The story of Bill Rosenblatt: A legend soul surfer who was born and raised in New Jersey and has a home in Rincón, Puerto Rico, where he has been practicing for more than 30 years.
Alejandro: What you do for a living?
Bill: I work as a psychologist
Alejandro: Tell us about your top moment.
Bill: Top moment (s)- paddling out at Sunset Beach in Hawaii with my 1st surfing hero Dr. Ricky Grigg; surfing perfect overhead Honolua Bay for a week with my son; getting a telephone call from George Downing; meeting Jorge Machuca; surfing with some of the Watsui surf team; watching my grand daughter ride her 1st wave.
Alejandro: How long you been surfing?
Bill: How long surfing- I rode my first wave in Florida when I was 15 years old in 1963.I’ve been surfing 54 years, I’m going to be 70 in January.
Alejandro: How did you got into surfing? Any mentor?
Bill: How I started surfing- I always spent summers in Florida with my grandparents and a friends father had a surfboard that we would take out whenever we could. I bought my 1st surfboard, a pop out for $90 at age 16
Alejandro: Tell us about your surfboards and fins do you use?
Bill: My surfboards – I ride everything, my quiver has fish, eggs, shortboards, longboards, and guns. I don’t ride many thrusters and prefer twin fins, quads, single fins and the 2+1 set ups. My favorite boards these days are 7’0” Skip Frye tri-fin egg that I bought from Jorge Lay from San Juan, my 9’6” Ohana Kemp, and my 6’9” widow maker that Dave Parmenter shaped.
Alejanro: Tell us about your competition history an your future goals.
Bill: I don’t compete very much. I only enter 3 contests a year – the Legends Classic, the Manasquan Classic Longboard Contest, and the Rincon Beachboy Paddle contest. I’ve won my divisions at the Legends and placed in the top 4 at Manasquan, and placed 2nd in my age group at the Beachboy. I surf for fun not to compete
Alejandro: Your favorite spots
Bill: My favorite spots – I love the point at Maria’s and Domes in Rincon and Surfer’s Beach in Aguadilla, in New Jersey my favorite break is Loch Arbour; in Hawaii I love Honolua and Sunset; and I rode the longest wave of my life at the Pass in Byron Bay in Australia.
Alejandro: Tell us about any extreme moment in surfing?
Bill: Most extreme moments – getting wiped out and having my board break at Tres Palms, and surfing 15 foot (Hawaiian) at Sunset Beach.