Strider wasilewski surfing

Strider Wasilewski is one of those guys who needs no introduction in the surf community.

He’s one of the sport’s most beloved stars who now graces our screens with his commentary at WSL events. He’s a beautiful human being and here he shares a truly remarkable story of a life that went from rags to riches.

“I was born 1972 in Sonoma County, California in a house over the Russian River,” he says.

“The doctor was late and I was not waiting to come out so my dad delivered me that day.

Strider wasilewski surfing

When I was five years old, my mom, brother Mescalito, and I moved to Santa Monica and that’s when I started surfing. My dad was in jail, we were broke, living on welfare, but the ocean was free. So my brother and I would see boards wash up and ride them until the owners came swimming in to claim them.

Then, in 1984, I won the NSSA National Boys Title and was on the surfing map.

The same year, I was di