How many surfers do you know, who can lay claim to being a chemical and biomolecular engineer? Maybe none? Well, the only surfer we know who can legitimately lay claim to developing nanoparticle biosensors for food and health, is Max Weston. The son of parents who ditched the city in the 80s, to live on the sand dunes along the harsh South Australian coastline. To put it simply, you don’t get more original than this kid.

Max grew up surfing all sorts of crafts but gravitated towards longboarding after falling in with a crew including Sydney loggers Matt Chojnacki and Johnny Gill. “I looked up to those guys because their perspective on surfing was and is, unique and unwavering to pop culture. They were riding beautiful single fin longboards throughout the early 2000s, in a period when it was probably the least cool thing you could do,” he says.

While pursuing his passion for biomolecular science, Max also dabbled in longboarding events, discovering he was just as handy at winning heats, as he was at finding an enzyme in body fluids that’s a biomarker for cancer. He’s currently ranking high on the WSL longboard ratings and needs a top 20 finish to have a shot at the year-end world title in Taiwan. It’s remarkable to think that the guy has time to surf with all that’s going on in his head. But if there’s one thing the O’Riginals have taught us, it’s that a life dedicated to surfing can look like anything.

Produced by O'Neill Australia.