SAN CLEMENTE, CA

BIOGRAPHY

Shipstern’s Bluff, Jaws, Puerto, Dungeons, Mavericks… Rusty Long was not the first to surf any of these waves, but no one would refute that he has helped advance surfing in these most critical of arenas. His approach, courage, research, and documentation have all proven invaluable in the progression of big wave surfing in the last 15 years. Rusty and his brother Greg came out of San Clemente where their father worked as Visitor Services Superintendent of the San Onofre Parks. They developed a love for riding big surf at an early age and became part of a new group of pioneers who bought the focus back from tow-in surfing to paddle-in.

Long has competed in specialty events that feature the heaviest waves around the world and had several nominations for the WSL’s XXL waves over the years. He was part of the WSL Big Wave Tour, is an accomplished photographer, and author of the book “The Finest Line: The Pursuit of Big Waves Surfing.”