Surfboards by Pyzel
Jon Pyzel began his shaping career fixing dings on Oahu's North Shore at Country Surfboards. He moved from his home in Santa Barbara in his mid-twenties in search of year-round waves and the hope of never again wearing a wetsuit. His opportunity at Country Surfboards, located across the street from Sunset, one of Hawaii's acclaimed big wave surf spots, coupled with empty pockets, quickly propelled him into all aspects of board building. After a short while glassing, sanding, hot coating, and airbrushing, Jon connected with master shaper Jeff Bushman. Jeff soon realized the potential in Jon and hired him as his back-shaper. Out of this partnership, the world was gifted Pyzel Surfboards in 1995.
"From mistakes comes innovation" was written on one of Jon's first workroom walls. It is with this sentiment that he ventured into the arena of shaping surfboards. Evinced by his fearlessness in discovering and creating forward-thinking designs, Jon aimed to stay ahead of new surfing styles and trends from the beginning.
In 1998, his shaping career would be forever marked by a young five-year-old kid named John John Florence. It was then that Jon made John John's first surfboard, and nothing has since been the same. Together they reinvented the boundaries of surfing through John John's humility and ability in the water and Jon's courage to travel paths less worn in surfboard design. In 2016, almost twenty years from when they first met, their careers touched on surfing's highest peak with John John capturing the World Champion Title while riding Jon Pyzel surfboards.
Pyzel Surfboards began its partnership with Dark Arts in 2019. Jon's eye test for quality and precision is unmatched. But it was an easy decision upon inspecting the integrity of Dark Arts boards then testing their performance.
"Dark Arts craftsmanship is next level! We're stoked to work with them! We can't wait to see the progression of the boards as we continue to work together."
Since humble beginnings on Hawaii's coveted North Shore, Pyzel Surfboards has grown into a household name and a thriving international business. Yet it is still a family-run venture where "Surfboards Are Built by Surfers."