“When I ride a wave it brings so much joy- it fortifies my soul.”
Giancarlos (“GC”) Urcia Calle 3/8/2025
Giancarlos’s journey to the Board Riders is quite different from those of you who grew up here. He moved to the US from Huanchaco, Peru 15 years ago. He is now 37. His introduction to the sport was likewise different. He didn’t learn to surf using a surfboard. GC’s father is a fisherman, and in Peru the fishermen have used reed boats called “caballitos de totora” for 5000 years. When he was 5 years old his father built him a short one, about 5 foot long. Rather than using it with a paddle to catch fish, he laid down to paddle out and stood on it on the way to shore. In fact, this is how he was introduced to surfing by teaching himself.
While in Peru GC competed in local and national championship surfing competitions from the age of ten until he was 18. He opened his surf school at the age of 16 together with his older brother John. While GC was giving surf lessons, he coached his younger brother Juninho who became a multiple national champion and a former WSL – QS tour surfer.
One of the themes that ran through GC’s interview was his love of teaching. After arriving in the States he worked as a surfing coach for Fulcrum Surf and for Diegueno Middle School. He also coached soccer to high school students. He found that sharing his knowledge with young people was especially satisfying, and eventually he set out to become a teacher. The path was long, 7 years starting at Mira Costa College and ending at California State University San Marcos. He told me it was also sometimes bumpy, but he didn’t give up. He is proud that he is the first in his family to attend and finish college. Today he teaches high school Spanish in the Oceanside School District.
When GC was young he would surf for 7 hours a day. Now he enjoys concentrating on his job and surfing comes afterwards, mostly on the weekends. He still has a competitive spirit, however. He competed in college and now competes in Board Rider competitions. He also is surfing in the US Pro Surfing Tour next week in Huntington Beach.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting, interviewing and photographing GC. He is one of those folks that strikes you as being filled with joy and positive energy. How much of that comes from surfing is hard to know, but his quote above tells me that surfing is likely somehow involved. So is being here in America with his wife and their young son. He said that being a surfer in Peru made it hard for people to take you seriously; to think that you had a plan and ambition. Not here. Being in America has enabled him to see surfing and life from a whole new perspective, and that has definitely given him joy.
Written and Photographed by Nicholas Paoni.
