Peter Mel Movies and Career Information

Peter Mel, born November 24, 1969 in Santa Cruz, California, is a professional surfer. Mel began his surfing life in Capitola, California before moving on to Santa Cruz. His father John, who started the family business Freeline Surf Design the same year Pete was born, made his boards over the years and gradually brought his son under his shaping wing. In the shadow of Steamer Lane locals Vince Collier, Kevin Reed and especially Richard Schmidt, Mel rose quickly through the line-up ranks with an unprecedented crop of young surfers. He idolized Schmidt for his casual demeanor on land and his bravery in larger surf. Like Schmidt, he would spend many winters in Hawaii, enjoying the less-restrictive conditions and developing his signature style, not to mention a taste for the big stuff (surf). Throughout the ’90s, Mel found moderate success on the domestic and ASP World Tour Qualifying Series, before finally finding his niche during California’s El Nino winter of 1997-98. At the age of 29, when most pros are hanging up their jerseys and looking hard for careers in the surfing industry, Mel was really just coming into his own. Known in Santa Cruz as the “Condor” for his extreme wingspan