Extreme Gulfshore Athletes- skimboarder Austin Bleiweiss

Although professional skimboarder Austin Bleiweiss, 20, has tackled beaches as far away as Cabo San Lucas, his sentimental favorite is still the stretch of Gulf near the Naples Pier, where he first slid a board into the sand and waves at the age of seven. "Kids love skimboarding because it's a fun sport you can do with your friends," he says. "You can skim even when there are no waves." By the time he was 14, he was competing in the just-developing sport. When he began winning consistently, he turned professional. "It was a way to step it up," he says. Representing industry leader Zap skimboards and other products as well as the Olde Naples Surf Shop, the Naples native, a graduate of St. John Neumann High School, is on tour from May to September. When at home, he never tires of revisiting his favorite places along the Gulfshore. "The beaches here are always changing. It's always different," he says.