The morning fog hangs low over the Santa Barbara harbor as Conner Coffin guides his 26-foot vessel through the channel, the hull cutting quietly through water that holds decades of local fishing history. The boat, originally built in 1988 for the Pettersen family, has been brought back to life under Coffin’s hands—re-powered, restored, and ready to write new stories. It’s a far cry from the frenetic energy of the Championship Tour, where every heat was a battle and every wave carried the weight of ranking points and sponsorship obligations.
But don’t get it twisted: Conner Coffin is not retired.
He’s simply chosen a different path—one that trades the relentless grind of full-time competition for the rhythms of freesurfing, fatherhood, and a life rooted in the community that raised him.
Why He Stepped Away From Full-Time Competition
The decision to leave the World Surf League tour wasn’t born from defeat or disillusionment. Coffin walked away while still at the height of his abilities, which made the choice both courageous and complex.
“I felt more drawn towards being a freesurfer and having time to do more than just compete at that point in my life,” Coffin explained. “I have always loved surfing and being in and around the ocean through fishing, diving, and traveling. I also have a lot of passions outside of surfing so I was excited to be able to embrace those more.”
The timing aligned with profound personal shifts. Marriage was on the horizon, and with it, the desire to build a family on his own terms.
“I was also getting married and my wife and I wanted to start having kids,” he said. “As much as doing the tour with a kid seemed like it could be awesome, I really wanted to be able to be fully present for my son’s birth and the first years of his life.”
That presence—being there for first steps, first words, the mundane magic of morning routines—held more weight than another contest result ever could. The hardest part wasn’t the transition itself, but the psychological untangling from a competitive identity he’d worn for years.
“The hardest part for me was just feeling like I was walking away from something that I was good at and that I thought I could still succeed at,” Coffin admitted. “I think we get a bit attached to the rush, the adrenaline, and the chase of living that lifestyle as well.”
The Boat, The History, and a Film Taking Shape
In July, Coffin completed the restoration of a 26-foot fishing boat that had spent decades working the waters off Santa Barbara under the Pettersen family’s care. The project was more than a mechanical undertaking—it was an act of preservation, connecting him to a lineage of local watermen who understood the ocean not just as playground, but as provider.
The restoration demanded everything: sanding down years of salt and wear, re-powering the engine, and honoring the vessel’s original character while preparing it for new adventures. Coffin documented the process meticulously, capturing not just the technical work but the stories embedded in the boat’s bones.
Now, that documentation is evolving into a film project. Working alongside collaborators Jeff Hull, Eddie Anderson, and Clint Malone, Coffin is producing a feature that chronicles the boat’s history and the family who worked it for years. It’s a story about craftsmanship, continuity, and the way objects can carry memory across generations.
The project represents a creative freedom that competition schedules never allowed—the ability to pursue a vision from inception to completion without the pressure of the next event looming.
Rod and Reel: Commercial Fishing and Community Roots
Since completing the restoration, Coffin has put the boat to work in ways that connect him directly to Santa Barbara’s culinary ecosystem. He’s been running rod-and-reel commercial trips, supplying local restaurants with fresh-caught seabass and halibut.
There’s something profoundly grounding about the work. The predawn departures, the patience required to read conditions and currents, the physical labor of hauling in a catch—it’s a different kind of performance than competitive surfing, but it demands similar attunement to the ocean’s moods.
The fish he lands end up on plates at restaurants throughout Santa Barbara, creating a direct line between his effort and his community’s tables. It’s local in the truest sense: caught by a local waterman, prepared by local chefs, consumed by neighbors and visitors who may never know the hands that pulled their dinner from the Pacific.
This integration of surfing life with fishing life reflects Coffin’s broader philosophy—that the ocean offers multiple ways to engage, and that a professional surfer’s skills are transferable to other maritime pursuits.
Cold Beer Surf Club and the Media Pivot
Coffin’s post-Tour life also includes a significant media presence through Cold Beer Surf Club, a podcast he co-hosts in partnership with 805 and the WSL. The show operates without strict format constraints, allowing for the kind of meandering, authentic conversations that reveal character and perspective.
The format suits Coffin’s personality—warm, curious, unburdened by the need to perform competitive intensity. Guests range across the surf world and beyond, and the discussions often venture into territory that traditional sports media rarely explores.
He’s also maintained relationships with board sponsors, appearing in content like the JS Industries episode “Conner’s Dream Quiver for California & Beyond,” where he walks through his equipment choices with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely loves the craft of board selection.
These media engagements aren’t afterthoughts—they’re central to how Coffin has constructed a professional surfing career that doesn’t depend on competition results.
Mentorship, Music, and the Long View
Perhaps the most significant shift in Coffin’s post-Tour identity is his orientation toward mentorship. Having navigated the complexities of professional surfing—the sponsor relationships, the travel logistics, the mental demands—he’s positioned to guide younger surfers chasing similar dreams.
“I feel so fortunate to have learned and lived a ton through my experience as a pro surfer,” he reflected, “and I think it would be really cool to find a way to share some of the knowledge with younger kids who are interested in chasing a similar dream.”
His advice carries the weight of experience: treat your surfing career like a small business. Communicate professionally with sponsors. Show up prepared for signings and photo shoots. Build your own brand rather than waiting for others to define it.
Beyond surfing, Coffin has leaned into music as a complementary creative outlet. He draws parallels between the two pursuits: “Music is so similar to surfing… The feeling of getting locked into a good jam with friends is so similar to riding a wave but I love that the guitar is always there to pick up and noodle on.”
It’s this integration—surfing, fishing, music, family, media—that defines his current chapter. The question of “what comes after the Tour” has been answered not with a single pivot but with a portfolio of passions.
Quick Tips for Young Surfers From Conner Coffin
- Treat it like your own business: Take ownership of your career trajectory from the start.
- Communicate professionally: Stay in regular contact with sponsors; respond promptly to opportunities.
- Show up prepared: Whether it’s a photo shoot, a signing, or a contest, professionalism matters.
- Build transferable skills: The lessons learned through surfing—discipline, self-promotion, relationship management—apply to life beyond competition.
Surfing Until the Wheels Fall Off
What emerges from Coffin’s story is a vision of professional surfing as something more expansive than the competitive circuit typically suggests. The Tour is one chapter, not the entire book.
“I feel free to go out and surf more creatively all of the time, ride what I want to ride, and not have to be focused on preparing for the next event,” Coffin said. “I think I love surfing more than ever now.”
That renewed love—unburdened by rankings, heat strategies, and the pressure of televised performances—has reconnected him to why he started surfing in the first place. It’s a reminder that for many professionals, the sport itself can get lost in the business of competition.
“Surfing for me and I think a lot of people is a life-long endeavor,” Coffin explained. “I hope I’m surfing until the wheels fall off and whether I’m able to make a living doing it or not, it’s always something I will do and enjoy.”
As the Santa Barbara fog lifts and the morning light catches the restored hull of his fishing boat, Conner Coffin represents something increasingly rare in professional sports: an athlete who understood when to redefine success on his own terms. The waves will always be there. The fish will run with the seasons. His son will grow up watching his father navigate both.
That’s not retirement. That’s just a different kind of life, lived fully.
