Commercial fisherman by trade and big wave surfer by choice, this California native has found the true balance and meaning in working hard and playing harder. Matt gets up early, before the sun, to get prepped and ready for a day on the boat with his Dad.
When he’s not fishing to earn a living, you can find Matt en route to his favorite surf spots along the coast. When the ocean comes alive Matt prefers to charge Mavericks where the risk can outweigh the reward – but it’s worth it at the end of the day when you make it to the shore alive.
“My dad was the first of my family to get into commercial fishing. The more I do and older I get, I realize I have these experiences with my dad that a lot of other kids don’t have with their parents and I’m really grateful for that.”
“I’ve been able to learn a lot from my dad’s 40 years of fishing, and to soak up that knowledge and experience the raw power and beauty of the ocean and nature is incredible and to be able to do it with your dad is something else.”
Matt Becker sums it up like this: “You can’t get fired from your own boat”, and as for surfing 40-foot waves “After my worst big wave held me down out there, I paddled back to the channel with my tail between my legs, went straight to the boat, and pounded the most refreshing beer I can remember. I was done, Maverick’s always wins.”
“Santa Barbara to me is home. It’s a community that I’ve grown up in with a lot of ties to the ocean particularly fishing and surfing. I love being here.”
“Take destiny into your own hands.”
“Within a 40 minute drive, you can basically pull up into lot and paddle into the biggest waves in the world – it’s a trip.”
“I don’t remember when I caught my first wave, I just remember going to the beach a lot. Feeling the speed and power is like nothing else.”