What’s Clay Marzo Like as a Team Rider?

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Mar 5, 2025 4:45 PM ET

“I think if nobody was filming and no one was watching, he’d be doing the same thing.” That’s an admirable goal laid up by Album Surfboards’ Matt Parker. Not sure about the rest of you, but I find it damn difficult to truly surf like nobody is watching. Most surfers want to look good in front of their peers and elders. Whether that’s hanging 10 for 10 seconds or smacking the lip vertically, surfing seems to have an inevitable social dynamic that determines performance.

Then there’s Clay Marzo, who really seems like he couldn't care less about what people think of his surfing. He’s rather reclusive and has developed a style entirely his own. It’s cliche at this point, but Clay’s surfing looks like pure instinct. But there’s also a scarcity equals demand equation at work here. Because of his ability to do freakish things with a surfboard and his distaste for self-promotion, he has gained an almost cult-like status among fanatic surfers. Not enough supply and lots of demand.

Consider the above video Album’s attempt to satiate the craving for more Clay content. Matt shares what it’s like for him to build equipment for one of the most naturally gifted surfers on the planet. While Matt describes the style qualities so often associated with Clay, I found his plans to give Clay different kinds of boards rather interesting. Here’s the passage:

“The feedback I get from Clay is really in the moment. It’s interesting,” he said. “You really get a sense for what he’s feeling that exact session, that moment with the board. And the things he likes about it are right on the surface and really tangible. So, it’s an interesting problem to solve when shaping or designing boards. You’re kind of chasing that momentary feel he’s so sensitive to. And it makes me on my toes, thinking more in the moment when I’m shaping. Adding curves to the rail, whatever it is, I’m really thinking about the sensation.

“I think he feels every little aspect of the board so much that I’m really cognizant of all the detail and where the fins are and where the thickness flow is,” Matt continued. “He’s a big, athletic guy, but he can manipulate and ride smaller boards. It’s been fun to expand that a bit for him, making boards that are kind of undersized but also getting him on boards, for Pipe in particular, that are more foam-friendly and have extra rail in there. It’s so fun to watch him almost so down even more because the board can do most of the work and he can just feel it and go with the ride and manipulate it in a different way.”

Enjoy Clay slipping into Pipeline, Desert Point and obscure Maui waves as easily as you'd recline onto a chair.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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