Surfer Interview - Zander Morton

by Nick McGregor

Zander Morton may not be the most well-known pro surfer from St. Augustine, but he’s the most well-rounded. Even with regional and national competitive success, Morton chose a different path, translating his constant travel into success in surf journalism. Add to that a few side jobs in the industry, plenty of pictures in the magazines (which any pro surfer will tell you pays most of the bills), and a refreshingly humble attitude, and you’ve got one 23-year-old who knows the importance of not placing all his eggs in one basket.

D: Tell us about your earliest surfing memories in St. Augustine.

ZM: I moved to St. Augustine from Jacksonville when I was eight. My parents got the chance to start A1A Aleworks, and since St. Augustine was only 45 minutes away we made the move. But I’d already been surfing in Jacksonville, I started because of [popular Jacksonville pro] Asher Nolan. When he was 13 and getting sponsored, I was 6, and that’s what inspired me. That and my mom; she always surfed and was born and raised in Jacksonville.

My first memories of surfing St. Augustine were in Vilano. When we moved, we lived on Vilano Beach, and I remember the waves were a lot better back then than they are now.

D: Vilano’s not the easiest wave to surf, do you think that helped your development?

ZM: Maybe a little bit. I remember being scared of that wave. After a year, we moved over to St. Augustine Beach on D Street and lived there for a year before moving near the Surf Station. I think I got more into surfing and more comfortable with it once we made the move to the island, because I definitely remember Vilano being a little out of my experience range when I was 8 years old.

D: And then you got into competitive surfing?

ZM: My parents were always supportive and I loved doing it. When I lived on D St., there was an ESA contest at A St. I entered the Menehune division, I think I was 11, and I remember being beat by Jessica Earl, Dagen McNally, and Jake Burkhardt. I think Jake won, Dagen got second, Jessica got third, Josh Autrey got fourth, and I got last. Jessica beat me a bunch when I was young.

D: Sounds like you started off in good company. And eventually you went on to win a few Eastern Surfing Association championships?

ZM: Just one in 2003. I did the ESA my whole life, and went to Australia with the All-Star team a couple years. Then my last year of Junior Men’s, when I was 17, I managed to win an Easterns title. That was definitely a career highlight, although I think that was also the last contest I won. After that, it definitely gets a lot harder when you start doing pro contests.

D: Tell me about your transition into becoming a pro surfer. I know you have a lot of other things going on, but how did it all begin?

ZM: The year I won at Easterns was my last year of high school, so I went through my final year, but I never really liked school that much and didn’t want to go to college. At that point I was sponsored by Hurley, and they were supporting me and starting to give me a few bucks to travel with, so I said, “Might as well give this a shot.” My first couple years, I was 18 or 19, and I got to go to England, France, and Australia doing some of the WQS (World Qualifying Series) contests, but I realized pretty quick that wasn’t really my main focus. I’ve never been huge into contests, and I realized I could do something different with my writing. Sort of fill a niche that not a lot of people were in. It took me a good four years to build a resume, but it’s finally all coming together.

D: How did you get started with surf writing? Did someone approach you and say, “Hey, you’re going on all these trips, why don’t you write something?”

ZM: It started with my dad. He’s really good at it, but in high school I was taking college composition classes and had a good teacher at St. Augustine High, Ms. Williams. She taught me a lot, and when I went on that ESA All-Stars (trip), I asked Surfing Magazine if there’d be any interest in having a writer. I was given the opportunity to write the story by senior editor Matt Walker. He didn’t pay me anything for it, but he really liked it. Then he went to Eastern Surf Magazine editor Matt Pruett and said, “Hey, you’ve got an untapped talent that could do some work for you.” Pruett put me right to work doing a bunch of contest reports and video reviews, and he was the big reason that I’ve gotten to where I’m at. Then he let me start doing travel stories for ESM, and that built its way up to some of the bigger magazines. Now I’ve got a repertoire doing that, and hopefully I can keep it going.

D: What other magazines have you been published in?

ZM: Last year I had an article in Surfing, Surfer, Transworld Surf, and an English magazine called Wavelength, along with ESM. I just got back from the Dominican Republic last week, and if all goes well, that will be published in Transworld. That’s the kind of thing I like doing.

D: You’re well known for traveling in the Caribbean; I even heard you were one of the first surfers to go to Haiti. How did you find yourself venturing into that area?

ZM: My parents have always been into sailing, so it was natural for them to buy a boat in Tortola about four or five years ago. Even before they owned one, we’d go down there and charter boats, so it was always a family trip for me as long as I can remember. Aside from that, being from Florida, the Caribbean is kind of the East Coaster’s closest getaway. I’ve just always had a big interest in it.

D: So you have the writing gig going on, but you also work for Spy Optic, correct?

ZM: Yeah, I surf for Spy, I help them run their team on the East Coast, and I also do some surf event marketing. I keep their main surf guy from having to fly to the East Coast for all the major pro and amateur events that Spy sponsors or has team riders at. It kind of breaks up his job and provides me the opportunity to make some extra money. I go to those events and support the amateur riders, make sure they have all their gear, and do their orders. It’s a good little side gig, and it goes hand-in-hand with all the other stuff I’m doing.

D: Any other sponsors?

ZM: Matix and DVS, I definitely love that, it’s a small team and I get to travel with [longtime friend] Gabe Kling a lot. Surf Station was my first sponsor, I’ve been with them forever, and then Dan Taylor Surfboards, FCS, and Gorilla Grip.

D: You’re a homeowner now in St. Augustine. Do you see it as a long-term home base?

ZM: Yeah, I love it here. I could see myself maybe temporarily living somewhere else, but permanently, yes I own a house here, I live in it, and I love it. I think people who are stuck here all the time want to leave, but because I get to leave and come back, I love the place. I couldn’t imagine living long-term anywhere else.

D: Any other interests you have? I know we couldn’t finish this interview without mentioning the Jaguars.

ZM: [laughs] Yeah, you can’t talk to me, Jimmy [Wilson], or Gabe without mentioning the Jaguars. I love ‘em, but I didn’t even know about or like football until 1995 when the Jaguars came to town. My parents have had season tickets since the first game, and I don’t think my dad has missed a game that he’s been in town for since then. Football’s definitely my second interest, and then tennis, I play a lot of tennis even though I suck at it. Other than that, I really like writing more than just as a little side hobby. I could see it being something I’d like to pursue, and hopefully I can do it hand-in-hand with surfing for as long as possible.

D: Anything else, Zander? I heard you were one of the most eligible bachelors in St. Augustine.

ZM: [laughs] I guess I am now. If there’s any new girls from Flagler College reading this, they can know that I’m single.