Kanoa Igarashi

Kanoa’s biography

Kanoa grew up watching his dad surf every day in Huntington Beach, California. At the age of 3, he was done watching and jumped in the water himself. He was an instant talent and quickly commanded the attention of the surfing community. From 2008 to 2009, at 11 years old, Kanoa gained NSSA fame by claiming a stunning 30 contest wins to set a new record for the most victories in a single season. At 14 years old, Kanoa became the youngest NSSA competitor to ever win an Under-18 Title.

Kanoa is nearing the end of one of the best Championship Tour seasons of his career, currently ranked 5th in the world after just having taken home a Silver Medal in the 2020 Olympic Games. Igarashi’s consistent upward trajectory in the WSL Championship Tour rankings and the Olympics shows that he is arguably the best surfer in the world and will be for years to come.

Kanoa’s popularity remains on the rise in the US, while he is already an established celebrity in Japan/Asia. The Japanese media produced a number of documentaries about Kanoa, causing him to be recognized quite frequently when he visits his native country. After becoming the face of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Igarashi grew even more accustomed to his new iconic status.

When he’s is not dominating on the world tour, you will most likely find Kanoa surfing his beloved south side Huntington Pier. Although Kanoa thrives on traveling the world to various tour stops, his native “Surf City” Huntington Beach will always remain a special place for him. Now, with an Olympic medal under his belt, Kanoa is eager to add the first of many WSL World Championships to his list of accomplishments.