
It is a common perception for surfers to be seen as easygoing “bums,” but not anymore. As surfing becomes an extremely popular sport all over the world, surf pioneers have become successful businessmen, using their love for the waves as a driving force to shape the surfing industry in many aspects. Here are examples of surf tycoons and how much they are worth.
Kelly Slater. The 11-time world champion is estimated to be worth $20 million. Considered to be the most successful athlete in the history surfing, Slater has appeared in countless advertisements, endorsement deals, and even modeling gigs. Slater recently opened the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch, an artificial wave pool that just held its first competition this year.

Andrew Wilson. The surfer from Gold Coast, Australia is famously known for founding EA Sports, and is estimated to have a net worth of $86.7 million. EA Sports is the maker of popular virtual reality games, Need for Speed, Sim City, and Battlefield. According to reports, Wilson earns $20 million per year.
Nicholas Woodman. While Woodman might not be as good as Wilson and Slater in terms of riding waves, the self-proclaimed frustrated surfer exceeds both the aforementioned surfing businessmen’s net worth. The GoPro founder is reported to have a net worth of $2.3 billion after returning $229 million worth of shares.
The name’s Steve Sorensen. I received my business graduate degree from the Iowa State University. For the longest time, I’ve been fascinated by the huge and often meteoric growth in net worth of some of the world’s most successful companies and have dedicated a portion of my time to tracing the stories of these companies and pointing out the roots of their success. For more articles like this, visit this page.