Who is Mariano, the King of the Bay?

Mariano is a young man who, at the age of 8, began his career in kitesurfing in Paracas, a natural reserve in southern Lima, Peru, by watching YouTube videos. He was always interested in sports, and music, and was good in school. He was a young man with a kind heart and an incredible physique.

His father always supported him since he was interested in what Mariano did and started cycling and then kitesurfing with him when nobody else wanted to teach him because he was too young. He started with his father and a practice kite, then joined a kitesurfing school called kitesurfingPeru.com, and kangarro kite, a representative of Cabrinha in Peru, and his story began. He won local competitions in Pacasmayo beach, northern Peru, in 2018 and 2019.

In 2020, the pandemic began, and competitions disappeared until last year when they resumed, and he won the Wind Festival in Paracas in December 2022, placing first in Freestyle, second in Big Air, and second in the race with international competitors.

But the most admirable thing about this young man is his dedication and determination. Unfortunately, many times achievements come with sad stories, and this is no exception. Upon arriving in Miami, he received the sad news that his grandmother had died. Without thinking twice, he told his father, “Let’s go back home. There will be more competitions.” His father hugged him and said, “Mariano, you have fought hard for this. Whether you stay or leave, it won’t make a difference, and your grandmother would surely be proud of you for chasing your dream.”

This young man had to let go of his lifelong support system in every mile and every competition and find himself in a strange city and move forward. The rest is history, and on March 18th, he won the King of the Biscayne Bay in the Pro category.

I am sharing this story because it personally moves me, as I have had the privilege of knowing him and his family for six years. The image I have always had of him is that of a shy, humble young man with clear ideas about what he wants, and he demonstrated this to me six years ago in the Bahamas. He wanted to impress his idol, Nick Jacobsen, with a board that was almost his size because there was no smaller one. Without hesitation or excuses, he went out to perform his best tricks. Nick looked at him and, putting his hand on his head, said, “Kid if you keep going like this, you will do great things.”

In this short story, I just wanted you to know who the King of the Bay is, Mariano.