High School Senior Gio Horta Takes His Love for Surfing Beyond Today’s Swell

Above: Photo by Steve Gaffney

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While the sun barely ascends the horizon, Giovanni Fontana Horta is retrieving his longboard from his mom’s car in an alleyway near Bruce’s Beach for surf team practice. Barely awake and just out of bed, Barbra Fontana—Gio’s mom and former beach volleyball Olympian—wonders if Gio should dunk his head in the water prior to taking photos so he will look more awake. Surf team students start their school day on the beach at 6:30 a.m. Then they have first period to go home and shower before starting classes on campus by 9 a.m.

The team traveled south to Cardiff-by-the-Sea in 2022 for the state championships of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA)—a nonprofit competitive youth sports organization. Gio individually won third place in the longboard division.

Gio and his brother, Lucas, learned how to surf from their parents during regular vacations to San Onofre. “Gio brings a positive energy to our San Onofre trips, which is so wonderful,” says Barbra. But the Horta family can be found almost every weekend surfing here in the South Bay. “It is an activity that brings us together and a point of connection for our family,” adds Gio.

“Some days I grab my shortboard, as I have a heat in the morning and want to perform at the highest level. Other days I grab my longboard and want to focus on being graceful and stylish in the water.”

Surfing since he was 8 years old, Gio both shortboards and longboards but doesn’t necessarily have a favorite. “Some days I grab my shortboard, as I have a heat in the morning and want to perform at the highest level. Other days I grab my longboard and want to focus on being graceful and stylish in the water.”

Longboards are built for cruising and stability, whereas shortboards are built for speed and maneuverability. Not your typical sun-bleached California surfer, Gio’s confidence speaks volumes. He is not caught up in the “too cool for school” attitude of choosing to only shortboard.

His childhood included AYSO soccer, Little League baseball, Manhattan Beach Youth Basketball, Junior Lifeguards and indoor volleyball. Barbra wanted him to follow his passion and pursue a sport of his choice. Once he started Surf PE at Manhattan Beach Middle School, his passion was ignited. A natural waterman, Gio signed up for the Los Angeles County Junior Lifeguard program for the full nine years, including two years as a Junior Lifeguard cadet.

Gio is the vice president and founding member of SoLa Surf Club and works with SoLa I CAN Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of SoLa Impact. The foundation works to improve the lives of South Los Angeles residents and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by providing opportunities for education, economic mobility and community development. Gio’s SoLa Surf Club raises over $5,000 annually while hosting three beach days each year for underprivileged kids who have no access to the water. During COVID-19, the club was unable to host a couple events, so they used the money to purchase laptop computers for disadvantaged students.

As a paying job, Gio offers private surf lessons and enjoys a consistent clientele. He is ready and willing to provide lessons to any student who is water-safe. Barbra coaches girls of all ages on how to play or improve their beach volleyball game. Eco-conscious Gio also spent four years working with YEW!, a surf and hockey beeswax that is environmentally friendly and has no toxins or petrochemicals.

Gio will attend the University of California, Berkeley in the fall and try out for the surf team. Coincidentally, former Mira Costa High School valedictorian Sara Kohrogi, class of 2015, introduced the first surf team at UC Berkeley. She also won the NSSA state championship during her days at Mira Costa.

“What I love about surfing is that it is an art done differently by everyone,” Gio shares. “Everybody has their own style that is unique to them and chooses different maneuvers to do on the waves. You can never find two people who surf in the same way, which is something I think is beautiful.”