MATT MEOLA

The Scoop: Surfer, Fisherman, Bow Hunter, Musician

Hometown: Maui, Hawaii 

Essential Cutting Tools: Pilot Fillet Knife, Drift G10

My Everyday carry: The Waypoint

"For me, hunting is about the adventure and getting away from normal life. It's being completely tuned-in and focused in the middle of nature."

Maui native Matt Meola is a man of many talents: surfer by trade, fisherman and bow hunter by hobby (not to mention his skills on the guitar). His biggest achievement, thus far, in his surfing career came in the early 2010s when young Matt competed against the best surfing aerialists in the world and beat them out with his innovate airs and stylish surfing to win a cool $100,000 for his efforts. Fast forward to current times and you can still find Matt at the top of the game in the surfing world, pulling off crazy acrobatic-looking airs, twisting his body into a pretzel of sorts in a 360-degree rotation, and somehow landing on his two feet. It's a thing of beauty, and it's witnessed in his impressive surf edits and clips he posts on his Instagram.

Aside from surfing, Matt Meola has become an experienced fisherman and takes off out to sea every chance he gets (when the waves are flat, of course) to fish the open seas around his home in Maui and surrounding areas. He's usually trailing Mahi-mahi, Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi), and Wahoo, and when the weather is nice and the visibility is good, he'll hunt bottom-feeding fish for Hawaiian Pink Snapper (Opakapaka), and Ruby or Scarlet Snapper (Onaga).

Another passion of Matt's is bow hunting where he hunts all over the island of Maui multiple times per week. Deer in Hawaii are invasive, and there are no tag limits, so you can hunt all year around as long as you have the patience - which Matt does. He explains to us that he typically hunts alone with just his bow, binoculars, and his knives, carefully planning his approach and scouting out the right animal, spending countless hours crawling and sitting - waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Once a deer has been hit, he will track it, clean it on the spot, fill up his bags, then make the long hike back. These animals are then used as meals for himself, friends, and family.

In his spare time, you can find Matt working on upcoming surf edits, writing and singing songs with his sister Lily Meola, and hanging out with 'Doenut the Deer,' his deer that lives on his property (we heard she even has her own Instagram).