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From the late 1980’s, up until the late 2000’s, being a professional surfer in Santa Cruz was a legitimate career path. Sure, you had to have skill, a strong work ethic and enough charisma to secure corporate sponsorships, but there was enough money floating around during those years that a host of local surfers were able to forgo higher education and 9-5 jobs to live as handsomely paid pro surfers. Just look at the successful careers of guys like Jason “Ratboy” Collins, Adam Replogle, and Daryl “Flea” Virostko, just to name a few.

After the global economic collapse of 2008, however, things got a little sketchy. Iconic pro’s began to lose backing from brands and global competition for resources began to skyrocket. Unless you were someone like Nat Young, whose insane free surfing and competitive prowess earned him a place at the top of the global ranks for many years, making it big as a successful pro surfer became an unrealistic pursuit.

For guys like Tyler Fox, whose blistering surfing skill and ability to wrangle gargantuan rides at Mavericks would have seen him coasting by as a career pro in years past, this unpleasant truth came as a big wake up call. To pivot, he began a photo sharing website, Santa Cruz Waves, where surfers of all skill level could pay a small fee for snapshots from their session, taken by Fox and a variety of other local photographers. It wasn’t long until the site began to acquire significant traction and traffic.

Encouraged by his success, Fox decided to leverage his connections and momentum to turn Santa Cruz Waves into a print magazine. For nearly a decade, Fox and the crew at Waves put out a quality, bi-monthly magazine that spotlighted local athletes, artists, activists and move-makers. Through it all, Fox kept surfing at the highest level, even securing two finals appearances at the Mavericks Big Wave events in Half Moon Bay.

Despite shutting the doors at Santa Cruz Waves a few years ago, Fox has continued to stay busy as an activist, entrepreneur, and businessman. He got hitched, built a tiny home, and adopted a sweet pooch, proving that success can be found outside the glamour of professional surfing. 

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I was fortunate to have Fox come by the pad to discuss life— growing up in Aptos, giving professional surfing a fair shake, falling in love with big waves, the formation of Santa Cruz Waves, meeting his wife, as well as the ways in which he keeps his body and mind in tip-top condition. We also touched on the wave of up-and-coming surfers in the area and his involvement in the Santa Cruz Boardriders Club.

It was another juicy chat, and I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to pick his mind. So, quit wasting time! Another flavorful serving of Split Peak Soup is just a click away!