Maz Quinn
Now well into his 40s Maz Quinn just keeps getting better. He surfs more than anyone and is still as dedicated as ever. He’s not focused on any contests, but with his sister Holly and his brother Jay back in town you can rest-assured there are some sibling heats going down around Gisborne.
Part of the reason Maz is still so good, is that he works hard to keep in shape and fit enough to surf the way he wants.
“I’m probably not surfing as good as I did in my late 20s and early 30s,” he laughs. “But I feel like I am surfing well and I am keeping fit – that’s the key at our age – keeping fit and getting in the water as much as possible and hopefully that downward spiral will be a little slower than a slippery slope.”
Maz became New Zealand’s second-ever* male surfer to make the World Championship Tour when he qualified in 2002. It was an incredible achievement.
Maz, who officially retired from competitive surfing in 2017, had 26 years competing and was making finals in New Zealand right through to that last season. In the events he’s “come out of retirement for” since then he’s continued to be a force to be reckoned with.
Maz is often regarded as surfing royalty in New Zealand – a fitting mark of respect for who he is and what he has achieved. If you get the chance to surf with him you’ll understand why.
*Allan Byrne was our first to compete in a World Tour event, a fact that is woefully under reported. He finished second to Simon Anderson at the Pipeline Masters in 1981 and 24th overall in the International Professional Surfers (IPS) world rankings that same year.
