Meet World Champion tandem surfers, Chuck Inman and Lauren Oiye. The two athletes met less than 10 years ago on the beach in Hawaii, and neither guessed that eventually, together, they would be the best in the sport.
Interestingly enough, neither Chuck or Lauren had any plans of becoming tandem surfers upon moving to Hawaii. Chuck stumbled upon the idea after moving to the South Shore and meeting someone in his building that was planning the World Championships of Tandem Surfing. Not long after, his new friend convinced him to give it a try, found him a partner, and let him borrow a board.
Lauren, however, seemed to have a background preparing her for tandem surfing all along. Her competitive sports acrobatics background eventually led her to competing on the US National Synchronized Swimming team. After moving to Hawaii though, a few of her friends insisted she find a partner and transition into her next journey of tandem surfing.
Though not romantically involved, Chuck and Lauren share an intense bond of trust, and consider each other as close family. The chemistry they've developed together makes it easy for them to communicate out in the lineup, even when words just aren't cutting it.