Tony Silvagni: World Champion Surfer, Surf School Owner, And Global Traveler

In The Front Row with Mike Vaccaro

Tony Silvagni was born in Pennsylvania, but moved to Kure Beach, NC when he was 5. That move led to a love of the water and surfing. Silvagni gravitated to longboard surfing, idolizing surfing legend Kelly Slater. His professional career has taken Silvagni around the world where he has won numerous championships and placed 5th in the world in 2023. Back home in North Carolina, Silvagni owns and operates a surf school and puts his marketing degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) to good use. Silvagni also organized numerous charities to support his community and was recently inducted into the Wrightsville Beach Hall of Fame. In this episode, Silvagni shares his journey and tells us where the best waves are. He also recounts how he once taught surf lessons to President Barack Obama's Secret Service agents while living in Hawaii. Plus, he explains what it means to be regular or goofy footed, what hang ten means and what animal he had a close encounter with one day in the water.