I got taller on the waters of the Eastern shore of the United States. My family moved around a good bit, but every summer was spent on the beach- boating, fishing, crabbing, raking clams and scallops in the hot sun… and eventually Surfing! I clearly remember the day it clicked. I was 12 years old, pluggin away on the Emerald Isle fishing pier. The air was still, the waves were head high and beautiful. I watched in awe as these guys tucked into barrel after glassy barrel! They looked so happy! It looked so fun! The next morning my twin brother Ryan and I rented surfboards and paddled out for an ass kicking. I was hooked. When our family had to leave the beach for the season, we couldn’t wait to get back. Mom picked us up at school for three day weekends, holidays, any reason and even without one, our family was at the beach. Ever since I first cracked open Surfer Magazine, I knew I wanted to live on the Golden Coast of California. What I didn’t realize at the time was how cold that dream could be—doing the wetsuit dance with frozen fingers gets old fast.

Then came graduation day. Dad surprised us with a surf trip to Costa Rica- leaving in the morning! So much for high school parties. Dad had organized with the owners of our local surf shop, Cloud Break, and planned an epic trip! Thanks Jeff and Woody! That trip changed everything. The waves, the culture, the rhythm of life—it all stuck with me. My first wave in Tamarindo, June 1999, is etched into my brain. My plans to move to Costa Rica right then and there were squashed with a scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art, but the seed was planted. Like most surfers, I dreamed of living on the beach, with a perfect wave out front!

That dream shifted toward creating a destination surf resort. I continued to travel to Central America for years… until I found Indonesia in 2009. I went to visit my old buddy, Ocean City legend and surf guru Johnny D, who had moved to Bali. My mind was blown! Another new culture, raw with mystical beauty, and endless potential for perfect waves. My life shifted again.

I met Eric in July of 2012 aboard his 80′ surf charter boat, “Addiction”. We spent two epic weeks scoring perfect waves throughout the Mentawais and celebrating three birthdays along the way. My brother and I surfed Thunders on our 30th—and even scored ThunderBox the same day. I was hooked. One week later Cap’n Eric turned 30. In the classic Indo tradition, a lot of eggs were smashed! Somewhere between the barrels, the laughter, and the chaos, Eric and I found that we shared a similar dream- and he knew exactly where to build it; at the most consistent wave in the Mentawai Islands, Thunders! We spent the next two years talking, planning, and lining things up. Then in 2014, we committed. We built a curing facility, started chopping bamboo, and there was no pulling back.