Meet the Fortenberrys!
We are excited to introduce an awesome beach-loving family that is all about Wave Zone – The Fortenberry’s! Located on Anna Maria Island, FL, they own and operate a paddleboard and tourism business called AMI Paddleboard Adventures and live the salt life everyday! Now with two young boys at their side, Andrew and MacKenzie do their best to teach them about being kind to nature, each other, and, of course, how to shred! Check in with them below and keep up with their adventure on their Instagram page HERE!
WAVE ZONE: Hi guys, thanks for chatting with us! Tell us a bit about yourselves!
The Fortenberrys: Hey! We are Andrew (35) and Mackenzie (33) Fortenberry and we have two rad kids named Maverick (4) and Slater (1.5). We both were born and raised on Anna Maria Island: a small barrier island on the southern edge of Tampa Bay, FL. We own AMI Paddleboard Adventures on Anna Maria Island where we take locals and tourists through mangrove tunnels, to sandbars, and nighttime LED excursions to teach them about our waters and the wildlife that live in and around it. We love being able to share the beauty of the area to others!
WAVE ZONE: How long have y’all been living the beach life?
The Fortenberrys: Well, since we both grew up across the street from the beach you could say forever. Andrew moved away to Orlando for college and to pursue wakeskating further. Mackenzie moved to Orlando for a few years to be with Andrew but then we both decided we preferred the salty gulf water over the fresh water lakes of Orlando! So we moved back home!
WAVE ZONE: How did you find out about Wave Zone?
The Fortenberrys: West Coast Surf Shop is where Andrew got his first skim board. He started off on a wooden Slammer at probably 6-7 years old. Then shortly after his parents realized that a flat piece of wood was fun for a second, it was time for a real board! So they took him to West Coast where he quickly saw the one he wanted. It had this cool WZ on the nose. He didn’t know what it meant until the owner Jim told him it stood for Wave Zone. This was probably around 7-8 years old. Mackenzie had been eyeballing the two WZ body boards for the boys at West Coast for a while. We got a cheapy at Walmart to see if the boys were even interested. When we saw them fighting over it at the beach (and nearly snapping it), we knew we needed something more heavy duty to withstand the toddler chaos. So we went to West Coast and let the boys pick out their new whips!
WAVE ZONE: What is your favorite part about living in Florida?
The Fortenberrys: The water is never far in any direction! Also, we’re not a big fan of the cold so it’s nice to visit for a little while, but Mackenzie is in a puffer jacket in anything under 70!
WAVE ZONE: What’s a typical beach day look like for you and your crew?
The Fortenberrys: Well it’s hard to say that we ever spend all day there. Before kids, it was more like missions. We were going to the beach to surf, skim, or tow at waves on our wakeskates using the winch. So typically a few hours max, and the basic essentials. The board you're going to ride, sunglasses, flip flops, water.
Nowadays with Maverick and Slater joining the adventure, there is a wagon involved, loaded down with beach toys, 2 WZ body boards, 3 WZ skimboards, an umbrella, towels, and Andrew has a cooler on his back and Mackenzie with a diaper bag. We have been going out during low tide on purpose lately. The northern end of the island makes these perfect tide pools for the kids to play in. The sandbar is super close to shore there also, holding the perfect 1’ grom wave. The kids are getting more confident in the waves so we spend a lot of time chasing them around and trying to keep their heads above the water.
WAVE ZONE: Are the kids usually fighting over the skim or the RIP body board?
The Fortenberrys: We knew they would! So we went to West Coast and got 2 of the body boards, Orange for Slater and Blue for Maverick. They definitely know whose is whose! Slater will dig the skimboard from deep out of the wagon though and drag it to the water, throw it down, step one foot on and instantly fall. He gets right up and goes again. He’ll figure it out!
WAVE ZONE: When you’re not at the beach, what are y’all up to?
The Fortenberrys: If Andrew isn’t guiding a kayak and paddleboard tour through the Mangroves, we are most likely at the house playing in the yard. Andrew built the boys a sweet pirate ship tree house and we have the caged in trampoline, which is great for tramp skating. We have a huge ficus and rubber tree that provide a lot of shade from the FL sun. We also take a lot of trips to local zoos and aquariums. Teaching the kids to be passionate about the nature around us is so important to us!
WAVE ZONE: Thanks for chatting with us! We’re excited to see more from the crew! Is there anything else you’d like to share before we call it?
The Fortenberrys: Be kind to others and share the stoke. Next time you’re at the beach skimming, surfing, body boarding etc. and you see some kid watching you, go over there and ask if he or she wants to try it, offer to teach them. Could change their life, or yours!
