Hanging out at Crescent Beach a couple times per week, 11-year-old David Farina grew bored of playing in the sand. He turned to watching people surf and bodyboard and decided he wanted to try it. 

Although it was frustrating at first, once he caught a real wave, David was hooked. When he wasn’t on the water, he was glued to shows like ESPN’s Surfer Magazine.  On one episode they showed a 10-second clip of a guy shaping a surfboard. David’s head exploded! He says it was like a switch turned on and he became obsessed with wanting to learn how to shape boards.

Little did he know that this adolescent obsession would lead him to one day establish his business, Farina Handcrafted Surfboards which not only makes surfboards and wakeboards but teaches others to shape their own boards. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The road to his business was not a straight path… it has been a winding journey with many turns, dips and hills to climb.