Christiaan Bailey

Who is Christiaan Bailey?

Christiaan "Otter" Bailey, is an American professional surfer, known for his experience as a surf safari guide and skill as a big wave surfer and skateboarder. Bailey grew up in the Santa Cruz, California area and excelled as a semi-pro surfer and skateboarder. He and his family departed for France when he was young, where he attended the American School of Paris.

Bailey moved back to Santa Cruz in the fall of 2003. He was a professional surfer and skateboarder, who spent much of his time in Central America and west Africa Morocco, Mauritania as a back-country surf guide. On July 23, 2006, during the filming of a skateboarding video at Derby skatepark in Santa Cruz, Bailey crashed on his skateboard, fracturing several vertebrae in his back, damaging his spinal cord in the process, which left him paralyzed from the waist down as a result.

Since his injury, Bailey's sponsors have continued to support him, giving him the opportunity to surf on tour. He participates in expression sessions on various legs of several different pro and semi-pro tours; including the ASP WQS/WCT, WSA tour, NSSA tour and Volcom Crustaceous Series events.