by Jennifer Watson

Created on: December 12, 2010

Laird Hamilton is an American big wave surfer. He is the co-inventer of tow-in surfing. He also does some modeling for fashion and action-sports wear. The professional volleyball player, Gabrielle Reece is his wife. She also models and does some television. Hamilton has two homes. One is located in Maui, Hawaii and one in Malibu, California.

Laird John Zerfas was born in San Francisco on March 2, 1964. He was born in an experimental salt-water sphere as UCSF medical Center. It was designed to ease the mother's labor pains. Before his was a year old his father, L.G. Zerfas left the family. Joann Zyirek Zerfas, Laird's mother moved to Hawaii while he was still a baby. Laird met Bill Hamilton, a 1960's surfer while he was still a young boy.  The surfer was also a surfboard shaper, glasser and builder of handmade custom built boards. The two became great friends and Laird invited Bill home to meet his mom. The two would fall in love and get married. Joann and Bill would have a second son, Lyon who would also become a surfer. In 1997 Laird's mother died of a brain aneurysm.

Laird would leave eleventh grade at Kapaa High School to start a modeling career and do construction work. He was discovered a year later on a beach in Kaua'w by fashion magazine photographer and landed a contract. He also has a 1983 phot shoot with Brooke Shields.

He started his own line of clothing in 2008. It was called Wonderwall and was sold through Steve and Barry's until they shut down in 2009. Oxbow has sponsored him for a long time. They are a French beachwear company.

Hamilton was an accomplished surfer by the age of 17,  However he was not much interested in competitive surfing.

In 1992 Hamilton and two fellow surfers invented the technique call tow-in surfing to allow them to surf bigger waves. Despite some surfing critics, Laird would learn how to survive 70 foot waves and how to carve arcs across walls of water.

Hamilton met Gabrielle Reece in 1995 and the couple were married on November, 30 1997.

Hamilton continued windsurfing, kitesurfing and waterskiing. In 1996 He and Manu Bertin help make kitesurfing a popular sport  in Maui. He would sail his windsurfer almost fifty miles and just under six hours in 1999. On August 17, 200 Laird rode what has been called "the heaviest ever ridden". It was at the shallow water reef break called Teshupo'o.

Surfing Historians consider Laird Hamilton to be the "all time best of the best" at big wave surfing.

In 2007 Hamilton used his swimsuit to stop the bleeding from a surfboard fin slice on fellow surfer Brett Lickle using his own swimsuit as a tourniquet. he rode the watercraft they were using back to a landing naked to take Lickle to the hospital.

Laird is active in several charities and takes a hands on approach in helping those charities.

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