APB

25/08/2026

APB Names Gene Paul Blaney D'Zamba as Director of Operations Latin America.

The Association for the Progression of Bodyboarding (APB), founded by bodyboarding legend Mike Stewart, today announced that Gene Paul Blaney D'Zamba is joining the organization.

Born and raised in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, Blaney D'Zamba has spent over a decade building the sport at the grassroots level, founding Club Perla Negra in 2015 to bring young athletes into competitive bodyboarding. He returned to competition in 2017 to win the Mexican nationals, took 2nd place at the 2023 Mexican Nationals, and became an ISA-certified judge officiating events including the 2026 Antofagasta IBC World Tour.

A longtime promoter, he has organized more than 40 events since 2018, including this year's Pascuales Bodyboard Pro 2026, and has a long track record of sponsoring young athletes to compete internationally. He has built relationships with bodyboarding leaders across Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, and Colombia.

"I am thrilled to announce Gene's appointment," said APB CEO Jamie McCall. "His history and passion for bodyboarding are amazing, and having someone like Gene join us is an exceptional fit for the APB."

As Head of APB Central and South America, Blaney D'Zamba will lead the organization's efforts to build national associations and athlete support systems throughout the region.

07/08/2026

APB received some devastating news overnight that Portuguese bodyborder and legendary commentator Juan Santos has passed away.

Juan was a huge part of both the IBA and the APB, working as a beach commentator at some of the biggest events in the world. He also commentated for the ISA and many other associations and federations.

Juan was a passionate Bodyboarder, he loved the sport and was recently in discussions with APB to develop new events throughout South America.

APB would like to honour this amazing individual and recognise his contribution to the sport that he loved so dearly.

RIP Juan Santos🙏
𝒢𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃💔

01/08/2026

Was 2011 one of the greatest years of professional bodyboarding?

As Pipeline nears we first take a look back at the epic moments and...

26/07/2026

APB has always had a great relationship with Arica, Chile 🇨🇱
Not only with the wave but also with the promoters Club FLOPOS. This relationship is still stronger than ever and we look forward to upcoming projects in 2027. Let take a look back at PLC winning this amazing event in 2019!

24/07/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Association for the Progression of Bodyboarding (APB) Appoints Five-Time World Champion Isabela Sousa to the Board of Directors

SYDNEY, NSW – July 24, 2026 – The Association for the Progression of Bodyboarding (APB) today announced the appointment of five-time World Champion Isabela Sousa as the latest addition to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Sousa, one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport won titles in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2022 on the IBC/APB/IBA World Tours and is a pioneering force for women's bodyboarding globally.

Born in Caucaia, Brazil, Sousa has been at the forefront of progressive women's riding for nearly two decades and recently claimed victory at the 2026 Shark Island Challenge.

As a board member, Sousa will play a central role in shaping the APB’s global strategy for gender equity, athlete welfare, tour development, judging criteria, and grassroots participation for women and girls in bodyboarding.

"For everyone who truly loves bodyboarding, seeing our sport on the Olympic stage has always been a dream. It means giving athletes the recognition they deserve, creating new opportunities for future generations, and helping our sport grow stronger across the world. I'm proud to be part of the journey with the APB." said Isabela.

Isabela’s appointment marks a significant milestone for the APB, which officially launched as a new global, athlete-focused organization with the mission to unify the sport and secure its future on the world’s biggest sporting stages.

"Throughout my career as a professional bodyboarder, the Olympic dream has always been part of the conversation among athletes, organizations and fans. But this is the first time I've truly felt that a real path is being built to make that dream possible, through unity within our sport, respect for its athletes, and a genuine passion for the future of bodyboarding." she added.

APB CEO Jamie McCall welcomed Sousa’s appointment, stating:

“We are incredibly proud to have Isabela join us for this global movement within the sport. There is no one more respected, more accomplished, or more passionate about the future of bodyboarding. As a multiple world champion, she has lived the journey of women in this sport at the highest level, and she understands what needs to change and what needs to be protected. Her voice on our Board of Directors ensures that women are not just included in the future of bodyboarding, they are leading it.” Said McCall.

For more info on APB go to www.apbglobal.org

20/07/2026

MEET THE FOUNDERS · Part 3

Ricardo Estupinan

Bodyboarding is a global sport — and its global voices have too often gone unheard.

Ricardo Estupinan brings a European perspective and a long record of leadership within bodyboarding’s organizational structures on that continent: a voice, and a constituency, that has been underrepresented in decisions about the sport’s direction.

APB is built so that every region of bodyboarding has a seat at the table — not just the loudest ones.

Add your voice, wherever you ride.

www.apbglobal.org

Sign up at www.apbglobal.org

16/07/2026

MEET THE FOUNDERS · Part 2

Running a global tour is hard.

Teza McKenna has done it.
As former manager of the IBA and APB World Tours, Teza brings deep institutional knowledge of how competitive bodyboarding is actually organized — and what it takes to run it well.

That experience is now in service of something bigger: a unified, transparent, bodyboarding-first platform for the whole sport.

Be part of building it.
www.apbglobal.org


Sign up at www.apbglobal.org

14/07/2026

MEET THE FOUNDERS

You can’t tell the story of bodyboarding without Mike Stewart.

A defining competitor and ambassador for the sport, Mike brings an athlete’s understanding of what bodyboarding demands at its highest level — and a lifelong commitment to where it goes
next.

He’s one of the founding voices behind APB: an organization built to be accountable to the sport
itself. Not to any individual. Not even to its founders.

This is bodyboarding’s moment. Add your voice at www.apbglobal.org

11/07/2026

“Where Did It Start For You?”

Every rider has one.

The wave that started it all. The shorey you learned on. The reef that humbled you. The break
you’d know blindfolded, by the sound alone.

Bodyboarding is millions of us — connected by that one feeling.

👇 Drop your home break in the comments and tag the crew you ride with. Let’s see how far this
community really stretches.
Hashtags:

10/07/2026

WE ARE BODYBOARDING. 🌊
Every coastline. Every ocean. Every generation. Millions of us, riding the same feeling — from the groms on their first shorey to the legends who shaped the sport.

For too long we’ve been scattered. Separate scenes, separate voices, no single stage to stand on together.

That ends now.

The Association for the Progression of Bodyboarding belongs to no federation, no company, no country. It belongs to the sport. To you.

We believe bodyboarding deserves unity. Deserves representation. Deserves a path to the world’s biggest stages — the Pan-American Games, and one day, the Olympics.

This is our moment. Not handed to us — built by us.

Add your voice at apbglobal.org.

👇 Share this if you ride. Tag a bodyboarder who belongs in this.

Call to action: Sign up at www.apbglobal.org
Share + tag a bodyboarder