Peter Mel was born and raised along the beautiful coastline of Santa Cruz, California. He grew up in its surf community and in his family surf shop, established in 1969 by his father, John Mel. This combination helped him become a talented surfer. Peter soon became well known in his home town and around the world for his prowess in the big wave arena surfing waves of fifty foot faces, while using his signature sweeping turns and humble demeanor. Peter soon earned the respect of his peers and in 1998 established himself as a premier big wave rider being voted eighth best surfer in the world at the Surfer Poll Awards. On October 28, 1999, ten days after the birth of his son, Peter was towed into the biggest wave ever ridden on the West Coast at the time. Some say one of the biggest waves ever ridden anywhere. He backed it up in 2001 with the inaugural mission to Cortes Bank, site of the first XXL Challenge winning wave. Candor was always one of Mel's better traits and by 2010, his straightforward charm was fueling a secondary career as an online personality for hosting ASP web-casts. He not only competed in the 2009 Big Wave Quiksilver Eddie Aikau event at Waimea Bay in Hawaii, he also provided commentary for much of the day. After years of chasing big wave swells and the Big Wave World Tour, it is not a surprise that Peter holds the title of Big Wave World Champion 2012 and Mavericks Invitational Champion 2012/2013. Along with his surfing career and being known for his talent as the voice of surfing, Peter is also a voiceover personality for Mattel Inc and has appeared in the big screen documentaries "Step Into Liquid" from Dana Brown and Stacy Peralta's "Riding Giants". Peter was cast in the feature film "_Chasing Mavericks(2012)_" directed by Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson, acting alongside Gerard Butler as friends that challenge the treacherous break of Northern California. Not only can Peter act, he also does his own stunt work in this action filled movie. Peter is an endorsed Athlete by the surfing empire Quiksilver and Broadcaster for the 'World Surf League'. With his talent and well-spoken composure, it's exciting to see Peter's career flourish and continue to flow in many directions! Show less «