A Second Generation Surfboard Craftsman by Guy Okazaki

Guy Okazaki (guyokazaki.com) has lived in Venice, Califronian since 1957.

Guy Okazaki’s waterman experience spans decades, starting with floating in the ocean with his father at Waikiki Beach in Hawaii before he could walk. At five years old, his father, Jiro, plunked him on a wooden surfboard, and Guy was at the beach with his dad every day while he worked at the Halekulani in the 1950s. Guy was lucky to be in the ocean with some of the best surfers of the era in Hawaii and learn from them—Rabbit Kekai taught him the roller coaster on a shortboard in 1967. After college in 1971, Guy traveled the world and found himself in Australia surfing with pioneers of the shortboard revolution— shaper Joe Larkin and surfers Michael Peterson and Peter Townsend.

Guy’s expertise in all shaping methods and riding styles—Hawaiian thin/long gun outlines and short/wide Australian templates—has led to successful, original, hand-crafted surfboard designs in Venice Beach for more than 30 years. Guy’s custom approach of matching the best board shape with the individual surfer’s skill level, riding style, preferences, and wave conditions allows surfers to reach their fullest potential for fun and high performance. 

Since Guy started out in the shaping room at Dewey Weber in Venice Beach when he was a teenager in the 1950s, he’s still keeping it personal and local. A surfer’s relationship with his or her board is like falling in love. Sometimes, you can’t explain why or how it works and what you want, but you can feel it immediately in your hands when you grasp the rails in front of your body and cannot stop smiling.

This is what Guy does. He’s a professional matchmaker for riders/surfboards. He can’t get enough of talking to customers about surfing and will assess the best-fitting board for your personal style, skill level, and favorite spots to surf.