SOUL SURFING MAUI instructors are highly skilled at teaching students of all ages and pride themselves in having a special Knack for putting your worries to ease. Owner/Head Coach Brian DeCook says: “Helping people relax and have fun as they learn is our key secret to success! Our Coaching staff is comprised of professional Life Loving surf instructors that have a genuine interest in seeing you succeed. So whether you are a first time beginner or a seasoned surfer looking to improve, we got you covered . We want you to have the best day ever and our professional coaches are standing by to make that happen !”
Owner/Head Coach: Brian Decook
Brian DeCook Founded Soul Surfing Maui in 1994 out of his genuine love for teaching people how to surf. Brian has a natural knack for teaching with a smile and putting his students worries to ease. Over the years he has exhibited supreme dedication to his craft, and has developed a number of intuitive coaching techniques. Brian’s business plan is the same now as it was 30 years ago: “Treat every guest as a #1 VIP and always display the highest level of personal service”. Aside from running SSM, Brian enjoys oil painting, photography and taking surf and snowboard trips to various locations around the world.
head coach: TORREY MEISTER
Torrey is a professional surfer residing from Kailua Kona. Torrey moved to Maui 3 years ago, and instructs with us whenever his professional surfing career allows. O’NEILL has been his proud sponsor for the last 10 years, and with their generous support Torrey continues to surf and compete in prestigious events all around the world. A few of Torrey’s career highlights are winning the 2013 O’neill Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz, competing in the Jaws contest in 2019, being invited to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave event at Waimea Bay the last 2 years in a row, and taking 4th in the 2024 Sunset Pro. Aside from being a Pro surfer, Torrey discovered he has a special gift for teaching people how to surf. His humble nature and friendly demeanor, combined with his vast knowledge of surfing has proven to be a winning combination for this line of work. We are so stoked to have him aboard. Welcome Torrey Meister!
Surf instructor: Matt Mercado
Coach Matt was born and raised in Upcountry Makawao and has been instructing with Brian since the very beginning. Matt is a kind soul who lives Aloha and believes in preserving the old Hawaiian ways. His calm style of teaching is supportive, fun and easy to understand. Most of his friends know him as ‘Bones’ ( nickname ), a humble surf legend with a masters degree in ocean safety. Matt was a Maui County Life Guard for 20 years and it shows in his work. In his free time Matt enjoys surf travel, playing the ukulele, fishing, working out and training in martial arts. Thanks for all your contributions Matt, we are proud to have you aboard our coaching team.
Surf Instructor: Shaun Ferking
Shaun is the Young Gun on our coaching staff. Shaun was born and raised in Haiku Maui, and has been Surfing since he was a little kid. Shaun has extensive knowledge on the sport having surfed all over the Hawaiian islands, as well as many exotic locals around the world. For Shaun teaching people how to surf comes very natural. He likes to challenge himself to do better every time he paddles out, and having trained side by side with Brian, has the senior coaching skills to help you do the same. In his free time Shaun enjoys spearfishing with his friends, traveling to far off destinations to surf and snowboard, and above all spending time with his family and new born son Cruz. We are very happy to have Shaun on the SSM coaching team.