Ramzi Boukhiam was born in Morocco to a Moroccan father and Dutch mother and spent the early years of life learning to surf in the points and beaches just to the north of the capital Agadir.

Following the loss of his father when he was just a teenager, his mother moved Boukhaim and his younger brother to Saint Jean de Luz, France, just south of Biarritz. While a relatively difficult time, the move to Landes had the advantage of placing him near the epicenter of European surfing.

With extra competition and industry support, he secured the 2012 European Junior Championship and then won a QS6000 event in Zarautz the same year. The following year he would finish runner up to Gabriel Medina at the World Junior Titles.

It almost seemed inevitable that he would crack the CT. With a smooth and powerful style forged on Moroccan point breaks and Hossegor beach breaks, the 6’1” goofyfooter was capable of being a world-beater on his day. However, inconsistencies when competing cost him, and he’s never cracked surfing’s top table.

In 2019 he secured his berth at the Tokyo Olympics through his performances at the ISA World Surfing Games. He quickly backed that milestone with a win at the QS6000 Oi Hang Loose Pro Contest in Brazil at the start of 2020. The pandemic curtailed that great start to his year, and he spent most of the year in Morocco. His edits from that winter supported the theory that he might just be one of the best backhand surfers in the world.

Instagram: @ramziboukhiam