Growing up on Long Beach Island Surf City local Randy Townsend had many top surfers to look up to that honed their skills on the powerful beach breaks of LBI. Townsend started surfing on the beaches of Surf City at the age 11 after already spending countless hours riding waves on a boogie board during the summer. Receiving a surf board for Christmas he would take to the sport with an enthusiasm that continues to this day. With the quiet winters that are the norm on LBI Randy began surfing sometimes three times a day an approach that would propel him onto a successful amateur and professional career.
Top podium finishes at NSSA and ESA events would help him turn pro especially after winning the 2000 East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach. Randy would win the 2001 Unsound Pro in New York along with wins at multiple Red Bull events. Townsend was a finalist at a number of the New Jersey Grudge Match Championships which pitted the best New Jersey surfers against each other at Seaside Heights Pier along with the Belmar Pro along with pro events up and down the East Coast. Randy has been featured in multiple surf magazines from ESM, Surfer and Surfing and The Surfers Journal. A favorite subject of pro photographer Trevor Murphy Townsend can be seen in Murphys photos from all of the world at spots in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and many others. Randy’s sponsors include Xcel Wetsuits, Aftermath Surfboards and Jetty apparel a local LBI based company.
Besides his surfing career Randy was a long time member of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol rising to the position of Captain. An active participant in Lifeguard competitions Randy has won multiple paddleboard competitions leading Harvey Cedars to numerous beach patrol lifeguard championships. Giving back to the community has been a big part of Randy’s life coaching his Alma Mater Southern Regional Surf Team, NSSA Conference Director and a Board Member of the charity organization Waves of Strength that helps children that have cognitive or physical disabilities.
