About

Shred Club was founded by Jake Brewer & Ron Johnson, native Del Mar locals & original founding members of the Torrey Pines High School Surf Team in 1979. They continued on to help reestablish the Del Mar Surf Club in the 1980’s. The idea of Shred Club was born by their frustration with local surf schools’ deficient instruction of the original principles of surfing. After years of disappointment with the local surf schools’ profit minded instruction, they decided to start Shred Club to spread the real word of surf etiquette & education.

 

Ron Johnson, aka RJ, was born & raised in Del Mar, CA. The 1970s and 1980s was an easy time in Del Mar. Kids roamed freely along the sandstone bluffs. Parents walked barefoot with their dogs off-leash and RJ flourished. Growing up with an accomplished waterman, his brother Bob, living three blocks from the beach, RJ was drawn to the ocean immediately and started surfing at the age of six. Bob pushed him to skin dive, body surf, body board and ride various types of surfboards, ranging from 10’ longboards to 4’11” twin fin fishes.

At age 14, RJ began his competitive amateur surfing career by winning his age group in the infamous Del Mar City Surf Contest. He went on to win his age group for three consecutive years. RJ had mentors in his brother Bob, Jim Lischer (Del Mar City Lifeguard Lieutenant) & Darold Nogle (Torrey Pines High School surf team coach). As a founding member of the prestigious 1978-1981 TPHS surf team, RJ was a pillar and the first team captain.  RJ anchored the team as the #1 rated surfer from his freshmen year through his senior year. Competing in the newly formed NSSA amateur circuit, he was  #2 in San Diego County, #3 in California & finished in the top 15 in the National Championships. In addition, he was the team captain of the 1980-81 TPHS basketball team. RJ was instrumental in revitalizing the Del Mar Surf Club. He was the club’s #1 surfer for his age group and served as the club’s treasurer.

RJ took a year off from school to surf professionally and competed in the PSAA (CA tour) and local Pro-AM events. During this time, he started traveling to warmer surf climates in Mexico and beyond. The perfect surf and the unique cultures of these regions inspired RJ, and in 1987, he received his BA degree from SDSU in International Economics with emphasis in Latin America. RJ is proficient in Spanish.

RJ continues to travel to surf many locations in the continental US, Canada, South America, Central America, Hawaii, Indonesia and his favorite -- Mexico where he has scoured the coasts of Baja and mainland Mexico. He has a residence in Ensenada, BCN and still chases chubascos during the tropical storm season.

“During my teenage years in Del Mar, RJ was a force both in the water and on the basketball court. But beyond his exceptional athletic talent, RJ was, and still is, a positive and optimistic member of the Del Mar community. I would not only highly recommend RJ as a surf coach, I’d highly recommend him as a life coach. This guy is a winner.” – Scott Bass, KPBS surf reporter and former Digital Content Director at SURFER Magazine.