JENS KALWA

Nationality: German
Age: 33
Hometown: Tofino, B.C.
Sponsors: Storm Surf Shop

“I’ve been surfing for 15 or 16 years. When I was 13, I moved with my parents to Parksville, B.C. from Dusseldorf, in Germany. A few years later, when I was 16, I went on a 3-week tennis road trip to California, and I bought my first surfboard on that trip, a yellow, 7’6” backyard-made board for $75. I surfed in California a few times, and as soon as I got back I called my friends Dave and Jules to organize a surf trip to Tofino. From that trip on, I was hooked, and I started spending 3 days a week staying in my van in Tofino, just surfing all day. I tried to get as many hours in the water as I could, sometimes 3 sessions adding up to 10 hours a day. And then I finally decided it was time to move to the coast so I could surf every day.”

A Few Highlights…

“Having surfed all over the world, choosing a couple of highlights is a difficult endeavour. In Peru I surfed Chicama; after catching 3 or 4 waves it would be close to 1 km from where I dropped in, and I’d have to walk back 15 to 20 minutes. On my second trip to Hawaii I surfed some of the biggest waves of my life; the Hawaiians were calling it 6- to 8-foot with 10-foot sets. Driving through the desert for hours in Morocco trying to find a surf spot was also pretty memorable.”

Contest Results

5th in Quiksilver / Roxy Surf Jam, 2001

5th in Quiksilver / Roxy Surf Jam, 2002

5th in the Clean Water Classic, 2003