A Life In Brief: 

It’s all going good for Mathieu Fouliard. Still pumped from his recent collaboration with RRD, the 39 year old never smokes, doesn’t drink, goes surfing with his dad and carves out a simple, pure existence on Tahiti by way of birth in Brittany, and then a childhood Africa.

(This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of SUP International. Print and digital subscriptions for readers worldwide are available HERE.)

Mat’s folks were from a fishing family in France and got him into the ocean early at five years old. Today he divides his time between stand-up, windsurfing and kitesurfing, saying that going out with your folks is the best way to appreciate good times together and to avoid fights…

My parents are… not rich and famous but really cool.
The house I grew up in… was in Africa, then Tahiti next to the ocean.
When I was a child… I wanted to be a pro windsurfer with a Combat wave sail.
If I could change one thing about myself…my English accent
You wouldn’t know but I’m very good at...washing dishes
You may not know it but I’m no good at…competing
At night I dream of…the next day’s forecast
The last time I got scared was…at Teahupo’o, my home spot. Bad wipeout.
What I see when I look in the mirror…a guy who never ever gave up.
My favourite piece of equipment….is my boards, because it’s the basis of everything.
A book that change me…was Jonathan Livingston ‘Seagull’.
My real life villains…my big board bags in the airport.
What’s the point?.. staying young.
My life in 6 words…girlfriend, friendship, sponsors, ocean, Coca-Cola, boardshorts.

“  When I look in the mirror I see a guy who never gave up ! ”