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Written by rsholin
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Greg Long, 23, San Clemente
Stature: 5-10, 160
Maverick’s results: Second place in 2005.
Occupation: Pro surfer
Maverick’s experience: Long surfed the place for the first time in 2005 and is more well known for his relationship with the wave at Todos Santos, however, he has already proven in his young career that he is game for any big wave anywhere in the world.
Notable: Long began surfing waves of consequence in high school. He and his brother Rusty, a world-class hellman in his own right, began taking frequent trips to the island of Todos Santos off of Ensenada, Mexico every winter as teenagers. After winning the NSSA Open Men’s title in 2001 and graduating from high school that same year, Long embarked on a career dedicated to traveling to exotic monster wave locations across the world’s oceans: from the outer reefs of Hawaii’s North Shore, to the monster point breaks off Madeira Island in Portugal; from the jagged lava reefs of Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) to the open ocean behemoths of the Cortez Bank, 90 miles off the Southern California Coast. Assaults on Maverick’s are rare but also included in his repertoire. Long has had competitive success in big-wave events around the world, most notably in 2003, when barely out of high school, he bested an all-star field of big-wave veterans, winning the Red Bull Big Wave Africa contest at shark-infested Dungeons off the coast of South Africa. The next year, 20-year-old Greg had the distinction of being nominated in both the paddle-in and tow-in categories at the 2004 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, where he took home the Surfline/Jay Moriarty Best Overall Performance Award for his efforts on a heaving 60-footer at Cortez. Obviously, Long is a world-class talent and could go far in the competitive scene. However, with the financial support of his sponsors, he has chosen a path less focused on competition and centered on exploring and documenting life-threatening waves worldwide.
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