In high school, a good friend named Brett Vollert claimed to have a windsurfer under his house and offered to give Pete a try while Brett was doing his homework. Not even knowing what is was, Pete agreed to give it a go. That day changed the next 15 years of his life in ways he couldn't even imagine at the time. Windsurfing was just getting started in Hawaii and there were only about 30 people in the entire state who were doing it. The steady trade winds that battered the surf daily in Kailua were perfect for windsurfing and Pete's focus shifted full force in that direction. Upon graduating from high school, Pete had to make the decision of going off to college or taking a chance on a sport that hadn't yet developed but seemed to have potential.

The gamble paid off. In the following year a professional tour was established and Pete found himself traveling the world in pursuit of the title. Three years into the tour Pete became world champion in the discipline closest to his surfing roots' wave performance.

With the world title in hand, the challenge had suddenly lost its meaning and following the tour to the same locations seemed redundant when the rest of the world was still out there waiting to be discovered. With a bit of luck and healthy sponsorship backing, Pete moved to Maui and embarked on an 8 year promotional campaign that encouraged experimentation and individuality.

It was during this period that Pete and his friends started experimenting with hybrid scenarios that involved a combination of surfing and windsurfing, with inspiration from snowboarding, and skateboarding. The simple premise was connected surfing. The first stage was strap surfing. This started out as a way to increase the aerial potential in surfing by attaching footstraps to the board. While aerial surfing was the focus, they quickly found out that added power and board control were some of the other benefits strap surfing included.

Meanwhile at the exact same time, Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox and Darrick Doerner were experimenting with tow- assisted surfing on the north shore of Oahu with traditional big wave guns and an inflatable zodiac. They came back to Maui raving about the potential to ride just about anything the ocean was willing to dish out.

The following years were a mix of experimentation, discovery and an unanticipated changing of the guard in the realm of big wave surfing. A small band of relatively unknown surfers (Dave Kalama, Mark Angulo, Mike Waltze, Rush Randle, Brett Lickle, Pete Cabrinha and Laird Hamilton. D. Doerner joined later) formed the original strapped crew and put their heads and their surfing talents together. Their mission was simply to ride the biggest waves in the world in a way that allowed the focus to be on performance and secure. The result of this high power relationship produced hybrid short boards with straps, smaller more maneuverable jet skis for towing, and the re-discovery of Peahi (jaws).

With the equipment now in place the timing was perfect to attempt to tow into an elusive wave on the north shore of Maui, known to some by the name jaws. Jaws had been surfed at sub-waimea levels by a few people but it wasn't until the first attempt in the 20+ range by the strapped crew that true potential of tow surfing was realized. While the credibility of the tow assist was the subject of controversy for many years, the strapped crew knew that there was no looking back and that the tide of big wave surfing had already changed. In a few short years the strapped crew, due to their tow-in development, had been able to collectively ride more waves in the 20-30 foot range than most would be able to ride in a lifetime.

At the end of each winter the grim reality of summer on Maui would surface. To those who don't know, the north shore of Maui is a virtual wind machine in the summers with no waves to speak of. To keep the strapped crew entertained during the summers they all took up another developing sport called kitesurfing. Kitesurfing is yet another fusion of water sports, one that combines surfing, windsurfing and wakeboarding and offers the ability to launch a rider 60 feet into the air off a 1 foot chop. For the most part it close relative of tow surfing as you ride a strapped board and get towed around by the kite. It is like having your own private driver 24/7. The equipment is so small that it travels well and has become the ride of choice when the surf gets blown out.

Being one of the early pioneers in the sport Pete decided to start a custom board brand under the name Cabrinha kiteboards, out of a small factory in Maui. Watching as the kiteboarding craze continued to grow and feeling the need to take his board business to the next level, Pete began scouting for backers; for someone who had a feel for this type of business, and who had the proper distribution set-up, in addition to the financial backing.

Enter Neil Pryde: a multi sport manufacturing and distribution company based in Hong Kong. Realizing kiteboarding's true potential and Pete’s position within the sport as a designer and athlete, Neil Pryde acquired the Cabrinha trademark and Pete’s services which resulted in the world wide launch of Cabrinha kiteboarding in over 30 countries.

Cabrinha quickly became a major force in the kitesurfing industry, and is now the top brand worldwide. They continue to push the limits with innovative, performance-oriented kitesurfing equipment.

Pete manages Cabrinha kiteboarding full-time. He juggles his time in Maui between the business, surfing, graphic design, his wife Lisa and daughter, Tahiti.