photos: Alex Laurel

Age: 14
Lives: Haiku, Maui
Sponsors: Rip Curl, Da Kine, Gravis, Future Fins
Surfboard: 5’3” x 16 ½” x 2” shaped by dad
Best recipe: Sashimi and banana bread.

Fourteen-year-old Tyler ‘the styler’ Larronde was always going to be a surfer. His dad Michel, a Grande Plage local from back in the day moved to Maui in 1985 from Biarritz to work as a chef, and of course to surf, and became one of the first ever guys to surf Jaws after Laird some fifteen years ago. Tyler, who describes himself as a “Basque Hawaiian” caught our eye in Tahiti recently while on Easter break from school. Since starting at Ho’okipa on Maui’s North Shore Tyler has been surfing all his life, and reckons his favourite thing about surfing is, “Getting spat out of barrels.”

Involved in the Hawaiian competitive scene, Tyler’s been doing all the NSSA and HASA contests in Maui, and is ranked inside the top 3 in the NSSA. “I love to go back to France every year to see my Nan and to surf Cote des Basques with my cousins. The water is real cold in France, but the days are long so you can surf until late, but my favourite thing about France is probably jambon.”

With the beach being en route to school, Tyler and his pa surf everyday there are waves on the way to and from, and when it’s flat they dive for fish, papio (trevally) being Tyler’s favourite fish to spear, as well as catching lobsters. The little fella certainly impressed us in Tahiti with some big punts at Small Pass and some great backside tubes at Teahupoo, as well as with comments like, “When I grow up I want to be a pro surfer and when I’m finished with pro surfing I’d like to be a chef like dad. I’d also like to have a chick with big boobs.” Sgt Elias.