this time that the collaboration between Emilio, Butch, and myself gave birth to Zero Surfboards.

In 2002, Zero Surfboards initially emerged as a shop brand for my family's surf shop in Sebastopol, California. Emilio Hernandez, Butch Towers, and I crafted these boards, serving the needs of our shop until 2006 when we expanded our reach to include local riders. As Butch relocated out of state around this time, Emilio and I carried the Zero brand forward as a secondary label under EH Surfboards.

In 2008, Emilio made the decision to step away from shaping and surfing, resulting in the retirement of the EH label. However, I remained dedicated to shaping Zero as my personal brand, focusing primarily on creating boards for my family and friends until 2015. It was then that Randy Schaefer at Wavefront Surf Shop in Ventura convinced me to reintroduce Zero Surfboards to the public.

Over the past eight years, I have been revitalizing the Zero Surfboards brand by expanding our range of surfboard models, accessories, and apparel, breathing new life into our vision.