Joel Andrew Zemenick, born March 29, 1972 in Pomona California, passed away on October 9, 2022 in Half Moon Bay, California.

Joel’s sudden death leaves behind his loving wife Andi Zemenick and her son Colin; his mother Janice Udov (husband Larry); his father John Zemenick (stepmother Mindy); his sister Amy Schlegel, brother-in-law Matt, and nephew Kellen Bassler;  along with many more extended family members.

A renowned member of the California surfing community, Joel was known for his ever-present smile, laid back demeanor, and kind-heartedness to everyone he met. His early years were spent in the coastal city of Carlsbad, California, where his love of the water and the outdoors was apparent from a young age. His love of surfing started as a teenager and most of his youth was spent at the beach where he trained and became a Junior lifeguard.

After graduating from Carlsbad High School, he moved to Santa Cruz where he fell in love with the local surf spots and the natural beauty of the area, cementing a love of the ocean which became a lifetime passion. In Santa Cruz Joel quickly immersed himself in the surf culture that he loved. With a family background in machinery, he auditioned to become an apprentice under Jeffery Devine of JD Rockets Surfboards. For the next two years, he learned board design, glassing and fell in love with just being in a surfboard factory.

A deeply curious student of life, Joel pursued his wide interests in an array of subjects. He had an avid interest in Eastern philosophy, and followed that interest by studying acupuncture at Five Branches University Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Cruz. He later deepened his study by traveling and living in China. He also studied at a culinary school in San Francisco and worked as a chef for several years. He was also a die-hard Golden State Warriors fan and loved basketball season.

In the 1990s Joel moved to Half Moon Bay and later to Pacifica to work for a number of surfboard shapers in the Bay Area eventually leading him to establishing JZ Surfboards, a niche brand that is a favorite among local, national, and international surfers. Joel was a respected and highly skilled artist in the NorCal surf scene, and has been building custom surfboards for surfers from Santa Cruz to Ocean Beach for nearly 20 years.

During the pandemic, he had recently expanded his business operations to a full-service manufacturing facility in the Princeton Harbor – not far from where he first opened his backyard shop in the ‘90s. He and his wife ran the operations with their crew who learned board building from Joel. In the year before he died Joel and his wife Andi were making plans to open a satellite shop in Nayarit, Mexico where he wanted to share his love and knowledge of the craft to local shapers in Mexico. This past February, the two of them tied the knot in a private ceremony in Punta Mita, Mexico on 02/22/22.

Joel was well-traveled and would often surprise his friends with an impromptu trip to Hawaii, Indonesia, and Mexico. While in Indonesia, he spent his time mostly in Bali and lived for a short period on a smaller island close to Bali. He opened a small retail store there, which he eventually left to a family he knew when he returned to the US.

Joel’s ethos was to honor the surfing community he respected and loved so much, as well as the planet he cared for so deeply, and to always be a deeply good human being to everyone. This was how he lived his life—with purpose and integrity.

To honor Joel’s life and legacy, a traditional surfer’s paddle-out will be held on October 23, 2022 at 11:00 am at Maverick Beach, followed by a celebration of life at Old Princeton landing in Half Moon Bay.

All are welcome to come and celebrate Joel’s life and legacy. #flythehawk

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In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted for the Joel Zemenick Memorial Fund at the link below. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/jo…

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