For my second interview I’ve decided to chat with Mike Cianciulli, also known as Chinch.  You may not actually pass him in town very often  these days but you can read about the amazing places he visits as the Managing Editor at Surfline.  Incidentally, Mike was also instrumental in my beginning stages of blog writing…I had been hearing about what he was up to and thought –Hey, I want to do that too!!

Mike and his family moved here permanently from Miami in 1989, when he was nine years of age.  His fascination with surfing was immediate and a couple of neighbor-hood groms, JJ Crane and Anthony Maggs provided him with a surfboard, stating boogie boarding was out of the question.  After he graduated from FPC, he attended Stetson University finishing with a degree in Sports Management and minor in Business.  He worked part-time jobs to facilitate an extensive travel schedule including a brief migration to South Africa.  It was there that he experienced a life changing sailboat adventure which also led to a story that got him published and his current job.

In addition to surfing exotic places dreams are made of he also managed the USA Surf Team and freelanced articles to top publications like Surfing, Transworld, and many more.  I asked Mike of all the places that he’s been which was his favorite…He stated that South Africa tops the list however he did recently spend several weeks in Bali…must of been torture…and then there’s also Tahiti…

The vast amount of footprints he has laid in lands that most of us will only see in pictures are many, but when I asked him if he might return to Flagler he said “home is a special place and I can see myself coming back–just not yet.” 🙂

I wish Mike the best as he is a really cool guy and thank him for his time and encouragement…and also if ever needs any help with the writing I am available…Cheers!

(Rocky Point) (Teahupoo)