[ Kalu Coletta ]

Kalu Coletta is not the first "second generation" surfer / shaper in the surfboard industry, but the young Santa Cruz native is among the most talented.

Kalu was born in 1978, at home, one block from the ocean, the second son of a French mom and an American dad who shaped surfboards for a living. He started surfing at the age of 6. He has surfed in California, Hawaii, Europe, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Indonesia.

Kalu has a solid foundation as a surfer/shaper. He shaped his first board when he was 12. He resumed shaping as a career with his dad when he was 19. He is a talented and creative craftsman. Kalu's designs and craftsmanship are based on performance and experience.

Kalu moved to The North Shore of Oahu in 2008 to further polish his surfing and develop his shaping skills. Over the last 6 1/2 years he has worked with Charlie Walker, Eric Arakawa, and Bret Muramuto. Currently living at Sunset Beach he has a passion for shaping with the Skil 100 planer - the essential tool of every shaper since the 1950s.

Kalu is moving home to Santa Cruz in 2014 to shape and manage production at Natural Curves Surfboards. You could say he got his secondary education and bachelors degree in designing, shaping, and manufacturing working with his dad prior to moving to the North Shore and his master's degree and PhD on the North Shore working with Charlie, Eric, and Bret. He is an accomplished surfer, designer, and shaper and it will be awesome working as father and son to maintain the excellence of Natural Curves Surfboards in the 21st century.

Kalu Coletta shaping on the North Shore Video by Mike Santaella