In the surfboard industry, Michael Saggus should be a household name. He began making surfboards when he was 16, while still at school in Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales North Coast. In the late 60s and early 70s, Coffs was a hotbed of board builders – Trevor Pollard, John Blanch, Rodney Judd and Bill Tolhurst were among the shapers who worked with Michael, and by the time Californian industry guru Bob Cooper joined the mix there was a tight cell of adventurous surfer/shaper/designers constantly pushing each other in the local surf and shaping bays.

In 1974, Michael headed off with Cooper for a short visit to the USA. He stayed almost a decade in California’s Surf Scene Central, doing extended stints in Santa Barbara as first-co shaper for Rennie Yater at Yater Surfboards, and ghost-shaping for Al Merrick at Channel Islands (when Tom Curren was CI’s gun grom.) A classy goofy-foot, Michael turned heads in the water with his unique concaves – particularly with fish and mid length boards – and his pioneering designs and meticulous shaping left a lasting impact on the rapidly expanding surfboard industry in Santa Barbara.

Having built a separate – and successful - career in high-end corporate photography through the 1980s and 90s, Michael found himself drawn back into the magic world of board-building. These days he loves shaping more than ever, inspired by the demand for more open-minded and varied designs.

Now established on the South Coast of NSW, Michael Saggus Shapes is all about quality design and manufacture, using only Australian blanks and materials, shaped and glassed in Australia.

And Michael’s connection with California remains strong - he also makes Liddle Surfboards in Australia. In the U.S. Liddle’s Kirk Putnam, a lifelong friend, knew the revered Greg Liddle hull designs would be in safe hands here, having witnessed Michael’s shaping prowess and tight quality control first hand in Santa Barbara back in the day.

Michael Saggus Shapes – Informed by the past, inspired by the future.

Photo of young surfers in Coffs Harbour in the 70s from left: Michael Saggus, Rodney Judd, Mark Williams and Bill Tolhurst