Matthew McGillivray

How did you start surfing?

I have two older brothers and they got second hand surfboards and started learning how to surf. I was 10 years old at the time and wanted to do whatever they did so I started joining them in the water and fell in love with it.

Do you have any memories of your beginnings that you feel marked your path?

I remember the first time trying to get barreled on a wave and how exciting that was even though I had no idea what I was doing yet. I also had a really cool experience of riding the same wave as dolphins and them bumping underneath my board, I felt like I was surfing on top of them.

How did you feel when you entered the tour and what difference do you feel now?

I was super fired up and motivated when I qualified for the tour in 2019. Then covid happened and there was a lot of uncertainty and feeling overwhelmed. After the last two years of surfing on the tour I feel more confident in my surfing and decisions. The time and experience gives one a lot of practice with dealing with the pressure and I found I need to have fun and can’t take everything too seriously for me to surf my best.

What would you say you like the most about surfing as a full-time job and what do you like the least?

I like where surfing takes me, traveling to different countries and meeting lots of people. I don’t like when the ocean is crowded and it is hard to practice because it is too busy in the water or the waves are small.

What do you think about the tour having a stop in El Salvador, do you like it?

I have enjoyed coming to El Salvador the last two years because it has good waves and uncrowded, warm water. I hope we keep coming back!

What goals do you have now?

How would you like to end the year?

I am aiming to finish in the top 10 on the WSL tour so I can qualify for the 2024 Olympics. I also want to do more wingsuit base jumping in the off season!

Follow him: @mattmcgillivray