Kevin Wallis
Lead Forecaster
Surfline
Honolulu, HI USA
“Having fun your whole life is a pretty powerful motivator.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationKevin Wallis
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
He grew up over an hour away from the beach, but all he wanted to do when he grew up was live at the beach.
As he went to school at Claremont McKenna University, he decided he wanted to be a lifeguard.
As he got more into lifeguarding, surf forecasting kept tugging at him; he always wanted to know more about it.
Got his degree in psychology, which he doesn’t use directly, but he says the writing and communication skills still help him.
Says that truthfully, many nights he should’ve spent studying, he was up late looking at wave science and forecasts.
When he started at Surfline, he made next to no money; says if you love something, you should be willing to work for cheap.
He worked weekends, holidays, crazy hours, but he stuck with it because he loved it—and he could still surf in his free time.
Seventeen years later, he says if he could tell his teenage self what his future job would be, young him would be “stoked!”
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Lead Forecaster
I am a surf forecaster who works with big-wave surfers and consults on World Tour events.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Action Sports
Environment & Nature
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
Forecasting a challenging, but exceptional swell; interacting with my co-workers and hopefully getting out in the water for a few waves!
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Discover what you really love and pursue it.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I don't know enough to get this job. "
Challenges I Overcame
Learning Issues
Interviewed By
Setting Course
Science, tech, engineering, arts, and math careers in Hawaii
