Pete Cabrinha (born September 13, 1961 on

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

) is an American big-wave surfer,

windsurfer Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

kitesurfer Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

. He is the founder and brand manager of Cabrinha Kites. Jim Drake's Wing, Pan Am Cup 1982

Career

Windsurfing

In 1985 he won the world wave sailing championship.

Tow-Surfing

In 1993, Cabrinha and his friends

Laird Hamilton Laird John Hamilton (born March 2, 1964) is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model and actor. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a professional volleyball player, television ...

Dave Kalama Dave Kalama is a big wave surfer/tow-in surfer, stand-up paddle (SUP) surfer and racer, surf and SUP board shaper, windsurfer, outrigger canoe racer, private adventure guide, and celebrity watersports enthusiast. Kalama, his wife, 2 sons and 1 d ...

, Rush Randle, Brett Lickle, Mike Waltze, Mark Angulo, Derrick Doerner, and

Buzzy Kerbox Burton "Buzzy" Kerbox is an American surfer, photographer and model. He is best known for co-developing tow-in surfing with Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama and a handful of other surfers in the mid-1990s. Early life Kerbox was born in 1956 in Indianap ...

started to experiment in big surf on the North Shore of Maui and invented a spin off called tow-surfing. They called themselves the "Strapped Crew”. Using a personal watercraft to tow themselves into large waves they set out to explore the outer limits of big wave surfing.

Kitesurfing

In the late 90s, Cabrinha experimented with kites and helped pioneer the sport of Kiteboarding. Together with his friend Dan Bolfing, Cabrinha began to design kiteboards under the Cabrinha label. In 2000 Cabrinha joined forces with the Pryde Group and Cabrinha Kites was born. The company launched their first product line in 2000 and is now selling kiteboarding equipment in over 70 countries.

Foilboarding and wingsurfing

Foilboard A foilboard or hydrofoil board is a surfboard with a hydrofoil that extends below the board into the water. This design causes the board to leave the surface of the water at various speeds. Background Laird Hamilton, a prominent figure in the inv ...

ing and

wingsurfing Wing foiling or wing surfing or winging is a wind propelled water sport that developed from kitesurfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, windsurfing and surfing, surfing. The sailor, standing on a board, holds directly onto a wing. It generates both upw ...

are other hybrid surf sports which Cabrinha helped to pioneer and later industrialize.

Artist life

A son to an artist mother, Cabrinha pursued the arts for over three decades. His mixed media art works combine his

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

and graphic design skills with off-center painting techniques.

Personal life

Cabrinha lives on

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

with his wife, former windsurfer and fashion designer Lisa Letarte Cabrinha, and his daughter.

Titles

*1985 WSMA World Champion (Wave Performance) *2004 Billabong XXL Award, World Record: Largest wave ever ridden

Media Appearances

Movies and Documentaries

*The Longest Wave, 2019 *The Excellent Life, 2019 *Take every wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton, 2017 *Strapped: The Origins of Tow-In Surfing, 2002 *Wake up Call, 1996 *Upwind *Tradewind: The Wavesailing Film, 1984 *

Zalman King Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1941 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica. Early life Zalman Kin ...

film '' In God’s Hands'', 1998

Other Media Appearances

Kiteboarding Magazine, The Link between Surfing and Art, October 2019. Chapter One: The Kiteboard Legacy Begins, Audiobook, 2018. Looking Sideways Podcast, 2018. Adventure Sports Network, The Evolution of Pete Cabrinha: 4 Decades at the Cutting Edge of Watersports, 2018. Liquid Salt Mag, Interview, 2018. Time Magazine: Top 100 Innovators, September 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabrinha, Pete American surfers American windsurfers American kitesurfers Living people Male kitesurfers 1961 births