Texas is a great land of surf opportunity, and Taylor Quin is here to help you discover 3 different ways to score some inland surf! As a global crew of Land Locked Surfers, one of our goals is to build an archive of Community Leaders passionate about helping others discover the stoke of surfing outside of the ocean. This will help accomplish our vision of having an accessible point person for each surf community, location, and discipline. For the Texas region, Taylor Quin is our recommended resource for you. He is a jack of all surf trades and is passionate about sharing with others the stoke he gets out on the water!
For questions about surfing in Texas it’s best to contact Taylor through his Instagram: @_tquin_
Let’s get to know Taylor, your Texas surf connection!
Q: Give us some background, who is Taylor Quin?
Taylor: I’m a student, surfer, adventurer, and explorer Born in Houston, but spent a lot of time on the coast and in lakes nearby. I’m currently living on Padre Island. I’ve always enjoyed action sports in general; at an early age I began surfing, skateboarding, racing BMX, cliff jumping and wakeboarding. In more recent years surfing, wake surfing, and snowboarding have been HUGE passions of mine. I love meeting new people and traveling to other countries. My girlfriend Shannon, our Black Lab, and I do so as much as possible. I’m all about sharing the stoke and enjoying life!
Q: How and when did you get into Surfing in Texas?
Taylor: I first got into Wake Surfing when I was about 10 years old, but you could hardly call it wake surfing haha. My dad would pull me on my surfboard or skimboard behind our 20 foot fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico, conditions were less than optimal and letting go of the rope was not an option but I loved every second of it. I continued surfing and doing similar activities throughout my early teenage years until I had access to a boat that had a surf able wake. I was 16 when I first experienced the reality of an endless 3 foot wave, naturally, I was hooked for life.
Q: Through your eyes describe the surf scene in your area, what are you doing to help it grow?
Taylor: The surf scene in Texas is hungry, and frothing! With the opening of Nlandsurpark, surfers landlocked in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston now can make a day trip to a home break that is firing from 8:00am-9:00pm. When traveling, people are shocked when they hear I’m a Texas Surfer. It’s not uncommon to hear, “You guys have a beach?” or “There aren’t waves in Texas!”. We get waves, you just have to know where and when to look. We also have warm water year round; surfing or wake surfing without a wet-suit on Christmas day occurs frequently.
Q: What drives you to get better everyday and progress?
Taylor: The feeling I experience when learning a new trick or maneuver is what drives me to seek progression. Surfing is one of those skills that takes a lifetime to master and I am prepared to dedicate mine to doing so. All surfers know the feeling you get when dropping into a wave; it will never get old and keeps me young!
Q: What are your goals for 2017?
Taylor: My goals as a wake surfer for 2017 are to surf as often as possible with good people and glassy conditions. As far as river surfing, I’d love to see what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Down on the coast, all I want is a clean 6-8ft swell! I am also focused on spreading the stoke and helping all of my buddies with the progression of their surfing.
Q: In your world of surfing who do you look up to most and why?
Taylor: I really admire creativity when it comes to surfing. The first name that comes to mind is Austin Keen, although he’s a skim boarder, his ability and creativity while wake surfing always fascinates me and drives me to try new things. Connor Burns definitely shreds, Keenan Flegel and Sean Cummings are two other wake surfers with sick style. My buddy Tegan Gainan kills it on the longboard; I look up to whoever is having the most fun and catching the most waves, isn’t that why we do it?
Q: As a Land Locked Surfing Community Leader, what are your areas of expertise new riders should ask you about?
Taylor: As a community leader, I will be able to provide a diverse array of information regarding surfing spots along the entire coast of Texas, river breaks in the center of Texas, Nlandsurfpark in Austin, the best lakes/rivers to wake surf, where to safely cliff jump where to stay and what other activities you may be interested in doing while in my area!
Q: Outside of surfing what are your other passions?
Taylor: I spend most of my time down on Padre Island, and near Austin or San Antonio but I travel frequently. Other than wake surfing, I try to surf the coast as much as possible. Fall through Spring, it’s fairly common to have a 2-6ft wind swell but conditions tend to be mostly flat in the summer. My other passions are cliff Jumping, hiking, skateboarding, skimboarding, fishing, camping, snowboarding, traveling and hanging out with good people.
Q: What is something funny very few people may know about you?
Taylor: I love dogs, I have a half black lab, half border collie named Mia Wallace, after the Lester Wallace’s Wife in Pulp Fiction, which is probably my favorite movie of all time!
Closing Thoughts: I’m stoked to be a part of the landlocked surfing community and am excited to network with fellow surfers around the world, spread the word about the Texas surf scene, and help others learn how and where to enjoy it! I’m always searching for a wave and chasing the sun, I love helping others find their wave learn to shred it.
Questions about surfing in Texas? Best to contact Taylor through his Instagram: @_tquin_
