#BAMf: Jered Martin

Jered Martin runs OnePitch, along with BAM’s CEO and Founder, Beck Bamberger. Jered is the Co-Founder and COO of OnePitch, but as an avid surfer, he splits his time between the office and the ocean. You can find him surfing waves out by Pacific Beach.  We caught up with this #BAMf in between sets to learn about his passion. Here’s some insight into Jered and the surf around the San Diego area.

How did you originally get into surfing?

Ever since I was a kid, I was always by the water. Whether it be the ocean, lake, river; I have always had a love for the water. I did a lot of ocean activities: body surfing, boogie boarding, and skim boarding. But when I turned 16, that’s when I first tried surfing. The first place that I ever surfed was actually in Mazatlan in Mexico and I got the bug, put it that way, after that. I just had to keep doing it.

How often do you go surfing?

Before moving to San Diego, I was only going to surf once or twice a month, but once I made the move down here it quickly transitioned to an everyday routine. No matter the weather you can find me in the water. Because it’s summertime, I will always surf in the morning before I go to work. It’s a great way for me to wake up and get prepared for my day; and to obviously get some exercise in. It’s the perfect time to reflect with myself and if things go well, I will also come home and surf in the afternoon. I just throw my surfboard onto my bike rack and ride down the street to Pacific Beach. I could never live anywhere that didn’t have an ocean.

Where are your usual surf spots?

Because I live so close to Pacific Beach, that’s usually where I will surf throughout the week. On the weekends, though, when I have more time so I tend to go up to North County in San Diego. I have a couple of spots that I like such as Cardiff Reef, La Jolla, or even 15th Street in Del Mar. It really depends on the swell and where the tide is at that time of day.

These spots tend to be a little bit cleaner and because of that, there’s a lot more sea life. It’s just so much more lively of an ecosystem and environment and, personally, I think that also translates into how the wave brakes and how clean they break, their shape. There are a lot of factors, but good waves and a good environment is what makes up my preferred surf spots.

What is your favorite thing about surfing?

There are so many things that I love about surfing. The most important part of going surfing is having the time for myself. It’s a space where I am with myself and my thoughts, it’s having an outlet where I can kind of meditate, even though I am being active. I have trained a lot doing various board sports, so it feels incredibly natural to have a surfboard under feet. I am now, with lots of practice, able to do maneuvers that I wasn’t able to do. The idea of progressing is also very exciting and interesting.

The last thing that I really love about surfing is, unlike any other sport, is the unpredictable nature of a wave. No two waves are alike, each ride is different, and every decision you make about that wave is going to be different. Surfing is so difficult to master because of this. You never know what’s going to happen! So, quick decision making is imperative. You have to deal with things in a very quick amount of time and, for me, it’s something that I am trying to embody in my life and the way I manage and operate my team at OnePitch.

What is the most challenging aspect you’ve had to overcome?  

The first thing is physicality and needing to be in shape. It’s a lot of core strength and upper body: arms, shoulders, and back. The second part is mastering the technique that comes with the sport. It’s not easy. There's a technique for every part of surfing and making errors can result in a wipeout. It’s something that a lot of people struggle with. Lastly, would be the intimidation factor. On a given day there could be 5-6 people that are trying to paddle on the same wave you are. But this is when the confidence in your abilities kicks in. It took multiple times of me going out there before I realized, okay, I know what I’m doing.

What’s the coolest place you have ever surfed and do you have any surf spots on your bucket list?

I would say the coolest place up to this point that I have surfed would be San Miguel Point, which is a little north of Ensenada in Baja. Although, one of my dreams is to go to the Indian Ocean; there are so many islands that have secret surf breaks.

When I was a kid I read a lot of surf magazine. It was sort of obsessive. It got to the point where I would see the color of the water in a photo and be able to tell you where in the world it was. So when you ask me that question, it's very hard. I’m like, which island? Which continent? Or what country? I just want to take surfing trips around the world.

Do you have any advice for a beginner who wanted to learn how to surf?

So, when I teach people how to surf, I always give them steps in yoga poses because it makes a lot of sense to people who are learning. So I say, “All right. When you’re going to go surfing, start in Chaturanga. Then you pop up to Warrior One, where your knee is down. Then you pop up to Warrior Two where your knee is up and bent back a little bit.” That process is full proof.

Secondly, I would recommend that before you buy a board, test it out and see if you like it. Lastly, I would also recommend just being patient, it’s a patience game out there and you need to be comfortable with that. Be patient and be confident. Stand up, tell yourself it’s going to be fine and if you can do that you’ll be in good shape.