Peter Mel (born November 24, 1969, in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

), is an American professional surfer. Mel began his surfing life in

Capitola, California Capitola is a small seaside town in Santa Cruz County, California. Capitola is located on the northern shores of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. The city had a population of 9,938 at the 2020 census. Capitola is a popular tour ...

before moving on to Santa Cruz. He is known as a 'big wave' surfer and son of John Mel, a four time surfing National Champion.

Career

Throughout the 1990s, Mel participated on the World Surf League domestic and Qualifying Series, before finally finding his niche of big-wave surfing during California’s

El Nino EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

winter of 1997–1998. The Big Wave World Tour concluded its third successful season crowning Mel as Big Wave World Tour Champion winning the Billabong Pico Alto Invitational. Mel appeared in the movies '' Step into Liquid'', '' Riding Giants'', ''

Chasing Mavericks ''Chasing Mavericks'' is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity (portrayed by Jonny Weston). It was directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail S ...

'' and ''Peaking, Peter Mel''. Mel has appeared opposite

Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as '' Mrs Brown'' (1997), the James Bond film '' Tomorrow Never ...

in ''

''. Mel is a broadcaster for the

World Surf League The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfing, surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was originally known as the International Prof ...

. He finished eighth in the 1998 Surfer Magazine Reader’s Poll Awards. In 2018, Mel participated in an interview with a surfing periodical with journalist Shelby Stanger to discuss personal issues he fought with and overcame. In the interview Mel discusses how he prepares for big wave riding, family, and personal demons. Mel also appeared with

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 ...

to discuss balancing life as an athlete and family.

Contest wins

Retirement

Following the end of the 2013 season, Mel entered retirement from the pro surfing circuit, and, subsequently, becoming the World Surf League's (WSL) first Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) commissioner for the WSL's inaugural 2014–2015 season. Mel retired as commissioner of the WSL BWWT in 2014 to run his surf shop and compete again on the Big Wave Tour.

References

External links

* * http://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/118/peter-mel {{DEFAULTSORT:Mel, Peter 1969 births Living people American surfers Sportspeople from Santa Cruz, California World Surf League surfers Big wave surfers