Adam Amin defies logic to become a rising star in big wave surfing

Adam Amin has become a fixture in Hawaii and a rising star in big wave surfing. It’s a long way from here he started — a small town on the English coast.

A week ago, the Nelscott Reef Pro team announced the names of the contestants that they had invited to compete in this year’s big wave competition. On the list was Adam Amin, a polite and likable lad, with an incredibly bright future in big wave surfing. He first caught media attention at 19 when he paddled into 50-foot waves at the infamous Jaws, on the North Shore of Maui. But he’s not from Hawaii or anywhere known for producing pro surfers, he’s from the small town of Sidmouth in Devon, UK. So how the hell did he get here?

Imagine growing up in gloomy England, catching waves at your gray local beach break in the bleak British weather, while consuming surf media of epic breaks in tropical places. Palm trees, turquoise waters and the wave consistency of champions that comes from big swells at reef breaks. It’s only natural to dream of someday becoming a big wave surfer in paradise. At age 19, after only five years of surfing, Adam Amin decided that he would make that dream a reality and move himself to Hawaii. But how does a normal Devonshire lad move himself to the Hawaiian islands to achieve this dream? Through sheer grit and determination.

Born in Exeter in 1996, the youngest of four sons, he moved to Bali at the age of two. But he never learned to surf there. At age five without warning, his father abducted Adam and his brothers to Saudi Arabia. His mother, Helle Amin, then went through a heroic struggle to get her children back, a story that she shared in her book, Reunited in the Desert, which won her a Tesco Mum of the Year award. After reuniting with his mom, Adam and his brothers moved back to Devon, UK, where he began learning lifesaving and surfing, igniting his passion for wave-riding.

After a few years of surfing in Sidmouth, he spent a summer season in North Devon, working for local surf shop, Surfed Out in Braunton, before moving to the Indonesian island of Sumbawa for six months to build his surfing skills. Coastal Sumbawa has world-class surf breaks, including the famous Lakey Peak which has arguably one of the best A-frames in the world. It’s here that he really began to rip, developing ambitious skills that can only be sought out on consistently big swells. He then returned again to North Devon for another summer, and was notably featured on Surfing GB’s Instagram page for paddling out on his own to tackle some 20 foot waves at a rare offshore break known asOysters, out the back of Croyde Bay in Devon, UK. It’s known for peaking above a sizable reef, with long walling sections that can hold incredible sizes. It was then that he decided to double down on his big wave ambitions and move to Maui.

“Growing up, I would get every magazine I could find about surfing,” explains Amin. “I kept seeing these images of Hawaii, and some of the surfing pioneers from England were over there. I had surfed a couple of bigger waves like Oysters, but after seeing Jaws in surf media, it became my dream to ride that break. So, I got any job that I could so I could save to make it over there. I’d do anything – retail, dishwashing – whatever it took to save for the ticket.”

“When I arrived in Maui, it just so happened to be one of the craziest years of big wave surfing that we’ve had,” says Amin. “The swell was consistently 50 to 60 feet. Then there was one specific time where there was a competition at Jaws, and I searched before it had started and got away. I was hooked from that point on, pretty much.”

In 2015, Amin stunned the pros, fans and surf media alike. An hour before the Pe’ahi Challenge, Amin conquered a 50-foot wave at Jaws, despite having little experience compared to other big wave surfers. Here was a guy who hadn’t spent loads of money on premium surf coaching, hadn’t grown up in Hawaii and yet he was able to handle a big wave like it came as second nature to him.

But just because Amin had received media attention almost immediately, didn’t mean that he would be welcomed into the big wave breaks so easily. “It was hard in the beginning,” says Amin. “There was a lot of localism. A lot of people started arguments when I went to take waves, and I found myself getting into scraps in the water.”

Adam Amin had to prove himself in a surfing culture that is often suspicious of outsiders

Hawaii is often considered the birthplace of surfing. It’s not only a sport but a cultural tradition and a means for local Hawaiians to connect with their roots. Localism in Hawaii refers to the belief that native Hawaiians have a proprietary claim to their own local surfing spots. “Locals only” is a phrase that can be heard and seen on signage near Hawaiian breaks as a sense of identity, respect and a sense of belonging. Surfing belongs to Hawaiians, but it has since been repackaged as a sport and gifted to the rest of the world.

If your community had been stripped of ancient traditions, land, and language, it seems obvious that you would want to keep a firm grip on the remaining fragments of a rich, cultural identity that was unable to thrive under colonial rule. So naturally, when a foreign visitor from Devon rocked up to one of the biggest breaks in the world, he had to earn his stripes to be accepted into the surf community.

“A lot of people who come here to surf are privileged,” says Adam. “But when the locals heard my story and realized I wasn’t just a rich kid who was being supported by my parents. I came from England with no money. I had to work to get here because I love it so much. People started embracing me more. I’m really lucky because a lot of the older guys took me under their wing. They were like, Adam’s one of us so leave him alone. So after they helped me, everything got a lot better. I’ve been here for about six years now, and I’ve progressed to a point where I get more respect from locals.”

Fast forward to today, Amin has remained in Maui and continues to build his career as a big wave surfer. In big waves, he appears to be incredibly focused and driven. “I’ve had to adapt to bigger boards and change up my equipment,” explains Adam. “But I like approaching surfing in my own way. I have my own style compared to everyone else. I don’t want to look at anyone else and try to be like them. I’d rather just stay on track with myself, just like say with Mozart, whether people like it or don’t, that’s my style. It’s original.”

Big wave surfing comes with plenty of associated risks. Anyone who has been caught in a wave understands the sheer terror it can cause, but when you expand the size of the wave, the more dangerous it can become. “I’ve been caught in some scary scenarios like a double wave hold down. I’ve fallen from my board and been blacked out by being caught in a big one. The wave knocked me out, and another gave me a mild concussion. So there have been some dangerous brush-ins, but I’m thankful that it was not too serious.”

To financially sustain himself in Hawaii, Adam has a day job working in construction. “I’m based on the North Shore of Maui. I’m a general contractor by day. I basically remodel or build houses, or pretty much anything. The island is mostly countryside. Everyone’s pretty much growing things or owns animals, just like in Devon. There’s a lot of land around here and greenery.”

“My mum and brothers will come out to visit me sometimes. My brothers surf, too, and they are really supportive. So is my mum. She has always said if I want to do something, then go ahead. It’s not always easy because they are so far away and I haven’t seen my family for a long time, which is upsetting. I miss them. Technology helps to communicate with family, but it’s not the same as seeing them in real life. Over the years you start to miss the little perks of England and Europe. But it’s beautiful in Maui and I’m happy to be here.”

Determined to build his brand as a big wave surfer, Adam plans to remain on the island and continually get better. “I’m gaining momentum. I think the breaking point for me was getting on the cover of surfing magazines,” says Adam. “Yeah that was a real push, and I realized that I had some support from back home. Then I started getting more respect from the bigger guys, who started asking me to go on trips, which was awesome. Then it was like a snowball effect.”

“Being here has shown me what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it,” says Adam. “I really want to broaden my spectrum and become an all-around big wave rider. My goal is to surf at every big wave spot around the world. I’m hoping to get to Nazare at the end of the year to surf the world’s biggest break, too. I’ve been planning that with my sponsor, Blue Soup.” says Adam.

If you catch this year’s Nelscott Reef Pro, make sure to keep an eye out for Devon’s Adam Amin. He’s got a bright future ahead in big wave surfing.