Interviews, PeopleMe, Myself and Surfing:  William Aliotti 

French Caribbean surfer William Aliotti is fast making a name for himself thanks both to his consistent aerial performances and also his ability to perform in a broad range of waves, from Russian beachbreaks to Tahitian reefs and almost everything in between. Surf Simply tracked William down in Hossegor this summer and put our set of 25 “Me, Myself and Surfing” questions to him to find out a little more about what makes him tick.

Name: William Aliotti

Current Age: 21

Location: Hossegor, France

Occupation: Surfer

• My earliest memory of surfing… is my last tube in Mexico.
• Surfing to me is… the best feeling ever.
• Home is… The island of Saint Martin, in the Caribbean.
• My first overseas surf trip was to… Puerto Rico when I was 13 years old.
• I still want to travel to… anywhere!

• I wish that I could… get a few massive waves at Teahupoo.
• I’d love to share a few waves with… my friends and my uncle …
• My magic board/piece of equipment is/was a… 5’10” x 18 1/8″ x 2 1/8″ Stretch surfboard. The model that I surf most often is the Lil Buddy as it’s an excellent surfboard for any kind of waves, so I can ride the tube and get some air.
• Wetsuits are… getting better and more flexible all the time.
• Localism is… normal, and I respect it.

• Before I get in the sea I always… do nothing and just go.
• My most memorable session was… surfing Teahupoo alone.
• The last time I scared myself surfing.. taking a huge drop at super tubes, Peniche.
• My favorite surf movie is… Cluster by Kai Neville.
• My guilty pleasure is… nobody really knows that pink is my favourite colour.

• If I didn’t surf then I’d probably… party and do a bit of training.
• My greatest fear is… the impact zone at Pipeline.
• I’m happiest when… I make it out of a massive tube after waiting for an hour for the right wave to come through.
• I check the surf forecast… I look at the forecast everyday because I like to know when I can surf and where I can go for my next trip.
• I dream about… keeping this job for the rest of my life.

• If I could travel back in time I’d set the dial to… the last time I was in Tahiti.
• In the future… I never plan the future.
• When I get barreled I… enjoy the view and try to make the most of it.
• Surf culture… is important to me.
• The ocean is… strong and you can’t win – never try to fight with it, just try to understand it.