Bronson Willing was born and raised on Oʻahu; however, unlike some of his fellow instructors, he is relatively new to surfing. Bronson began surfing in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Since then, Bronson’s love for surfing has grown, and he has competed in local longboarding competitions, such as the Local Motion Surf Into Summer Contest.
Bronson joined Stoke Drift in 2023 as a surf instructor. His favorite part of teaching is seeing when surfing ‘clicks’ with his students, whether when they catch a wave and feel the excitement of surfing or correct their form to ride a nice wave. Bronson’s surf students have described him as patient, easygoing, and kind. While Bronson enjoys teaching students at Populars, his favorite break is Ala Moana Bowls, which he describes as “the perfect South Shore left.” Bronson enjoys longboarding and shortboarding, depending on the conditions for the day. His favorite board to ride is a 9’6” single-fin log shaped by local south shore shaper Hoku. If the conditions are right, he also likes to take out a 5’10 twin fish.
Bronson stays busy when not teaching with Stoke Drift. He has interests ranging from music to cinematography and modeling. In his downtime, Bronson enjoys going to the gym and watching Glee. Bronson also works at ARVO, a local coffee shop, and hopes to open a coffee shop and cafe someday.