Surfside Sports Team Rider Jesse Merle Jones
Surfside Sports is proud to announce its newest team rider Jesse Merle Jones!
“We are super stoked to have Jesse on our already stacked team” says Surfside Sports team manager Nick Skawinski.
Nicknames: Merle, JMJ, Hesse Merley Hones (in Mexico)
Hometown: Kilauea, Kaua’i
Current City: Costa Mesa, California
Sponsors: Fox Head, Inc., Smith Optics, Ocean & Earth, Surfside, Power Balance, Banzai Bowls
Tour Highlights: 3 WQS Victories, US Champ, Pipeline Finalist
Other: Monster Energy Sun Diego Pro (2009) 1st, Cold Water Classic, Santa Cruz, CA (2006) 3rd
Interests: Fishing, Golf, Coffee, Yoga, Traveling, Hiking
Born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, Jesse Merle-Jones had an upbringing like no other. At an early age, he learned a lot about drive and ambition through the example of his parents. With little to start out with and living in pitched tents, his parents worked hard to one day have a home of their own. Jesse’s father put his sons to work and together they started building the foundation of a house that what was once just a vision. Then, the unimagineable happened. On September 11, 1992, hurricane Iniki, a category 5 hurricane hit the island of Kaua’i, severely damaging over 6,000 homes — including theirs. It was a devastating time for many, but rather than giving up, they picked up where they had left off and began rebuilding what had been destroyed with the belief that no matter how ambitious the goal, with the right attitude you have can accomplish anything you put your heart into. As a young kid, Jesse took this attitude and sought after his own dreams of one day becoming a professional surfer.
Jesse began his surf career at age 11, landscaping on the side to save enough money to travel inter-island and compete in all the top amateur competitions. With success in his amateur surf career, Jesse became Pro at age 19 after making the final of the Excel Pro Sunset Beach Hawaii contest. Since then, he has achieved three WQS victories and was presented Foster’s Pro Surfing Tour Champion. Jesse continues to make his mark on tour and chase waves around the world with the same drive and ambition as when he first started.
Check out some recent footage of Jesse blowing up Lowers.
Insurfnews.com – Two for Two Jesse Merle Jones from Andrew Oliver on Vimeo.