Zach was born and raised in Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan, where he learned to surf and was introduced to a water sports lifestyle. Growing up he swam competitively and played water polo which he ultimately competed in at an elite level, proving himself as a water sports prodigy from a young age. Adding another feather to his swimming cap, Zach began canoeing when he was just 6 years old. During the summers, his family would take canoeing and camping trips on the rivers of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

When Zach was 8 years old, his dad taught him to surf, pushing him into his first waves on Lake Michigan. From that moment he was hooked and would spend every free moment between swim meets and water polo games trying to get his parents to take him to the beach to surf.

With a life already dedicated to water, naturally, Zach graduated high school in 2016 and reported to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where he would spend the next four years earning a B.S., receiving military training, and surfing hurricane swells in Rhode Island every time he could. In 2018 he decided that he wanted to pursue SUP more seriously, with hopes of competing at an elite level. In 2019 he finished 5th in Molokai 2 Oahu, and 3rd in the SEA Paddle NYC – a 25-mile race around Manhattan Island. He currently resides in Huntington Beach and enjoys SUP surfing, foiling, hiking, and trail running between SUP training sessions.