Every surfer has a story and this is the latest installment of our Surf ATL Community Spotlight series where we will feature surfers and those part of the surf culture in the Atlanta area. Check out our previous spotlights on Thomas Roginsky, Spencer Broome, Anthony Kennedy, Nick Bramwell, the Merlo Family, Mike Dobbs, Kristian Erik Bjerke, Jamie Eichler, Doug Paul, Brandon Spivia, Robert Hanson, Liam Spoon, Eric Ilustrisimo, Susan Bond, Jason Smith, Garrett Gilfillan, Silvia Saey, Scott Mennicke, Tammie Dalrymple, Wes Espinosa, Peter Gudbrandsen, Kelby Graham, Kayvon Nazarian, Abigail Pierce, Clark Campbell, Katy Harrison, Sam Burrafato, and Maggie Maziarz.
Introduce yourself!
My name is Erik Barron and I’m originally from Wisconsin but moved to GA with my job in 2005. I’m a husband to Kathy for almost 25 years and have three amazing children — Madelyn, Noah & Avery.
I was raised in a small town on a small lake in southern Wisconsin, where I acquired a passion for being on the water. Some of my best memories growing up were skiing, kneeboarding, and being on the boat with friends and family.
Do you ocean surf, wake surf, river surf, paddle surf? Any or all of the above? How did you get into surfing?
Being from the Midwest, I never had an opportunity to ocean surf but was always fascinated with it. When a friend of mine told me about wake surfing back in 2015, I knew I had to try it. Once I dropped the rope, I was hooked! Soon thereafter came the first surf boat, a Mastercraft X-25, and then a couple of years later, we upgraded to a 2019 Centurion Fi23. When I’m not surfing, I love to paddle board along the Lanier shorelines to see all the beauty this lake has to offer.
Where and how often do you surf?
We moved to Four Mile Creek on Lake Lanier a few years ago, and absolutely love living the lake life again. You will typically find us surfing, and enjoying other watersports, between the 4 Mile and 6 Mile area all year long.
What is your favorite thing about surfing/What do you do to advance your surfing?
My favorite part about wake surfing is that it’s a sport that my kids have a passion for as well. Wake surfing has given us the opportunity to spend more time together as a family, doing what we all love and encouraging each other to advance our skills.
What are your hopes for the Atlanta surfing community in the future?
I’m looking forward to more events and social gatherings to meet all of you in this great community.
