ROB MACHADO
Rob Machado is a uniquely talented individual. There are not many surfer/shapers out there that have his level of surfing ability and contest record to match. Combine that with a knack for designing and shaping surfboards at a high level and one has a recipe for a very interesting life.
To understand how Rob’s fascination with surfboards started, we have to go right back to the beginning; from being born in Australia and moving to California, to spending his formative surfing years running amok with the ‘momentum generation’, to qualifying for the world tour, to giving Kelly Slater a run for a world title, and ultimately losing his spot on tour after his best competitive year ever. All these experiences have shaped Rob Machado into the person he is today and led him to the present, a place where he is peaceful and content.
Rob, many people might not know this, but you were actually born in Australia. That’s pretty wild considering the path your life could have taken if your parents had decided to stay down under?
My parents lived in Australia for 15 years. When I was about three or four years old, they decided to move back to California. How would my life have been different? I probably would’ve had an Australian accent! (Laughs.) I’m guessing I would have surfed… probably a higher chance that I would have surfed actually. There was a chance my parents were going to live in the mountains here in California. It was one of the options they had picked out; one house by the beach and one in the mountains. They actually put an offer on each of the houses and said whichever one gets picked, we’re gonna live there. Luckily, the guy by the beach took their offer!
You moved to San Diego 1977… what was it like growing up in California back then? What did your childhood look like for you?
Yeah, I was pretty lucky. I moved to little town called Cardiff by the Sea. I lived about 1 km from the beach and the spot was called Swami’s. It’s one of the better waves in California, a right point break, but I actually grew up surfing a
