Clay Marzo is, for my money, the best surfer in the world. Not because he can win contests, because that — to me, at least — isn’t entirely indicative of who the “best” is. Sure, it shows who the best contest surfer is (sometimes), but when surfing isn’t about points. The best surfers — to me, at least — are the ones who can do whatever comes into their mind when they’re riding a wave, and Clay Marzo can do that better than anyone else.
I’m not the only one who feels that way. Take, for example, this comment left on YouTube: “Clay’s surfing evokes the feelings of freedom, fun and adventure that are what it’s really about,” the commenter wrote. “And lots and lots of talent. The packaged professional surfing that most media shows or emulates radiates, stress, calculation, and a means-to-an-end approach that is often boring and disappointing.”
But Marzo? Marzo’s surfing is anything but boring and disappointing. He’s not surfing for points; not adjusting what he’s doing to please a group of people awarding maneuvers that can seemingly change in value on a whim. Marzo is surfing for himself, doing what he wants to do when the wave lets him. Marzo would be doing this if the cameras weren’t on him. But thankfully, they are, because it would be a shame if no one saw what he was capable of doing.
