Wes Laine

Regularfoot surfer Wesley Beale Laine was born on May 23, 1960 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The son of a U.S. Marine colonel, Wes first began surfing at age five and lived with his family for about ten years on military bases in Italy, Rhode Island, and North Carolina before eventually settling down in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Laine established himself in the surfing community by winning the boys' division of the 1974 East Coast Surfing Championships, the juniors kneeboard division of the 1976 U.S. Championships, and the juniors division of the 1978 East Coast Surfing Championships. Wes turned pro in 1979 and joined the world tour in 1982 (he finished the year ranked at #22). Laine reigned supreme as the top-rated East Coast surfer for the next three years: He finished ninth in 1983, eleventh in 1984, and ninth again in 1985. Wes left the world tour at the end of the 1989 season to concentrate on the East Coast pro circuit instead but still finished the 1993 tour rated fourth. Moreover, in 1983 Laine finished second in the Bell's Easter Classic in Australia as well as won the Ocean Pacific Pro-Am. Wes lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Sara and son Wes Jr. where he also runs the Wes Laine Surf Camp. He was inducted into the Surfing Legends of East Coast Surfing Championships Hall of Fame in 2009.