Matt “Archy” Archbold was born in 1968 in Fontana, California, and grew up in San Clemente, where he learned at T-Street alongside Christian Fletcher. A child prodigy, he made the national amateur team and turned pro at 16, then spent about five years on the world tour.

He was known for powerful rail carves, deep tube riding and some of the earliest airs. His section at Lower Trestles in Herbie Fletcher’s Wave Warriors III became a touchstone for a generation of surfers, and in 1991 he was Patrick Swayze’s surfing double in Point Break.

On Nalu TV he runs from Savage Cuts (1987) through Madmen 93, Stacking the Deck and Youthful Energy, and gets a film of his own in Matt Archbold So Alone and Archy.

Back in San Clemente he runs Archy’s Garage and has his own board model, Built for Speed. His son Ford surfs professionally.