A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Alexandre, João (Dapin)

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Physics-bending pro freesurfer from Lahaina, Maui; regarded as one of the sport's greatest natural talents; diagnosed at age 17 with Asperger’s Syndrome. "He's one of the best surfers in the world right now," former world champion Mark Occhilupo said of Marzo in 2008, "and for sure the most futuristic."

Marzo was born (1989) in San Diego, California, and moved with his family to Lahaina as a toddler. At age two, he began riding waves on a bodyboard with his mother, and by age four he'd progressed to standing on a surfboard. Marzo set himself apart in other ways, too: he learned to walk (age seven months) without crawling first, and as a baby the only way he'd fall asleep was to be placed in a warm bath.

In his early teens, Marzo often surfed for eight hours straight, coming in only to eat and drink water. At night he watched video of himself surfing (shot by his mother) for hours at a time. He had no other interests. Engaged to this degree, Marzo's wave-riding improved by leaps and bounds. Surfwear giant Quiksilver signed up the young goofyfooter based on a shaky homemade 30-second reel Marzo mailed to the company when he was 15. The following year he won the Open Men’s division at 2005 NSSA Nationals, and had a star turn in 

, a Quiksilver-produced video, at times outshining both Dane Reynolds and Kelly Slater.

Marzo already had a remarkable talent for staying on his board through all manner of complex turns and aerial moves. "He's some sort of cat," fellow pro surfer Ry Craike said, "where no matter what sort of crazy position he put himself into, he's able to ride out of it." The movie, along with the Nationals win, made Marzo an overnight sensation, but he quickly proved a difficult surfer to market. Interviews, travel, crowds, negotiations—all were things to be suffered or ignored. Not suprising, and despite his early success as a amateur, Marzo's career as a pro-level competitive surfer went nowhwere.

Family and friends had long known that Marzo was "different" (teachers were mostly of the opinion that he was "difficult"), but not until 2007, at the behest of a Quiksilver marketing staffer, was Marzo diagnosed with Asperger’s, which is also called "high-functioning autism." Ironically, the diagnosis brought even more attention to an increasingly reticent Marzo, as he was profiled by Nightline and 

, Marzo was memorably quoted as saying that "waves are toys from God."

Meanwhile, his relationship to the surf industry continued rocky, and in 2012 Quiksilver chose not to renew his sponsorship. With backing from a few smaller companies, Marzo (6' 1", 175 pounds) continued as the sport's foremost recluse-genius, dropping out of sight for months at a time, then showing up in a mind-boggling video clip.

In 2008, Marzo took home the Surfer Poll Award for Best Overall Performance. Marzo’s older half-brother is pro surfer Cheyne Magnusson.

Marzo, Clay

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

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