Max Fleming
A well-rounded waterman, Max has been surfing, fishing, free diving, and spearfishing for almost his entire life. More recently, SUP has become his passion. He has competed in numerous SUP disciplines and rapidly earned his place at the top of his age division, establishing himself a junior professional athlete. Additionally, Max works as an ocean lifeguard in Dana Point, California. To this day, Max spends all of his free time on the water. If the waves are fun, he goes surfing. If not, he can dive. The visibility is bad? He will go fishing! The possibilities are endless, and that’s why he loves living the Salt Life.
When did you first get involved with Salt Life?
I first got involved with Salt Life when I was a freshman in high school.
What is your favorite tropical destination?
So far my favorite tropical destination has been Puerto Rico. There is always an opportunity to get some fun surf, eat really good food, and meet new people who share my same love for the ocean...
What is your craziest/funniest Salty adventure?
The craziest thing I have witnessed on the water was about 12 miles off the coast of Dana Point. I spotted a massive bird pile about 600 yards away, and gunned it to get over there. As we got closer, there was a large red spot on the surface of the water. At first I thought it was a giant kelp paddy, but when we pulled up we realized it was something much different. There was half of a giant elephant seal floating on the surface in a pool of blood that covered the area of a tennis court. And then we saw what had caused it. From the cloud of blood the grey back of a 17ft great white had emerged. We watched for the next 20 minutes while she finished her meal, a sight I will never forget. It was both amazing and terrifying, and I felt fortunate to witness first hand what most people only get to see on TV during shark week! I was planning on spearfishing for yellowtail that day, but after that I decided that maybe it was best to just fish with a rod and reel from the safety of my boat.
How would you spend you dream day?
My dream day would be spent at the Channel Islands, just off of the Southern California coast. There is nothing like being able to surf with a couple of close friends. After I’m surfed out and my arms feel like cooked spaghetti, we all change into our dive suits and hunt for white seabass. Once we’ve reached our limit and it's time to head back home, we would do one last stop to jig for rockfish, and leave the grounds as the sun begins to set.