Allen Sarlo (born January 9, 1958) is an American surfer, most prominently known as one of the original members of the

Z-Boys The Zephyr Competition Team (or Z-Boys) were a group of American skateboarders in the mid-1970s from Santa Monica and Venice, California. Originally consisting of 12 members, the Z-boys were originally sponsored by the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zeph ...

surf and skateboarding team.INTERVIEW: Allen Sarlo – The Z-Boys Strongman
''Surfer Magazine.'' Retrieved September 16, 2015. ''

Surfing Magazine ''Surfing Magazine'', originally titled ''International Surfing Magazine'', was a magazine that was founded in 1964 by Orange County local Dick Graham and surf photographer Leroy Grannis. Later the magazine was acquired by Adrian B. Lopez, a New Yo ...

'' recognized him as the first to "kill" a wave. The aggressive and slashing style of surfing he pioneered during the 1970's earned him the nickname "Wave Killer". He is considered by many as "The King of Malibu".

Early life

Sarlo grew up in a part of

Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed b ...

known to locals as "Dogtown". Sarlo began surfing at the age of 5 and by 13, he had won his first competition, the boys' division of an amateur event in

El Segundo, California El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...

. At 14, he was surfing the infamous "Cove" at the POP pier in Venice. In 1974, at age 16, Sarlo took first place at the Malibu 4-A contest. His progressive surfing style was ahead of its time and challenged the old-school style of surfing, with strong and aggressive wave maneuvers. That same year, he won the West Coast Junior Championships. By 1977, Sarlo was sporting the media given nickname "Wave Killer" and surfing around the world.

Career

In 1977, Sarlo joined the professional international circuit after taking first place in the West Coast Junior Championships. In his first event in South Africa, he finished in a tie for 15th place,

Shaun Thompson Shaun Thompson (born 13 July 1987) is a British ice hockey player who currently plays for the Braehead Clan of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Thompson was born in Slough. Thompson joined Basingstoke Bison in 2003. In 2005 and 2006, he was sent t ...

would go on to take first. In 2000, Sarlo placed 5th in the Quicksilver's World Masters, held in Hossegor, France. He won the Malibu International in both 2008 and 2009. Sarlo has been sponsored by

Body Glove Body Glove is an American brand of watersports apparel and accessories that was founded in 1953 by twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell. The brothers are often credited with inventing the first practical wetsuit in the early 1950s at the back o ...

Quiksilver Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Australia, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipm ...

, Channel Island Surfboards,

Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions was a surfboard manufacturing facility and surf shop located in Santa Monica, California, that opened in 1971 and closed in 1976. The building was designated as a City Landmark in 2007. History In 19 ...

. By the 1980s, Sarlo had finished surfing the Pro-Tour and pursued a career in real estate.

Personal life

In 1986, Sarlo married his high school sweetheart, Deborah. Their daughter, Sophie, was born in 1989 and their son, Colton, in 1993. Sarlo is also an expert kite surfer.

In popular culture

Sarlo is featured in the 2001 award-winning documentary ''

Dogtown and Z-Boys ''Dogtown and Z-Boys'' is a 2001 documentary film produced by Agi Orsi and directed by Stacy Peralta. The documentary explores the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s (of which Peralta was a member) and the evolving sport of ...

''. The film documents his adolescence as part of the Zephyr and his athletically intense surfing style. In June 1990, the cover of ''Surfing Magazine'' shocked the surfing community with a photo of Sarlo doing a bottom turn on a 20+ ft wave. Until that cover came out, big wave surfing was all about taking the drop and getting out alive. He performed stunt work for

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to ...

in the 2005

Lords of Dogtown ''Lords of Dogtown'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film follows a group of young skateboarders in Santa Monica, California during the 70s. This is the first (and so fa ...

film. He made featured appearances in the surf films "Wave Warriors" and "Following the Lotus".

References

External links