Robby Naish is widely considered the best and most complete windsurfer of all time. At 50, the iconic legend is still up and riding in the big waves of Hookipa and Jaws.
Robert Staunton Naish was born on the 23rd April 1963, in La Jolla, California. Son of the surfer, lifeguard, teacher and shaper Rick Naish, Robby started windsurfing in Hawaii at 11, when his family moved to Kailua.
Rapidly, he young talent showed off. Two years after setting sail, he wins the first world title, in the Bahamas. It was only the first of many planetary trophies. Between 1976 and 1979 (Italy, Mexico, USA), he stole world glory as an amateur competitor.
Robby Naish is one of the first sailors to take windsurfing to the Hawaiian waves, mixing speed skills with creative freestyle maneuvers, in all maritime conditions.
The Californian sailor saw the birth of the Professional Board Sailors Association (PBA) and of the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA). Also, he became a father at 18.
Naish conquered all windsurfing world titles, between 1983 and 1991. In the first two seasons, he would clean all divisions: overall, wave sailing, slalom and course race.
In the 90s, Robby Naish kept competing at the highest level and managed to finish runner-up in 1994 and 1995. At the same time, he improved the sport of boardsailing by adding, for example, the window in the sail and foot straps.
With a total of 24 world titles and more than 150 event victories, the waterman never stopped. He embraced kiteboarding and won the 1998 and 1999 slalom world titles. Interestingly, he believes he was "never good enough to make a living" of surfing.
At his local windsurfing spot, in the windy shores of Hawaii, Robby Naish has become one of the best big wave windsurfers in the world. The amphitheater of Hookipa, Maui, is his daily training ground.
The man who runs the global Naish watersports brand has his name written in the Laureus World Sports Academy's Global Legends of Sport.
"My philosophy of life is: every day on the water is a good day! Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I love the freedom of the sport, there are no rules". Robby Naish truly is "the legend of windsurfing".