In this short form profile, VitaBrevisFilms interviews Eric Arakawa for the third exploration of our PROFESSIONal series. Shot on location on the North Shore of Oahu, Eric gives a candid account of the people who both inspired and guided him. From the novice fabrication of his first board, to shaping the late Andy Irons last custom job, Eric shares his hope to pass his knowledge on to his young employees and those around him.

An exciting project for the entire VBF crew to have the opportunity to capture the essence of Eric’s inspiration.

More surf shops have gone than come over the last few years in Devon, which maybe a good thing, particularly in recent times. I believe Gulf Stream have lasted the course because they just look after you. I’ve had a few boards from them over the last ten years or so, and I’ve always felt like there’s a craft to their approach. And they makesome fine-looking sticks too. Next time you’re in Wooly or Braunton, drop by and have a chat or better still take a look at the new GS web site.

Devon shapers Gulf Stream

Twenty years ago, all surfers still needed shapers. And a great part of them still had a special relationship with the man that singlehandedly carved every curve of their surf craft.

As with everything else, shaping got mechanical, and surfers got themselves believing that riding Occhy’s board would make them better and everything started popping out of bigger factories.

It still takes creativity and experience to design a surfboard and many surfers are still interested in riding a special board. One made to fit their own needs. One they won’t find next to them waiting for a set at their usual peak. One shaped for their skill and swell conditions, and not for the ASP’s top ten pro surfers.

Looking at this Cyrus Sutton short piece, you know that Ryan Lovelace is one of those dedicated and vocational designers, that on a daily basis tries to make people happy. Ryan, and every other shapers who decided that shaping is meant to be a personal, self-expressed and hand-crafted quest, are the necessary factors that make surfing a millenary culture and discipline.

It is important that surfers consider what a surfboard really is, and why it is better hand shaped by someone who cares – discussed, considered, and adapted to their own criteria.

The hand-shaped way is the only real research and development left in surfing. It is a genuine pursuit of performance, excellence, and happiness. It is a calling which few people on this planet answer for the greater good and who’s work we should all be more aware of.

One big reason I turned to wood – years ago now – was I that love longboards, and foam has a limit of about 12 feet. After that it bends too much, loses drive and breaks easily. Soon I developed three totally different 16-foot shapes: the finned pintail, the Olo and the toothpick. Each is magic in its own way and great to surf.

When making the big boards, one thought kept crossing my mind. How come I have three totally different 16-footers based on opposing aqua dynamics, while all 6- to 8-footers are really the same? I figured that the shortboards in production were the best result we could expect from the ubiquitous foam/fibreglass construction technique.

[Caption: This board brings back the grace of planks at Waikiki, has the speed of the toothpick and la la of the alaia, and is light like a foam board. It makes riding small waves an exhilarating experience.]

Then along came the alaia and completely disrupted the machine, and it became popular largely on the discovery of paulownia as a wood for surfboards. The alaia has one drawback – it’s very hard to paddle and catch waves. I struggled to make a board that floats and rides like an alaia (which turned out to be the tuna) without the alaia’s weight. I tried surfboard foam, but it doesn’t have good memory when it comes to flex. I thought that a hollow wood construction might work, but it’s very complex to build. Twenty years ago I had experimented extensively with EPS, and I knew it was the answer to these problems.

Now my quiver is home to three distinct 6- to 8-foot boards: the finned foam board, the alaia and the tuna. My brother Jon has developed a fourth board, half-way between the tuna and the finned board called the Bluegill, and Sage Joske has his Vector.

Surfboard shapers have much wider range of materials to use nowadays, and their customers are hungry for new boards. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of fantastic stuff coming in the very near future, but the shapers that will stay in this business will really have to up their game.

I am the most stoked I have been now. I am making all sorts of boards and I can definitely understand them better – like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, I feel as if I am exploring a whole world outside what we once thought we knew. I’m asking my customers “Where do you want to go? What waves do you want to ride?” We can go places that we have overlooked for years.

Photos courtesy of Keith Hamlyn.

After riding a beaten-up old log for lots of years now, I finally decided it was high time for a new steed. I’d wanted a new board for a couple of years but was being indecisive. Having an inquisitive mind meant I wasn’t really content to just go and buy one I liked the look of. Longboards, being that bit more pricey, are an investment that, in my opinion, requires careful consideration. Lots of time went into researching different shapes, shapers and styles. My natural inclination has always been toward the much more graceful style of traditional log riding rather than progressive longboarding, so an old-style singlefin it was to be.

Next on the agenda, go local or get a Cali import? At nearly half the price of a Californian board I could get something totally custom, and the deal was done.

The choice of shaper was pretty easy: CJ has been in the industry forever, starting off years ago at Bilbo and now, with over 50,000 boards under his belt, I knew he’d get it right.

Back in the day he was a human shaping machine, getting out eight boards a day. But this one was to take a little longer, because he invited me to take part. After an hour or so kicking back in the armchairs in his workshop talking design, we’d come up with an idea of the shape. I wanted a nice rounded nose with a bit of concave, a fairly square tail, lots of volume for those small, clean, summer days, low rocker with a bit of tail kick and nice old-school rounded 50/50 rails. I like the wide nose of the Takayama Model T. Chris had a template but it was a pintail; I wanted a slightly wider squarer tail so we combined a model T template for the nose with a 40-year-old Bilbo template for the tail. I was stoked that he was happy for me to watch the magic happen, but it didn’t stop there.

Template drawn on, he handed me a jigsaw. Whoa! Steady on now… But he kept a close eye and I stayed on the pencil line. Next, I hand-sawed the rest of the blank, on a roll. I kept my distance from the Hitachi, but did most of the sanding, planing the stringer and rails under close supervision.

My indecisiveness kicked in again when it came to spray/tint. I was getting lots of advice to keep it simple and go traditional, maybe just a resin tint with a pin line. Moi? Nah.

Getting involved with the creation of my new board in this way was so much more satisfying than giving someone some dimensions and picking it up a few weeks later. I don’t for one second profess to be a budding shaper, and the skill that goes in the minutae of the design is not to be underestimated. But if you’re interested in what you’re buying, my advice to anyone is: go along, don’t be a spectator. If you can find a shaper willing, get involved, be a part of the process.
So here she is, love it, hope she rides as well as I imagine she will, need these northerlies to go away so her maiden voyage can be a proper nice clean logging session.

In my previous article here on Drift, I was talking about the Tuna and wondering why it is so much faster than any other surfboard.

The speed of a board as a huge influence on its performance, and is a really important quality of the Tuna. We want speed on a wave, and the Tuna tail is the fastest tail I’ve experienced by a long shot. When you’re going fast in trim you have really reached the ultimate goal of surfing – the fast, effortless slide. And manoeuvres like bottom turns and cutbacks come easier too.

The Tuna seems to be opening a door to a new type of board design.

My brother Jon has been experiencing the same speed with the Tuna over in California as we have here in Australia. He’s been exploring this new wave of board design, and has made a small foam alaia/Tuna and called it the Bluegill (after a very pleasant little fish). Although the board has the same bottom contours as a Tuna, because it’s shorter and made from a (secret) foam blank and glassed, we didn’t think we could call it a Tuna, hence the name. I was intrigued by this new incarnation, so I made one too, and I was surprised to discover that the foam has the same feeling of speed as the wood.

I’ve been studying this footage of the Bluegill in action, and I have worked out why the bottom of that board is so fast. Over and over, I watched my apprentice Matt Williams riding the Bluegill and eventually I spotted what’s best described as a ‘rooster tail’ of water coming out from behind the board. It’s as if the water is being pushed out from the back of the board. You can see this most clearly on the very last wave in this film, where Matt is riding prone. I think that the rooster tail holds the answer to why the shape is so fast.

In fact, the answer is so obvious that it hurts to think that it took me so long to see it! Maybe it’s something that other shapers have known about all along, but I’ve never read or heard about it.

Skip Fry told me many years ago that all surfboard design can be explained by putting a spoon under running water – you see how water attaches to curves and releases from an edge.

The explanation for the Tuna’s speed is that simple: water attaches to the two convex curves on the bottom of the board and is pulled to the centre. There, the two bodies of water coming to the centre from the two sides crash into each other in the concave and create turbulence and high pressure. This high-pressure water pushes the board up and shoots water out of the tail. This is lift.

[Harrison Biden on the 7' Tuna. The speed on the finless board is breathtaking. With the Bluegill we have put flex through the board so it will hold in a tight turn. Photo by Dane Peterson]

Back to foam
So, the Tuna project has made an unexpected return to foam. Although this was a genuinely unexpected change of direction, I have, for a while, been thinking that there had to be another board out there. I made several 7’ wood Tuna and they rode pretty well, but the Bluegill rides better. I definitely prefer to work in wood and I’m confident that I will find a way to make a wood Bluegill eventually. But I’ve got to say, one thing foam has got over wood is that it’s cheap and easy to work.

The reason I went back to foam in the first place for the shorter boards (foam will never replace a wood board over 8’ long) is because a shorter board must have flex. They just won’t work unless the flex is there. Without a fin, a rigid board will slide sideways towards shore. In order to grab into a wave and keep trim, the bottom curves of a board need to be able to suck the board to the water – when the board flexes into the shape of a wave the curve realises more surface area in the wave’s face, resulting in more grip.

My biggest breakthrough with the alaia was when I discovered that thin alaias flex into the wave and hold far better than the inflexible thicker alaias. Getting the flex is easy with an alaia because it just means making the board thinner, but it’s impossible with hollow wood boards because the rails and internal framework are rigid: if they flexed they would crack.

Surfboards for crowds
There is one other very important reason I have looked into the foam finless board – I genuinely believe that they’re a better board for crowded surfing situations.

This summer I saw thousands of beginners in surf schools around Europe. The first thing they learn is to stand up and ride straight to shore. This is fine for those folk who aren’t really going to take their surfing much further than these few lessons, but those who catch the surfing bug and really want to ride waves have to unlearn these early lessons. It would be much better for them to learn to angle themselves across a wave and get a feel for how the wave catches the board, THEN stand up.

For a young beginner, a 7’ finless board would be perfect. First they would master the art of riding prone really well. Then they would learn about catching waves and angling themselves correctly. Finally, when they stand up they’ll already be at the right angle to catch the wave. If they choose to carry on surfing outside of the lessons, they’ll have a much better understanding of how to move with the waves and surf a crowded break.

In addition to its benefits for learners, the finless Bluegill is the safest board in a crowd because you can just go right over the top of other surfers. I was inspired by this video clip of Rob Machado and Ryan Birch riding foam blanks and having a ball. About a minute in, Rob goes right over the top of his friend – how many times do you want to do that during a crowded session?!

Last in its list of plus points, the Bluegill is light with a round nose, so you can play bumper boards and still be safe. I know that this summer when First Point gets perfect and crowded, I’m still going to get good rides. The tube gets really perfect but there’s always someone in the way, but this summer on the Bluegill I’m just going to go right over the top and not really worry about them!

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the Bluegill is better than a finned board in small waves. It’s faster and can do far more manoeuvres. And it’s safer. I’m pretty convinced that the Bluegill will have a big place in modern surfing very soon – you heard it here first.

I just surfed Tea Tree today and the local crew were trading my two Bluegills around. They were so stoked. It can get really crowded here, but there are also really shallow rocks on the inside. Many waves here are only surfable on finless boards, which usually means they’re reserved for the alaia crew. But the Bluegill was insane – we were coming off the bottom and doing 360, sliding off the lips over the dry parts of the reef. I can’t wait until tomorrow!

Thank you very much.
Tom Wegener

Fish Fries – What’s the Fish Fry?
The Fish Fry is a Lokbox event. The first one took place in California, but soon after they were also held in Australia, Japan and Europe. The first European Fish Fry took place in Woolacombe, England (North Devon) in 2007. The second one was held in Costa Da Caparica (Portugal) last year and the third one ran a few weeks ago in Ireland.
The aim of the Fish Fry is to promote the fish as a valid design, from the most traditional to the most modern shapes. It’s also about showcasing the work of craftspeople (shapers) and their creativity within the same design. Of course, being a Lokbox event there is also a strong accent on the use of their fin system. It’s also an opportunity for us – shapers- to meet, talk, exchange ideas, concepts, rail designs, bottoms, etc, etc…

You’ve attended the three European Fish Fries so far: what’s your view on the event?
Extremely positive. You get to meet people from far away and even if the aim is to promote your boards, your designs, everyone is super enthusiastic and there’s a strong feeling of camaraderie amongst the shapers. It’s also a unique opportunity to meet living legends and other renowned shapers such as Rich Pavel, Chris Christenson, Manuel Caro, Jacinto, Waters etc… who happen to be very friendly and helpful and never look down on us mere mortals. There’s never any real competition within a Fish Fry; the motto is “share the stoke”.

Woolacombe Fish Fry 2007.

Why attend the Fish Fry?
The first year (2007 – Devon), I didn’t really know what to expect and I basically decided to go and see as many boards as possible as I knew that people like Pavel, Christenson, Mandala, Marlin Bacon would be there; and they are role models to me as far as the quality of their work is concerned. I basically wanted to see, touch, understand, learn. I had just started my shaping business one year earlier. For the second Fish Fry (2008 – Portugal), I was much more confident regarding my work and I’ve always loved Portugal. Again I got to meet plenty of people and learn lots from them. And one of my boards finished 3rd ex-æquo… with boards from very famous shapers that have been working for years. All this got even better this year (2009 – Ireland):  I met more people than ever and I managed to spend some time with Rich Pavel, from whom I’ve learnt a lot. And one of my boards won an award. Shaping is quite a lonely and tough job and we don’t make much money. Sometimes it is almost depressing. And we are very often faced with the inability to judge one’s own work and to be able to see how we are doing compared to other shapers. Events like the Fish Fry are useful to compare my work and designs to other shaper’s without it being a proper competition. You learn a lot and it is very rewarding.

What do you expect to get from the Fish Fry?
To learn a lot. Even today, when I’m being congratulated and rewarded by my peers I think still have lots to learn and that I haven’t reached anywhere yet. I think I still have plenty to do and improve lots.

Rob Royal checking out some Barrel surfboards. Woolacombe 2007.

Who are the members of the Jury?
Normally the members are one of the founders of Lokbox (Kasey Curtis this year), a special guest and one of the European importers of Lokbox. They are all guys with an extensive surf experience and who know the reality of working in a small shaping bay.

How did you feel when other shapers acknowledge your work?
Super proud, of course. From one year to the next my work has improved and so has the perception the other have of me… but there’s still plenty to do. On a normal shaper’s day we rarely have the possibility to check our work against other shapers. And our clients are super biased and see only the best of our job. During a Fish Fry as there is no competition- there’s a lot of positive feedback on each other’s ideas. To be acknowledged as the best fish shaper in Europe by my peers makes them as happy as I am.

Alexander Lobstein and Paul (Black & White). Ireland 2009.

Do you think this award will translate into more orders?
It is quite unlikely seeing how little promotion of the event there is. French websites have hardly spoken of it at all and not a single French surf mag has contacted me. But I hope the reward for the award will come under the form of more surfers approaching me. I’m a very young shaper (less than 4 years officially). Many surfers are reluctant to give a chance to a young shaper like myself… which is -at the same time- understandable and frustrating.

Irish Fish Fry 2009.

Do you think that average surfers know about events like the Fish Fry?
My customers follow my blog closely. Most of them are big surfing aficionados, with lots of experience and have their priorities straight. They are interested in everything related to surfing’s culture and want to know more about things like the Fish Fry, before and after it takes place. The love seeing and admiring the boards that I shape for the Fish Fry.

A Fish Fry in Médoc for 2010?
In 2010 the European Fish Fry will take place in Italy; it’s a great idea. As far as the Médoc, I’m quite keen for the following year if everything goes ok… we’ll see but it’s not me who chooses where it takes place… but I’ll be more than happy to host the event that has helped me so much as a shaper.

Niegà

P.S.: You can read this interview in French HERE and in Spanish HERE.

What’s your story as a shaper?
I’m from Paris and I lived there for the first 30 years of my life. I surfed for the very first time in Anglet when I was 16 or 17. I shaped my first board when I was 15 or 16: a friend of mine had bought the materials at Hawaii Surf (a famous Parisian surfshop) and we tried to make one in a cellar.
When I was 30 I settled down in Bordeaux, and soon after I decided to start shaping more seriously. I signed in at a French amateur online shaping forum Shaperoom, where I learned a lot. I was taught how to shape my first real surfboard; I’ve learned the rest by myself. Every time I have the opportunity I visit other shaping rooms where I’ve also picked up a lot by watching others.
Today it’s three of us in business: Jérome Barbe (Eclipse Surfboards), Gerard Depeyris (owner of a KMS pre-shaping machine) and me in our facilities in Grand Crohot. Up to 95% of all my boards are from orders I get through my website and/or my blog. I have a very good relationship with Escape Surfshop (Bordeaux) as the owner is a very good friend who has had faith in me since my early days.

How many boards have you shaped?
Currently around 350 boards. I hope the numbers will start building up quite fast…

Favourite board to shape?  A fish?
Sure, I love them. But I also like shaping mini-guns or Mark Richards’ type of twin fins. And big classic nose riders too.

Favourite type of surfing?
My favourite surfer has always been Tom Curren for many reasons: the way he reads the wave, his flow… I love long turns …but not so much tricks and airs, even if they are amazing to watch. As far as I am concerned I’m extremely happy when I’m on a log and I can walk all the way to the nose and back.

Any links between your surfing and your shaping?
Sure. I started shaping boards that I couldn’t find anywhere and that didn’t interest the average surfer. And I find that what I shape changes my approach to surfing… and the way I surf makes me make subtle changes in my shaping; there’s a direct link.

Can one make a living from shaping far from the Basque Country-Landes area in France?
I don’t think so. As far as I know in Gironde (Bordeaux region) only two or three people manage to live off shaping… barely. Even further down south, where the surf industry is much bigger, I’m not sure many succeed.
As a matter of fact I keep working as an architect for many reasons: because I love it and I need the intellectual challenge; but also because I need to pay the bills.

As an European shaper, what do you think of the attention some overseas shapers get from European surfers when they visit the old world on a shaping trip?
In Europe we don’t have the tradition, nor the number of surfers, nor the same level of surfing that can be found in other parts of the world (Australia or California). It is understandable, then, that we admire what comes from these Meccas. And it is true that certain boards, or designs from certain shapers, have become “classics”; so I can understand that some surfers want to have one of those shapes when the shapers come to town. But there’s also the quality. Are their boards really so much better? For every type of board from a renowned foreign shaper I can tell you of, at least, one European shaper that can produce boards of that level. But it is true that we lack the image.

Do you think there’s an excess of snobbery when you see the price some surfers pay for some boards that come from famous overseas shapers?
I think it’s more about the opportunity of owning a piece of your dream. Seriously, some of the boards I see on the net – or at some shops – make me want to surf so much!! I’ve got to be honest: a nice board is a nice board. Some shapers have a unique savoir faire and deserve all the attention they get. On the other hand I admit that it is somewhat frustrating to see the price certain boards fetch and to know that if I tried to sell one of my boards at that price they would call it daylight robbery.

(End of Part I)

Niegà

P.S.: You can read this interview in French HERE and in Spanish HERE.

Over the years the Campbell brothers have been indirectly approached by some of the world’s largest board manufacturers, but they have always stuck to their principles of hand-built surfboards – high production values, low turnover of goods. When asked for his views on the current trend to mass-produce surfboards in the Far East, Malcolm replied, “We believe in the decentralisation of production. Instead of having all the boards made in one place and then distributed around the world, we believe in coming out to places like England and working with local people. You can have the boards produced locally, so you’re giving something back to the community which is supporting you.”

With the market overflowing with imported epoxy composite surfboards and some of the surfing world’s big-name shapers backing them, has Campbell ever been tempted to go down that route? “I do not think those boards perform as well. Polyester – or even a custom EPS – perform better than the equivalent composite board. Some of it’s to do with performance, but it’s more really to do with our theories of business and community. I would rather give work to guys in the area where people are buying the boards.”

This people-centric philosophy is fundamental to Campbell’s approach to surfing and is shown in their logo – two figures representing people and the community.  “We are really into design and really into surfing but the thing that has kept the Bonzer going is that it works for average surfers; if it didn’t then it would have died out. We really stuck with it because we want to give something back to surfing because it has given so much to us. We believe in the design but we also want to contribute to the surfing community.”

There he’s up to his eyes in “traditional longboards, semi-traditional fish, weird little hybrids”, all turned out with typically sweet, juicy glass jobs. (B&W photos by Ali McMullon; colour photos by FOM)

You’ve been on quite a journey – how did you end up in Tynemouth?
It’s a long story… I’m actually from the Bahamas, but my family moved to the US when the Bahamas got independence. I lived there until I was 22, and due to employment circumstances, or lack thereof, I went out to see family in central California and stayed. I moved around out there for a few years, really enjoying the surf, scenery and friendly people. But the hectic and overtly materialistic lifestyle of southern California got to me and I had to get out. I moved back to the Bahamas to escape that, and try to simplify my life. There I met a girl from Brazil who would later be my wife, and we moved to Brazil for a year. After that, my wife wanted to go back to school to get her masters’ degree, and Newcastle had one of the best programs in her field. We’ve been here for about three years now, except for a couple shaping forays to Cornwall and abroad.

What made you want to make boards?
It’s so corny, but when I was a kid in the 80s me and my friends would watch surf movies until we wore them out, and I always liked seeing the shapers’ parts, especially the character Chandler from ‘North Shore’. He just seemed to have it figured out, so as a youngster I modelled myself after him. As I got older, I found myself caught up in real life with a high paying – but super stressful – job and I wanted out. I was lucky to be in San Diego, California, and getting a job at Channin changed everything for me. I was too scared to pick up a planer, but getting to hang out and talk with some living legends was priceless. I’m so grateful for that time. When I moved back to the Bahamas, there was no way for me to get the boards I wanted, so it just happened.

Is there a Royal ‘style’? Where do draw your influences from?
My boards are an extension of my surfing, to a degree. I really love traditional longboards. They have that feeling of glide you don’t get on even the modern progressive stuff. But, I also like to turn and go really fast, so I make semi-traditional fish, weird little hybrids, and anything else that will make the most out of my water time, hopefully resulting in that ear-to-ear grin I had as a grom.
I stick to more unconventional stuff instead of the normal performance shortboard. Not that there’s anything wrong with them; just not my thing, I guess.
I’ve been lucky to be in the right place at the right time. At Channin there was of course Tony Channin, as well as Pavel, Jim Phillips, Hank Byzak, Steve Clark, not to mention their excellent glassers Steve and Wyatt. In Brazil it was Mauro Roxo, Jeff Lopes, and Endyroy. Europe has been great as well, and I’ve become friends with some real craftsmen like Alex of Barrel in France, and Paulo Jacinto in Portugal.
Most recently I’ve been working in the Laminations factory in St Agnes, as well as teaming up with Mark Dickinson from Fluid Concept, and Steve Crawford of Empire. All these guys really have a lot more to offer than they get credit for.
I would really like to thank all these people for their help, encouragement, and feedback.

Do you think it’s possible to improve the environmental impact of the board manufacturing industry?
The first thing we should do is get people off disposable boards. The way people think it’s okay to have to replace a board every six months to a year is just really out of whack. That’s a lot of waste. Where do all the snapped, toxic, and non degradable boards go? This can be achieved by using different materials, or just slightly heavier traditional glass jobs. Plus, if you think about how long it takes you to dial a new board in, wouldn’t you want it to last twice as long? Imagine how much your surfing will improve if you had a familiar board for longer…
I know that’s crazy for someone to say who depends on selling boards to live, but I’d rather make boards that will be around for my grandkids to use than churn out disposables.

What’s in your quiver?
Probably more than my wife thinks I should have…
10’ pig longboard
9’6 winger/riddler/stinger thingy longboard
9’8 d-fin pig longboard
8’2 travellog – a board designed to fit in my van but still ride like a log
6’2 thruster – yeah, I know…
6’2 incut fish
6’0 bonzer stubby
6’0 semi-trad fish
5’11 Eps/epoxy twinzer egg
5’10 carbon/kevlar eps/epoxy rocket fish
5’8 incut fish
5’8 Simzer – a blend of mini-simmons, bonzer, and twinzer fish
5’8 Larry Mabile Twinzer fish
5’6 twin-fin egg made from Xps/epoxy
5’6 Eps/epoxy Lis’ template fish

Imagine the surf’s on all over the north east – which board would you pick up and where would you take it?
At the moment, I would take this little 5’8 incut fish I made recently. It’s stereotypical for someone like me to say “it’s brilliant!” but it really is. I’m having more fun on this board, in a wider range of conditions, than I originally thought. I absolutely love it. But I usually grab two extremes when going surfing up here, because you just never know. So there’s a longboard in the van at all times as well.
I’d head up into Northumberland. I can’t actually name the place I would go, of course, but I will say that there are loads of mystical points and reefs not far away that definitely have their moment, but you have to really get the tide/swell right.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
This little reef called Wang in the Bahamas. You won’t find it on any surf site, but it’s a fun A-frame wave. Warm water, no-one around, just a few friends, and a true sand-floor beach bar about five minutes away that serves conch fritters and amazingly cold beer for that after-surf refresher.

What’s the first thing you can remember?
Play wrestling with my dad and accidentally bashing my head on the floor. I was bawling my eyes out, and he said “look, you cracked the tile!” I was so excited that I started laughing.

Who inspires you?
That’s a tricky one, because there’s inspiration in everything you look at, and as you evolve, your inspirations change…
In terms of surfing, it’s people that do it all and ride all kinds of stuff. Dan Malloy springs to mind, as does of course Tudor, and you can’t leave Curren out.
If you mean designers, again I think the guys that do it all are the most interesting. Tyler Hatzikian for one, as well as somewhat underground guys like Paulo Jacinto. It’s easy these days for someone to get a blank, pay an extra £25 to get it pre-shaped, then sand the bumps off and call themselves a shaper. It’s totally different to take a block of foam and shape it, glass it, sand, fin, gloss and polish it. Those are the people I admire most.
You’ve got to respect Greenough, and admire Derek Hynd as well.

A movie is to be made about your life; who would play you and which actors would play your friends?
Well of course I’d be played by Johnny Depp, and my friends would all be the rest of the brat pack!

Are there any songs that would have to be on the soundtrack?
‘I Ain’t No Joke’ Erik B and Rakim
‘BBoy Stance’ K-os
‘I’m Not a Punk’ Descendents
‘Blind to You’ Collie Buddz
‘Jah Jah City’ Capelton

What is mankind’s greatest accomplishment?
Guacamole! I just can’t get enough of the stuff…

One place you’d never go back to?
Mission Beach, San Diego.

What’s your greatest regret?
Waiting so long to start down this road. If I had followed my heart as a kid, I would have avoided a lot of heartache and mishaps. But then again, there are some sweet memories as well.

Of what are you proudest?
My breakfast burritos.

If you had to have a motto, what would it be?
Life’s too short to take yourself too seriously.

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