Allen Sarlo is a legend of surfing. He is, as you likely know, one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Team, the surf and skateboarding team better known as the Z-Boys. Born in 1958, Sarlo is in his mid-60s now, but the years under his belt aren’t slowing him down.
If you’ve surfed First Point Malibu with any frequency, you’ve likely seen him in the lineup. While most every wave there has more than one surfer on it, when Sarlo swings on one, no one else is going. He’s an imposing figure, boxy and solidly built, with a low stance both on land and in the water. He looks impossible to push over. A wrestler’s build, powerful yet flexible. And when he surfs, he uses that build to ride waves in a way that earned him the nickname “Wave Killer.”
Sarlo grew up in Venice in a time when it was far different than the surrounding areas like Malibu or La Jolla. It still is, but it’s a little less gritty and little more bohemian these days. Dogtown, as it was known (and sort of still is), is between Santa Monica, Ocean Park and Venice beaches. The waves there aren’t all that good all that often, a fact that played a starring role in skateboarding’s booming popularity.
Sarlo and the rest of the Z-Boys took their surfing style to the streets, a leap made easier by the introduction of urethane wheels and the number of skateable asphalt banks in the area. But his aggressive surfing style was what really caught fire. In 1977, Sarlo got on the professional international circuit after he won the West Coast Junior Championships.
Over the coming years, Sarlo stamped his influence on surfing. He’s one of the pioneers of big wave riding at Todos Santos, and has spent his life in relentless pursuit of waves. His motto is Work to Surf, and he does both well. These days, he’s a successful Realtor in Marina Del Rey, Venice, West Los Angeles, and Malibu, and has consistently been in the top 10 percent of all agents at his brokerage. But although he works hard, he does it so he can ride waves as much as possible.
In the film above, which sadly appears to have been filmed with a potato, Sarlo showcases an all-time winter session at Rincon. He’s riding Merricks and Jeff Ho Surfboards, and as you can see, that wave-killer mentality that got him his nickname is still very much in him.
