Ryan Burch blazes his own path, and it’s awesome

Ryan Burch in the shaping bay. Photo is a screen grab

“Continues rhythm,” “finding different lines,” “plotting a different course on a wave”—these are just a few of the ideas that pulse through the brain of Ryan Burch, whose unique and stylish approach to riding waves is spotlighted in an incredible new web feature titled “The Rush of the Continuous Rhythm,” made by Volcom.

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Burch, from Encinitas, California, had a pretty standard amateur surf career, did well in surf contests, got sponsored, learned how to do airs, etc. But when Ryan entered his late teens, things started to change; he fell in with a “different” crowd, and that’s when he started his transformation.

High-line expressionism in Indonesia. Photo is a screen grab

Ryan started experimenting; his contest results suffered, but his surfing flourished, and he began a journey that has brought him to the forefront of experimental surf craft design as well as helped him forge his own path to surfing enlightenment.

Since ditching the contest jersey and eschewing standard surfing equipment, Ryan has shaped over 200 hand-crafted surfboards of all different shapes and sizes. And guess what? The experiments are working.

Burch’s self-shaped eclectic quiver. Photo is a screen grab

Inspiration comes in many forms. For Burch, it’s partly from the past and the future, but mostly, it’s from the most pure part of surfing: having fun. “I’m always excited to ride a new board and want to get into the room and shape new boards all the time,” Burch said in a previous interview for GirndTV. “Surfing and shaping are pretty much all I do, so I’m going to have to continue to reinvent myself to keep it fun and interesting!”