Joel Tudor /

Joel Tudor is a surfer, primarily known for longboarding, and competitive grappler from San Diego, California. His father, Joe, who ignored the shortboard revolution himself and never abandoned his longboard, first put his Joel on a surfboard during a family trip to Puerto Vallerta. He was hooked instantly. He started out in skateboarding and, while in his early teens, gained both recognition and sponsorship for this. On the water, his apparently effortless skill saw him turn pro at 14 & he won his first professional ASP competition at age 15, making him the youngest competitor to win an ASP event. Unlike the vast majority of his contemporaries who were riding only modern short surfboards, he also rode the out-of-fashion longboard, and it was the longboard that catapulted him to worldwide fame in his mid-teens. His reputation was such that, when he was on a break, other surfers would sometimes leave the water to watch his silky mastery of such skills as nose-riding ("hanging five" and "hanging ten" - riding with the toes of one or both feet hanging over the nose of the board List of surfing terms#H). Admiration of Tudor was a major factor in the longboard revival of the