Steve Bigler

Champion longboard surfer Steve Bigler was born in 1946 in Santa Barbara, California. Bigler first started surfing in 1958 and moved with his family to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961. Following graduation from high school, Steve returned to California and established himself as one of America's top competitive surfers: In 1966 alone Bigler won the Malibu Invitational, finished second in the United States Surfing Association's final ratings, and placed fourth in the World Surfing Championship. In 1967 Steve won the East Coast Surfing Championship and finished fourth in the United States Surfing Championship. Moreover, Bigler also competed in both the 1965 and 1968 World Surfing Championship as well as designed and promoted the Harbour Surfboards Cheater model in 1966. Alas, Steve used drug money to finance a twenty year odyssey around the world to such places as France, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. After being arrested in Santa Barbara, California on drug smuggling charges in 1996, Bigler wound up serving 27 months in a federal prison before eventually getting paroled in 2001. He lives and continues to surf in Southern California.