Surfing - May 2016

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A MODERN SNAPSH OT OF SURFING

IN THE UNITED STATESAMERICAN

L IFE

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K O L O H E A N D I N O P L E D

H I S A L L E G I A N C E I N S U R F C

U S A . P H O T O : P E T E R T A

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F E A T U R I N G

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O

N E I L L I N C . 2 0 1 6

U S . O N E I L L . C O M B R E T T B A R L E

Y

P H O T O : N E L L Y / S P L

UNREASONABLY DRY

UNREASONABLY LIGHT

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What is it that makes us explore?

The restless urge to pack up and go.

When the rumor of a perfect wave won’t leave your mind.

The anticipation, the laughs, the disasters, the surf.

It defines who we are...

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NF RISING SWELL BOARDSHORT

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VANS.COM/BOARDSHORVans Inc. ©20

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ALLE-

FOREWORD

1⁄ 2

Nat Young makes like the American flag and proudly hangs in Huntington. PHOTO: JIMMICANE

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It’s a brisk January morning in Huntington

Beach, California. The surf is 3 to 4 feet and

peaky, a playful respite from a month of

nonstop El Niño swells. As the sun rises over my leftshoulder it lights up the two 30 x 60 foot American flags we’ve

draped over the south side of the infamous HB pylons.

Here today are Kolohe Andino, Nat Young, Brett Simpson,

Courtney Conlogue and Kanoa Igarashi. Four CT staples alongwith Kanoa — the country’s youngest qualifier since Kolohe in 2011.

This is the first time they’ve all gathered together in Huntington

since the US Open of Surfing back in July, but today they aren’t

here for points. Instead they’re here to smash the shit out of the

punchy pier bowl right — flanked by the Stars and Stripes. And

the goal? To nail photos like the one you see on this page (and the

cover). For the America Issue. Our first in two years.

The five paddle out just after 8 a.m., with six photographers

and two videographers strategically placed to capture their every

move with the red, white and blue prominently displayed in the

background. I take a seat on the cool sand next to Kolohe’s dad,

Dino Andino, and we spark up a conversation.“What do you think of this concept?” I ask.

“I love seeing American media pushing America. I really do,” Dino

answers. “What’s going on with competitive surfing right now,

with back-to-back Brazilian world champs and all of the talent

coming out of that country, it reminds me a little bit of Jackie

Robinson bursting onto the baseball scene back in the late ‘40s.

And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s lighting a fire under

these American guys’ asses.”

I think about what he means. About Jackie Robinson. About

how the comparison he’s making is in respect to the hunger and

drive surfers like Adriano are using to springboard themselves to

the top. When Jackie came into the MLB he inherently wanted it more than anyone who had ever preceded him, and when he

started dominating the sport it made every other baseball player

take a long, hard look in the mirror. Gabriel and Adriano’s world

titles are having a similar effect: They’re forcing American surfers

— and everyone, really — to work harder. Because as it relates

to the CT, it’s time to be honest: America is no longer the alpha.

Of course, the current state of American surfing shouldn’t be

judged strictly by wins and losses on the WSL, and that’s the

point Leo Maxam makes in “America Is Surfing” on Pg. 26. In it, he

writes: “[In America] we are the culture makers, the trailblazers,the benchmark for the rest of the surfing world. So pay no mind to

the ‘make America great again’ doom and gloom noise from those

who would hijack American surfing and sell us exactly what we

don’t need: fear, xenophobia and self-doubt.” And he’s right: What

America might lack in wave quality and world title contenders (at

least right now), it makes up for tenfold in opportunity.

Kolohe takes off on a chest-high right, spins a full-rotation air

reverse and rides it to shore. He sprints up the beach — giving

Dino knuckles — never losing stride all the way to the parking lot.

According to Dino he’s trained once already this morning and he’s

off to work out again right now. “This is a big year for Brother,”

Dino tells me. “And doing well on tour is all he cares about.”I leave Dino and walk to the end of the pier. With the guys done

surfing I clip the zip ties holding the massive flags and carefully

fold each one into a 3-foot triangle. A pair of middle-aged women

greet me. One of them is wearing a white hat with the emblem

of an American flag.

“That was a beautiful display,” the one with the hat tells me.

“We watched all morning and as US Navy vets we’re really happy

to see you surfers representing our flag.”

“And isn’t this just the greatest country on earth?” The other

one adds, with a warm smile.

It is, I think to myself, my arms filled with red, white and blue.

—Zander Morton

Last year Courtney Conlogue finished a few heats short of becoming the first American to win a world title since Kelly Slater in 2011, and the first female since Lisa Andersen in 1997. (Excluding Carissa Moore,but that’s a whole ‘nother topic we tackle in this issue.) Is Courtney our brightest hope for a title in 2016? PHOTO: JIMMICANE

FOREWORD

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EDITORIALEditor ZANDER MORTON [email protected] ive Director ANDRE “ CHATO” AGANZA [email protected] Director PETER TARAS [email protected] Editor BRENDAN BUCKLEY [email protected] & Media Manager J IMMY WILSON j [email protected] Director NOA EMBERSON [email protected] & Social Media Manager DAYTON SILVA [email protected]

Video Editor SEAN BENIK [email protected] JACOB VANDERWORK [email protected] at Large TAYLOR PAUL [email protected] at Large BEAU FLEMISTER [email protected] Assistant DAVID CLANCY c [email protected] Light LARRY “FLAME” MOORE (1948-2005)Copy Editor KERSTEN DECK [email protected]

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSBrent Bielmann, Corey Wilson, Steve Sherman, Seth De Roulet

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSChris Binns, CS Louis, Dana Valdez, Dylan Goodale, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Dane Gudausk as, Derek Dunfee, Jake Tellkamp, Leo Maxam,Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, Nick Carroll , Stuart Cornuelle

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the USA.

TRANSITION PRODUCTIONS

When we decided to sit down with Kelly Slater, CJ

Hobgood, Brett Simpson, Kolohe Andino and Nat

Young to discuss the State (err, Fate) of the Union

for this America Issue; we enlisted the fine folks at

Transition Productions to capture the conversation

from every possible angle. The day of the shoot, over

on Oahu’s North Shore, they had everything all set

up — location, lighting, cameras and sound, and it

went off without even the slightest hitch. You can

find the results of our collaboration starting on

Pg. 42, and also playing in a beautifully captured

video series live on surfingmagazine.com right

now. So thanks, Transition. We couldn’t have done

it without you.

MAY

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RANGE TXTKO STAPLE

TORREY MEISTER | SANUK.COM

…ALWAYS GETTIN’ LOOSE

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T NNER ROZUNKO

B RGE TRUNK

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ConnerSPEAKEASY

1⁄ 3

PHOTO: SHERMAN

SURFING: So you’ve made it! What are

your expectations for the 2016 season?

CONNER: I’m feeling super fired up.

Doing the QS you’re continually

focusing on getting better in shittier

waves. So now I’m really excited to

switch that up, to transition out

of that and focus on surfing a lot

of the waves that I actually enjoy.

It gives me more time to dial in my

surfboards in better waves and

luckily the waves have been so good

IT’S JUST LIKE THE PHIL COLLINS SONG. “I’ve been waiting for this moment…for all my life…Oh, Lo-orrd.” Minus something about Philwitnessing a murder when he was young and then outing the guyat a packed concert…or whatever that song’s about. I’m talkingabout the chorus. ‘Cause Santa Barbara’s 22-year-old ConnerCoffin has been waiting for this moment — CT qualification — forall his life…Oh, Lord. A moment that, for hundreds of other QSgrinders, does not come easily. But after a little adapting tosome crummy Brazilian and Portuguese beachies, Conner’s excitedto surf the waves we all dream [tour] about. With one or twoother guys out…Oh, Lord. It’s a little like that Phil Collinssong. –Beau Flemister

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lately that I’ve been able to practice in better surf and not feel guilty

about it. Really, I’m just excited to surf against the guys on tour and

see how they approach all these good spots.

And you’ve probably already competed against most guys on tour

at the QS10000 events, right? Yeah, I’ve competed with probably

every guy on tour at one event or another. At the Hurley Lowers

Pro a couple times and the QS at Lowers too. It’s definitely super

motivating and inspiring.

Back to what you said about “feeling guilty surfing good waves” — I

never looked at it that way. Sure, back when I was on the QS and I

was at home, it was almost a disservice to surf Rincon for two days

straight, if I was going to Brazil the following week. You always had

to keep up your bad-wave game.

Would you say that a lot of the waves on tour suit your style? The first

three waves are potentially great, if not longer rights. And, yeah, I

love surfing those types of waves, but The Box or North Point or even

Cloudbreak are my favorite waves in the world to surf regardless, so

an opportunity to compete in them — that’s what I’ve dreamed about

since I was a kid. It’s like, you get to surf Pipeline or Cloudbreak with

one or two guys out?! That’s been my motivation and drive forever.

Do you feel any pressure to stay on tour after your rookie year, or do

you kind of have nothing to lose at this point?

Mmm, I don’t really have

any expectations for myself. I do have goals, such as being rookie of

the year or to even win an event. Those are two things I’d love to do.

But definitely the Dream Tour always felt a little far-fetched and I’d

always put it up on a pedestal.

And why is that? Why would it feel far-fetched for you when you’re

one of the best kids your age in America? You didn’t just plan on

qualifying? I think I had a good year in 2013 where I came fairly close

to qualifying, but then the next year I could barely even make a heat,

so I kind of lost that mojo. Like, going into Hawaii in 2013, I saw how

it was actually attainable. But that’s a pretty common problem

with people on the QS. You could be trying for over five years and it

can be really up and down. One year you’re really close and the next

you feel like you’re surfing the same way but you can’t make a heat.

And you watch the other guys get their mojo and you wonder what

you’re doing wrong.

SPEAKEASY

2⁄ 3 Now that he’s qualified, Conner no longer has to feel guilty drawing perfect lines in his backyard. PHOTO: SETH DE ROULET

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U P

F R O N T B U R N E R

R E N T R O U L E T T E

S A I L I N G T O T H E A I R P O R T

B U M B L E D Y N A S T Y

H I T H E R O N T H E D M

B A L D E A G L E S

J O I N T D O G C U S T O D Y

M A S S D I V O R C E E M A I L S

F R E E D O M

P L E D G I N G A L L E G I A N C E

N O N C O N T I G U O U S S T A T E S

E X I T S T R A T E G Y

F E E L I N G T H E B E R N

D O W N

S A Y I N G ‘ M U R I C A

B A C K U P N U T

T R U M P I N G

F E L L O W S H I P S E S S I O N S

P O L I T I C S A S U S U A L

L O S T I T S L U S T R E

“ T R U T H B E T O L D ”

P O L I C I N G I N S T A G R A M

T H R O W I N G C U P S

S I C K F O R A M O N T H

N O T V O T I N G

“ G O O G L E I T ”

F I S C A L N E W Y E A R

And how does one get their mojo back on the QS and make things

click? I think when it comes down to it, that’s just the way surfing

goes. You’re dealing with Mother Nature and elements that are

out of your control. So finding that rhythm can be really difficult

in a 30-minute heat. But at the same time that unpredictability is

what keeps us coming back for more. You can definitely lose so many

heats that it can affect your attitude and the reasons why you surf

in the first place.

Do you have a nemesis on tour that you competed with in the Primes?

No, not really. I guess I grew up competing against Keanu Asing, but

it’s not like we are nemeses. I guess I’ve had a lot of battles with

Kolohe when we were younger, but he’s definitely beat me more than

I’ve beat him. [laughs]

Who are you just dying to go head-to-head with in a heat? That’s

a hard question. Filipe Toledo, John John, Kelly, Mick, Parko, Julian,

Gabriel: Those guys are pushing the level of the sport so much higher,

so to have an opportunity to surf with them and compete against

them…it’s amazing. For me, I don’t look at it like I want to beat this

guy or that guy; when the waves are good it’s more of a strategic

game that is really fun to play.

Does anyone intimidate you on the tour? Mick, Kelly…Adriano.

They’re all such solid competitors. They seem very mentally tough.

So in that sense, they seem like very hard guys to beat. But the cool

thing about surfing that I always remind myself is it’s not always

the guy who’s necessarily “a better surfer” who automatically

wins. You could be surfing against a world champion, and if things

aren’t going their way, they’re beatable. It’s actually a very level

playing field on tour.

Why do you think so few Americans are qualifying these days?

That’s a good question. I think growing up in America, we have a lot

more privileges than kids growing up in, say, Brazil. We have quitea few other opportunities or outlets to be successful while their

opportunities are limited and surfing might be their only way to break

out. But I also think that the Brazilians are really hungry and have a

lot of drive to get to the top. And maybe Americans don’t have that

same drive that they do.

PHOTO: SHERMAN

SPEAKEASY

3⁄

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B Y L E O

M A X A M

ou can hear the murmurs growing

louder.Winter is coming, they warn.

From the surf brand fortresses

of Orange County to the vitriolic

message boards of the American surf media, the

panic is palpable.

It’s been an eternity (four years!) since an

American (i.e., Kelly Slater) won the world title,

and no one can remember ever having so few

of our boys representing the Stars and Stripes

on surfing’s biggest stage. The earth must be

spinning off its axis.

A M O D E R N S N A P S H O T O F S U RF I NG I N T H E U N IT E D S TAT E S

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Parker Coffin. PHOTO:SETH DE ROULET


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Slater’s roaring competitive inferno has finally cooled and the rest of the world has

pounced with a vengeance. We were foolish to be so complacent. We’d be smart to start

stocking up on Twinkies and ammunition and seal the underground bunker until the

Brazilian Cataclysm blows over. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to survive American surfing’s

nuclear winter and eventually scurry out from our tunnels like small mammals after

the asteroid strike and rebuild after the lizards go extinct. The universe is collapsing.

Or is it? If you ask us, American surfing is doing just fine, thank you. First off, we can

proudly claim the current world champion. Her name is Carissa Moore, she holds a US

passport and she has better style than most. In fact, she’s hoisted three world title

trophies in the past five years. That’s dynasty status. And in 2015 there was a fiery,

freckled regularfoot from Huntington named Courtney Conlogue giving her a good

run all the way to Honolua.

But surfing is bigger than world titles, and the number of Americans competing on

the CT is but one myopic estimate of our country’s surfing health. When we take a

2 / 6Though it was by accident, the army corps of engineers created a version of “Kelly’s wave” way back in 1929 when constructing a breakwater toprotect the Santa Barbara harbor. It’s not as consistent, but it’s every bit as perfect. Sandspit. PHOTO: SETH DE ROULET

SLATER’S MAN-MADE WAVE IS THE

BIGGEST OF GAME-CHANGERS.

HE MADE FANTASY A REALITY,

AND PLANTED IT IN THE HEART OF

AMERICA’S AGRICULTURAL ENGINE,

CALIFORNI A’S CENTRAL VALLEY.

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SURFBOARDS & APPAREL

superbranded.com

@super_brand

facebook.com/SUPERbrand

THE WORLD IS SUPERIN THE TOY BOARDSHORTS.

SUPER OMFY

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3 / 6 From buoyweather.com to barreled in under 24-hours. Michael Dunphy, using American technology to strike in the Caribbean . PHOTO: NICOLA LUGO

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(Jeremy Flores held it down for France).

At this point we should probably address the elephant wearing a grass skirt in the

room: Yes, Hawaii, you’re part of the USA. The POTUS was born on your home turf,

and in spite of what Fox News would have you believe, that makes him a natural-born

American citizen. Hawaiian surfers compete at Nationals, commute to the mainland,

and pay their taxes to the IRS (ask Sunny Garcia). So by all means, keep waving that

Hawaiian flag with pride, but you’re part of this dysfunctional family whether you like

it or not. And we take a further look at this topic on Pg. 58.

The lesson here is you can’t do anything in surfing without encountering shining

examples of American surfers at the forefront of our sport’s cultural and performance

evolution. The soul of the surf industrial complex calls Southern California home, even

if that is an oxymoron. Your GoPro was designed in California (made in China, sure,

but what isn’t these days?). And your trusty Mayhem was actuallymade in America.

Your global surf forecasts come from data gathered by American buoys and satellites

4 / 6 A scene like this. Outer Banks, North Carolina. PHOTO: MATT LUSK

WHEN WE TAKE A STEP BACK FROM

ALL THE DUST KICKED UP BY THE

ALARMISTS GRABBING THEIR

GUNS AND RUNNING FOR THE

HILLS, WE BEGIN TO APPRECIATE

A M U C H D I F F E R E N T S C E N E .

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GABE MORVIL

AGE: 16

HOMETOWN: WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

SCHOOL: SWITCHED ON SCHOOLHOUSE

SPONSORS: QUIKSILVER, SURF CITY SURF SHOP, FREAK TRACTION, ORION SURFBOARDS

When it comes to surfing in slop on the East Co ast, being tall isn’t generally a good thing. It’s no coincidence the best from

the East — Slater, the Hobgoods, the Lopezes and Benny Bourgeois — are all in the sub-6-foot club. Gabe Morvil, however, is

ready to be an exception to that rule. The 16-year-old recently encountered a growth spurt that shot him skyward, but it hasn’t

slowed him down a bit. In fact, he recently won three divisions — Open Men’s, Explorer Men’s and Explorer Juniors — in one

event at Carolina Beach and you better believe he’s ready to tower over his competitors at Nationals this summer. From the

top of the podium, of course — with two hands grasped around his first national title. —Michael Ciaramella

S U R F E R O F T H E M O N T H : PHOTO: DJ STRUNTZ

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and crunched by American technology. From performance to culture to discovery,

American surfing know-how continues to reign supreme.

But perhaps America’s greatest contribution to surfing is our role as global melting

pot. It’s no coincidence that so many great international surfers end up moving

stateside. If you’re an Aussie who really likes big barrels, like Anthony Walsh, you move

to Hawaii and marry a local girl. If you’re a young Brazilian surfer with big dreams, like

Filipe Toledo (or Yago Dora, or Mateus Herdy, et al), you get out of Dodge and move

to San Clemente. And best of all, your world-class Brazilian-American shaper, Marcio

Zouvi, is already here making your boards.

From former world champs Shaun Tomson (ZAF) and SURFING’s very own Peter

“PT” Townend (AUS), to modern Aussie transplants like Josh Kerr and Yadin Nicol who

now finally understand what Mexican food is supposed to taste like, Lady Liberty has

always welcomed surfing’s huddled masses yearning to bust their fins free. They come

here from foreign shores because this country — and its vibrant surfing milieu — gives

5 / 6 Britt Merrick and Dane Reynolds. PHOTO: SHERMAN

SURFING IS BIGGER THAN WORLD

TITLES, AND THE NUMBER OF

AMERICANS COMPETING ON THE CT

IS BUT ONE MYOPIC ESTIMATE OF

OUR COUNTRY’S SURFING HEALTH.

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them the best opportunity to succeed. And there’s nothing more American than that.

In this way America is surfing. We are the culture makers, the trailblazers, the

benchmark for the rest of the world. And as the standard bearer, American surfing

faces some tough questions in 2016: Where do we go in the post-Slater era? Should

Hawaiian surfers finally represent the US in competition? Just who are Conner Coffin

and Kanoa Igarashi, our country’s newest additions to the CT, and are they up to

the challenge? In this issue, we explore those questions and more, and arrive at one

overarching conclusion: There’s still work to be done, but America is the one for the job.

So pay no mind to the “make America great again” doom-and-gloom noise from

those who would hijack US surfing and sell us exactly what we don’t need: fear,

xenophobia and self-doubt. And next time you paddle out, from sea to shining sea

— or a wave pool somewhere in between — remember how many surfers around the

world would love to be where you are. Chin up, America. You’re already great.

6 / 6 And Pipeline is, and always will be, the gold standard of surfing. Balaram Stack. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN

AMERICA IS SURFING. WE ARE

TH E C U LTU R E M A K ER S , TH E

TRAILBLAZERS, THE BENCHMARK

FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.

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Tatiana Weston-Webb

#GoTati

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Caroline

THREAT

1⁄ 2

Marks FULL NAME: Caroline Marks AGE: 13 HOMETOWN: Melbourne Beach, FL, but living in SanClemente, CA

SPONSORS: Roxy, Red Bull, Gromsocial.com, Chemisty

Surfboards, Ron Jon, FCS, Tonic

HOMEBREAK: Sebastian Inlet, Florida

FAVORITE SURFERS:Carissa Moore and Gabriel Medina

What inspires you the most?Kelly Slater

What is your greatest fear? Drowning

What song do you want to hear before you paddle

out? “Sorry” by Justin Bieber

Best surf video segment of all time? Kelly Slater in

Black & White

Worst enemy? Myself

PHOTOS: NATE LAWRENCE

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We bought ahog one timeand it grewinto this hugemonster andtried to eatone of my littlebrothers

What’s something you do every

single day, without exception?

Pray

Your proudest moment in life?

Winning the US Open Junior

title

Favorite world champions? Occy

and Carissa

Outside of surfing, what do you

love? Fishing

Most underrated surfer? Eric

Geiselman

If you were to start a business,

what would you sell? I would be

a dog breeder; I love dogs

Worst tattoo you’ve ever seen?

Leg tattoos on girls

Best text message ever

received? Ross Williams texted

me a super encouraging

message about being injured

and how to deal with it after I

broke my ankle in two places

Favorite actor? Adam Sandler

Best book you’ve ever read? The

Bible

Describe yourself in fewer than

five words: A chocolate lover

What is the meaning of life? Take

nothing for granted

What annoys you about surfing?

Wet, sandy and stinky booties

(the ones on your feet)

Best gift you’ve ever given

someone? I like trying to give

boards away when I can to

inspire other girls to surf

Does Instagram matter? Yes! Ofcourse

Dumbest purchase? We bought

a hog one time and it grew into

this huge monster and tried to

eat one of my little brothers

Would you rather eat a donut or

a kale smoothie for breakfast?

Donut

What’s your favorite emoticon?

American Flag

Secret to catching a lot of

waves? Being a girl and

paddling hard

Who’s the most beautiful male

surfer? Julian Wilson

Favorite Taylor Swift song?

“Shake It off”

Best city in the world? New York

City

Kanye West — yes or no? No

THREAT

2⁄

It’s not a question of if — but rather, a question ofwhen — Caroline Marks wins her first world title.Eyeing a big future in Indonesia. PHOTO: LAWRENCE

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premium surf equipment, est. 1982

cam richards uses micro-dot

See what the bumps all about at prolite.com/microdotdr. dot says,

@PROLITEI

thinner for better board fee

absorbs less wate

Grippier when we

30 lighte

TM

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PORTRAITS BY PETER TARASINTERVIEW BY SAXON BOUCHER

S ur fing M ag azine

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U N I

N

FATEOF THE

KOLOHE ANDINO

CJ HOBGOOD

BRETT SIMPSON

KELLY SLATER

NAT YOUNG

DISCUSS THE PLIGHT

OF AMERICAN PRO

SURFING

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I’M SWEATING.

Partly because I’m sitting on an outdoor porch under a 1,000-watt strobe light on a humid evening on Oahu’s North

Shore, but mostly because Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood, Kolohe Andino, Brett Simpson and Nat Young are 20 minutes

late. I wipe my forehead. Soaked.

With lights and cameras and a 12-person production team all ready to go, I frantically start texting the group.

Where are you guys?

One minute later, with my anxiety peaking, Kelly arrives. Moments later so do Nat, Kolohe, CJ and finally Brett.

Everyone exchanges pleasantries and takes their seat. I step into the background and relax.

With the Pipe Masters set to start tomorrow, in many years past we’d be excitedly awaiting the potential crowningof an American world champ (if he hadn’t already been crowned before Hawaii). But times have changed. No American

is in the title race in Hawaii. CJ is retiring. Brett is falling off tour. Kelly is in the twilight of his glorious

career and only he and Nat are ranked in the top 10 on the CT (9th and 10th, respectively).

So, where do we go from here? What is next for American pro surfing? Saxon Boucher starts the

conversation. —Zander Morton

SURFING: SO, AS WE KNOW, THERE AREN’T

AS MANY AMERICANS ON TOUR AS THERE

ONCE WERE, AND THERE’S BEEN A GAP

SINCE NAT AND KOLOHE QUALIFIED. KANOA

[IGARASHI] AND CONNER [COFFIN] ARE

COMING ON NOW, BUT...

CJ: Are we saying there is a problem with

American surfing?

Kelly: We had seven East Coasters on tour

at one point: The Hobgood brothers, the

Lopez brothers, Gabe Kling, myself and

Benny Bourgeois. That’s seven just from the

East Coast. Then if you added up Hawaii

and California, it was half the tour at one

point. That is, if we’re including Hawaii.

CJ: I just feel like things naturally evolve and

expand and contract in the world. We’ve seen

these surfing movements from different

countries throughout history: The Bronzed

Aussies, The Momentum Generation, Euro

Force, Coolie Kids and now the Brazilian Storm.

Maybe next we’ll see the Japanese Typhoon.

Kelly: I wonder how long until a surfer from

Japan makes the tour?

CJ: I was pretty amazed at Surfer Poll this

year. That was the first time that a couple of

Brazilians made it onto the American Surfer

Poll [Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo]. And

had Gabriel thrown out a tweet he would

have won easily. Someone tap into that guy’s

Instagram and win that thing! [laughs]

SURFING: DO YOU FEEL THAT SURFING IS

LESS POPULAR AMONG AMERICAN KIDS TODAY

THAN WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP?

Brett: No way. It’s as hot as it’s ever been.

Kanoa is only 18. He was our hope in

Huntington and he’s done it; he made the

tour. And there are quite a few kids his age

and younger who are on that same track

from our area.

Kolohe: There is a solid pack of 11-and-unders

at T-Street every day that are shredding

super hard. Twenty of them could be top-level

pro surfers.

SURFING: LET’S START AT THE AMATEUR

LEVEL. IS THERE ANYTHING THE NSSA AND/

OR SURFING AMERICA COULD OR SHOULD

BE DOING DIFFERENTLY TO IMPROVE THE

SITUATION?

CJ: Let’s put it in perspective. It’s not like

the ESA was firing on all cylinders when we

were kids. It was just like, “Yay, we made

it to Hatteras.’” Honestly, it’s an amateur

organization and it’s about bringing your kids

to the beach and having a good time. I never

saw Freddy [Patacchia]; I never saw Andy

[Irons]; I never saw any of these guys until

I first came to Hawaii; until I first came to

California. With social media these days, we

pretty much already know who every grom

is and how they surf, and that’s just a result

of technology.

Nat: When I was doing Lowers [NSSA

Nationals] there were tents from where

you walk out to the beach all the way up to

the point, and every single kid that surfed

[competitively] in America was there.

Brett: I feel like that prestige is gone a

little bit. Nationals still means a lot, but

I feel like when I did it whoever won was

getting a six-figure contract. Now kids

don’t have to win Nationals and they’re

still making six figures.

Kelly: Dane never won it and he’s getting

seven figures [laughter].

CJ: He’s turning down seven figures [more

laughter].

SURFING: DO YOU THINK THE HIGH PAY

GRADE THAT MANY OF THESE YOUNG SURFERS

ARE GETTING AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE IS

AFFECTING HOW THEY DEVELOP IN THEIR

COMPETITIVE CAREERS?

Brett: I always felt it was.

Kelly: When I was 15 years old I made a

hundred bucks a week from surfing. I think

I got 110 bucks a week under the table from

Sun Deck. I was stoked. I went from having

no money to having an extra hundred bucks

a week to pay for my lunches and stuff. I

was making 20 bucks a day for nothing. And

when you got nothing, that’s great. I think

another factor is that there’s more of an

outlet for freesurfing today. You can be a

professional freesurfer and make millions

of dollars — literally. When I was a kid, I only

saw success through one path: competition.

That was how I could make a living through

surfing. And today that’s not the only route.

SURFING: SO SHOULD A PROFESSIONAL

SURFER BE SOMEONE WHO IS COMPETING

AND WINNING EVENTS?

Kelly: Is money the only motivating factor?

Do you want success in your life? And what

is success? Is it financial, is it accolades, is it

progression in how well you do something,

your expertise and how you can push your

body? It’s different for each person.

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“IN AMERICA THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PATHS YOU CAN

TAKE, AND YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT AND HAVE A LOT OF FUN

AND MAKE A GOOD LIVING WITHOUT NECESSARILY COMPETING.”

—NAT YOUNG

United we prosper, divided we fall. As it relates to professional surfing, is Americaactually the land of too much opportunity? Nat Young. PHOTO: TIM RIDENOUR

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SURFING: THAT BRINGS US TO MOTIVATION.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE KIDS

FROM AMERICA AND THE KIDS COMING FROM

DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD?

Brett: In Brazil they treat surfing as a sport.

At home it can be a lifestyle; it’s what you

do. But they go down to the beach and tell

themselves, “I’m gonna catch 36 waves and

ride them to the beach. And I’m gonna catch

more than my friend.”

Kelly: For some reason there always seems

to be more pride if you’re from Hawaii,

Australia or Brazil. The Europeans kind of

had it going for a little while with their crew

— the Euro Force thing — but the Brazilian

Storm took them out.

Brett: The Brazilians are obviously all

driven, but Adriano seems like he’s the

one who has come from the least. I don’t

know if they’re actually more driven than

us though. I think that idea is more a media

creation than reality.

Kelly: Are you serious, bro? Do you see how

early [Adriano] shows up at contests? He

literally goes to places two weeks before the

start of the event. It’s just human nature: The

less you have growing up, the more drive you

have to succeed.

SURFING: IS THE ISSUE OF AMERICANS

BEING ON TOUR SOMETHING YOU GUYS TALK

ABOUT?

Kolohe: I’m just friends with all these guys so

banding together just comes naturally.

Brett: It’s an individual sport. We’re not a

team. We end up surfing against each other

100 times a year. There is a good American

camaraderie though. We’re definitely not out

there shaking pompoms for each other, but

when they’re deep in the contest, I’m rooting

for them.

Kelly: When you have your crew of friends,

you definitely can feed off of that. I know

with our group of friends when we traveled

together — me, Shane [Dorian] and Rob

[Machado], Conan [Hayes] and Kalani [Robb]

and everybody — I feel like we really fed off

each other in contests.

Brett: And that’s what you see with the

Brazilians a lot more these days.

Kelly: They support each other for the most

part, but they also have a really competitive

thing amongst themselves at the same time,

like, “Oh, I want to outdo this guy.”

Kolohe: I think the difference is they don’t get

jealous; they get motivated, whereas a lot of

young Americans will get jealous.

Kelly: I don’t know. I didn’t see Medina

carrying Filipe up the beach this year.

CJ: When you feel like you’re a minority in a

situation, you want to stick together with

your brother. Those guys aren’t a minority

on tour anymore, but they still have that

mentality. I’ve noticed on social media

especially — and I think Brother is the biggest

advocate of it and it’s the raddest thing —

shouting out all the upcoming American

groms, always hitting the American flag.

Because at a certain point, his generation

will start to feel like a minority and they will

start to feel that camaraderie more than

Kelly and I did.

Kelly: Well, I had that same minority

mentality because East Coasters were a

minority. I think that’s a huge driving force,

when you feel like you’re an outcast from the

group and you have to work to get your way

in there to be accepted.

CJ: When I was growing up, you weren’t even

on the map if you were from Florida. And it

was like, “Oh my god, Kelly’s putting us on

the map!’” We felt like a minority. And you

felt like that, Kelly.

Kelly: I was the only East Coaster on the

world team. No, I think we had a kneeboarder

on there. I remember we went to England

in ‘86 and I was the only ESA guy. It was all

NSSA guys, the whole rest of the team. Lisa

Andersen made it on the women’s team; I

think she had been living in California for a

few years at that point. But I think Brazil

is doing so well because they want it more.

Those guys are so driven. I think they go to the

beach dreaming about a bigger life. I mean,

have you seen those guys paddle for a wave?

They triple my wave count on a lot of days.

Brett: They catch a lot of waves.

CJ: I feel like being a minority or an outsider

can also make you really insecure. I had this

conversation with this Brazilian guy in São

Paolo. I told him, “You have the biggest

athletes now. Gabriel Medina won the world

title, he has the most social media followers

of anyone on tour, so why are Brazilian

surfers so insecure that they still have to go

on every single website and defend Brazilian

surfing? Why are you so insecure?” But I

think that same insecurity drives those guys

because, gosh forbid, “If I don’t make my heat

no one’s gonna like me.” I don’t think that’s a

bad thing. I feel like insecurity can be a huge

motivator to achieve good things. And I feel

like that’s a big part of why those guys are

doing so well right now. So you young guys,

Natty and Brother, need to get real insecure.

Kelly: Don’t worry, Brother, I’ve been insecure

my whole life [laughs].

Kolohe: Is that your secret?

SURFING: DO YOU THINK HAWAIIAN SURFERS

SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SEPARATE FROM

THE USA?

Kelly: I’m fine with Hawaiian sovereignty. I

think it would be cool if they were their own

country. Hawaii is seen as the birthplace of

surfing. It’s been seen as its own country all

these years in so many ways. Put it this way:

Hawaii has beaten the US at the amateur

world titles more times than the US team

has beaten the Hawaiian team. So if they

have that dense of a talent pool, it validates

them being their own entity.

Brett: That’s just the way it’s been forever,

separating Hawaii and USA. But they

shouldn’t be able to come out to the

mainland if they don’t make the Hawaiian

amateur team and try and get a spot on the

mainland USA team.

SURFING: DO YOU THINK IF HAWAIIAN

SURFERS WERE INCLUDED UNDER THE

UMBRELLA OF THE USA IT WOULD CHANGE

ANYTHING? WOULD IT HELP BOTH HAWAIIAN

AND MAINLAND SURFERS IF THEY FELT LIKE

THEY WERE MORE ON THE SAME TEAM?

Nat: I don’t think that would change

anything. Do you guys?

CJ: I wonder how surfers from other countries

perceive it? I don’t know if surfers from other

countries even see a difference between

surfers from Hawaii and the mainland.

Kelly: I think it’s just tradition.

SURFING: IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THERE’S

BEEN A LACK OF SURFING TALENT IN

AMERICA. WE HAVE AMAZING SURFERS. I

THINK THE PROBLEM IS MORE THE DRIVE

AND WHERE THAT COMES FROM. WHY DON’T

THEY HAVE THAT DOG-EAT-DOG MENTALITY?

Kelly: We do. It trips me out though. But Eric

[Geiselman] is hurt all the time. And then

Evan hasn’t made it on. He kinda got some

points this year. But those guys frickin’ shred.

Their air game is a joke.

Nat: There’s so many different routes


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“IT’S JUST HUMAN NATURE: THE LESS

YOU HAVE GROWING UP, THE MORE

DRIVE YOU HAVE TO SUCCEED.”

— KELLY SLATER

Drive, defined. Kelly Slater at Pipeline. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN


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you can take now in surfing, not just

competition. It all depends on what kind of

person you are. If you’re really competitive,

that’s not gonna matter, and you’ll want to

win at the highest level.

Kelly: What are your goals? If you’re Dane

wouldn’t you rather stay at home and make

a great paycheck, surf your local spots all the

time, put fun clips together? It would take

him way more time away from the things

he likes to do and places he likes to be and

commitment of time and his mind to surf

contests. And it wouldn’t make him any more

money. It would just cost him a lot more time.

He’s created the perfect little environment

for himself.

CJ: So America’s got the best freesurfer.

Heyooo!

Kelly: You could easily argue that Dane is the

most influential surfer in the world in the last

eight, 10 years. And his whole thing has been

based on a website, freesurf clips, making

movies and what’s fun for him.

SURFING: BUT AS FAR AS SURF FANS GO,

THERE’S A LARGE FAN BASE THAT WANTS

TO GET HIM IN A JERSEY.

Brett: I think a lot of Americans don’t like

losing. I mean, nobody likes to lose, but I knew

guys on the QS that would get a good result,

then lose twice and they’d say, “I’m not gonna

do the rest of the contests.”

Kolohe: They’re scared.

Brett: It’s like, dude, you’re gonna lose. That’s

part of it. You win a lot as an amateur. I

remember winning a lot in NSSA. Then you

get on the QS and you’re just getting smoked

by Brazilians and guys you don’t even know.

It’s a harsh reality check.

Kelly: David Eggers is a classic case of that.

He had one of the greatest-ever amateur

careers. He turned pro and fell off the

map within a year. I think he turned pro at

16 and he was winning everything to that

point, even pro contests he was surfing

in when he was 12. And when he turned

pro, for whatever reason, all the pressure,

expectations, he just fell apart. But he

was a true contest machine, that guy. As

a kid everything was about contests and

everything in their family’s life was all about

Dave going to contests, winning, and he was

gonna win everything.

Brett: You see these soccer moms and dads

down at the contests now and that’s part

of the pressure. And some kids know how to

handle it and can do it. But some obviously

turn the other way and are turned off by it.

Kolohe: Some people react to losing

differently. I feel like a lot of Americans shun

competition after they’ve had a bad run.

Kelly: It’s so cool to see families supporting

kids who want to go surf, I think it’s

awesome, but I hate the soccer moms and

dads thing. Competition is healthy, but

when you take it too seriously, especially in

the amateur ranks, you need to pull back.

SURFING: LET’S TALK ABOUT WHERE THE

BIG QUALIFICATION EVENTS ARE HELD

FOR AMERICANS TRYING TO GET ONTO THE

WORLD TOUR AND WHETHER THAT MATTERS.

[*Editor’s note: In 2016 there will

be four QS events held in Brazil: two10,000s and two 6,000s; there will be

seven QS events held in Australia:

five 1,000s and two 6,000s; there will

be six QS events held in Hawaii: two

1000s, two 3000s and two 10,000s; and

there will be seven QS events held in

mainland USA: four 1,000s, one 1,500,

one 3,000 and one 10,000.]

Kelly: I think the biggest problem that

we have is that our national tour sucks.

Australia’s is great. They have the whole pro

junior tour across the country feeding them

young talent. We had the PSAA when I was

coming up and I think it’s no coincidence we

had so many guys on tour that came straight

out of the PSAA.

Brett: Does the pro junior series even exist in

America anymore? When I came out of NSSA

there was practically no junior series. There

were, like, two events. You pretty much went

straight onto the QS and got lost for a while.

Kolohe: Well, it’s hard when you’ve got the

best guys like Filipe qualifying at 18 years old

and then other guys who are 19 still doing

the juniors.

Nat: I think there are tons of opportunities

for kids in America through NSSA and WSA

and we still have our junior events, but with

the QS we have nothing there. There are very

few domestic QS events — even small events

— for guys to get points so they can start to

climb the ranks.

Brett: There are four major events in Brazil

[*Editor’s note: See list of QS events by country

above]. The Shoe City Pro-Am in HB just ain’t

cutting it. [laughs]

CJ: And the American feeder system to the

tour is the most sketchy that I’ve seen since

I’ve been on tour.

Nat: There’s guys that can make the tour

without ever leaving Brazil. They have

enough big events to where they only have

to compete at home.

SURFING: AND THAT USED TO BE THE

CASE WHEN WE HAD THE BUD PRO TOUR IN

AMERICA.

Kolohe: The timing of the contests in

Brazil also makes it so that a lot of the top

international guys don’t want to go to those

events. There are two 6-Stars in Brazil during

CT events. And there’s a Prime in Saquarema

right before Hawaii.

Kelly: You think it’s the timing? You’re bound

to get Florida-quality waves when you go to

those events. That’s why the top guys don’t

go to those events. If we had contests in

Florida I wouldn’t blame the timing for why

no one shows up. [laughter]

CJ: In general the WSL has been working on

improving its top tier. And obviously what

has been neglected is the QS. I don’t think

there’s a person on tour — QS or CT — that

wouldn’t agree that it’s not the best system

in place right now.

Kelly: Well, there are no man-on-man heats

in QS events, except in the Primes. And then

there’s the locations...

Brett: Even the Primes this year they were

doing that stupid three-man heat, even at

Trestles. I would have won that thing.

Kelly: No, if they moved the Trestles contest to

Huntington you would have won. [laughter]

SURFING: KOLOHE, YOU’RE POSTING

AMERICAN FLAGS ON EVERY INSTAGRAM

POST. AND WHEN YOU WIN AN EVENT, YOU

HAVE THE STARS AND STRIPES DRAPED ON

YOUR BACK. WAS THAT INSPIRED BY WHAT

THE BRAZILIAN STORM WAS DOING, OR HAVE

YOU ALWAYS BEEN PATRIOTIC?

Kolohe: Kelly and all these guys have been

getting crazy with the American flag forever.

Kelly: I’m not very patriotic.

Kolohe: But you have the flag on your back.

Kelly: Occasionally. I actually want to take a

Florida flag. Not as a joke, I would be stoked

to have a Florida flag after a win.

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“IN AMERICA, THE TOUR IS BECOMING THE ‘IT’ THING AND SPONSORS

ARE STARTING TO PUSH GUYS TOWARD THE TOUR IF THEY WANT THAT

BIG CONTRACT. I THINK WE’LL SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT HERE IN THE

COMING YEARS.”

—BRETT S IMPSON

Brett Simpson has spent the last six years on the CT and has won the US Open ofSurfing twice during that span in his Huntington Beach backyard. For Brett, thetour, and competition, has always been “it.” PHOTO: JIMMICANE


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SURFING: DO YOU THINK PATRIOTISM IS

IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE WSL?

CJ: I think the Brazilian Storm is a good

thing. I think it’s great that everything keeps

evolving. Brazil won last year and they have

three people in the running to win this year.

That’s the truth. They are the powerhouse

right now. It’s already happened. And

eventually there will be another shift and it

will go back the other way. And I think that’s

rad. Because if America was the powerhouse

the whole time, that would stink. I think it

would be better for our country if we got

knocked down a few pegs. I like rooting for

the underdog.

Brett: It gives us something to strive for.

Hopefully for the younger generation it lights

a fire under their ass.

Kelly: I think it would be embarrassing if

there were only one or two American guys

barely staying on tour. We should be leading

because we’ve had the most guys for the

longest amount of time pushing the sport.

We should have an edge. Being in Brazil this

year showed me that we have a lot of work to

do. Everyone else has a lot of work to do. The

energy over there is huge and it’s not what

people in the surf industry expected. When I

first got on tour I looked at everyone else on

there and the only person I thought could kick

my ass was Tom Curren. I looked around and

thought, “The level’s not that good.” I want

to see a kid come on tour today and say, “The

level’s not that good.’” I want to see where

he’s aspiring to go.

Kolohe: It seems like that’s what Gabriel did.

CJ: I think you have to be cold-blooded in your

confidence and that’s what Gabriel has.

Kolohe: Insecure confidence? [laughter]

Kelly: I think the two can go hand in hand.

People get so attached to their sport because

of that insecurity. You gain confidence

through your performance and success, and

then you attach so much to that one thing

that you can’t separate who you are from

that thing. It makes you one-dimensional in

a way. Your whole confidence is attached to

this one thing and if you let that thing go,

you’re back to square one.

SURFING: WHEN YOU’RE IN A CONTEST AND

YOU DRAW A SURFER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY,

DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE THEY’RE FROM?

IS THAT EVER A MOTIVATING FACTOR?

Nat: I don’t ever look at the nationality of who

I’m surfing against or where they’re from. It

sucks when one of us [Americans] ends up in

the same heat, but that’s how it goes. Those

guys from Brazil end up in the same heats

too. It doesn’t really happen too often for us

because there aren’t too many of us on tour.

Kelly: But you guys just said you had 100

heats together this year.

Brett: No, we didn’t have that many, but he

kicked me off tour pretty much. [laughter]

CJ: How many people here do better in a heat

when they’re pissed off? I for sure do better.

I know Brett does better when he’s pissed

off. You gotta find a way to have a chip on

your shoulder.

Kelly: We keep talking about these negative

things in sport that drive you — insecurity,

anger — and it makes me wonder: Is

competition good for you spiritually?

Brett: Oh, I think it’s terrible... but it’s great.

Kolohe: It’s terrible but it’s great? [laughing

hysterically]

CJ: Well it’s great at a certain time in your

life because as kids we’re naturally the most

selfish people we can be. But once you get

older and you’re on to the next chapter, you

don’t want to be that same kid. It’s gonna be

a negative. But I think it can be a good thing

at a time in your life when you’re trying to

achieve your goals.

Kelly: I think it’s challenging to grow as a

person and compete heavily. I think it’s a

difficult task to achieve.

Brett: I feel like when I was younger I was

dumber to that. When you have that

confidence, you don’t think about anyone

around you as much. You’re selfish, and you

kind of need some of that to win. And I feel

like I’ve lost a little bit of that. You get married

and have a kid, and it’s like, “Dude, these

donuts are good.” [laughter] But, honestly,

my favorite thing to watch is competitive

surfing. These days I think it’s a lot harder to

get a big contract just getting photos and

videos.

Kelly: The freesurfing thing seems like it had

a huge focus three to five years ago.

Kolohe: Well, now Filipe is doing the best airs

in heats.

SURFING: YOU ALL ARE. THE LEVEL ON

TOUR HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF.

Kelly: My godson recently did an interview

at a skate camp. The woman was asking

him about winning contests, and he said,

“Progressing is way better than winning.”

And I thought that was a great statement.

To push your level, wherever it’s at.

Brett: I’ve watched those street park events

at Dew Tour, and P Rod [Paul Rodriguez] will

need, like, a 6.7. And he knows he can just do

something in his sleep to get it. But he has

this huge trick that he couldn’t pull his first

two runs, and he’ll always go for it again, even

if he only needs a small score. Skaters will

never go just to get the score. It’s a different

side of it.

Kelly: I wish contests were more geared

toward the spirit of that, like a skate jam,

where guys are just pushing for the fun and

enjoyment of progressing. Some people

see contests as just a corporate sellout. I

think if contests could capture that spirit

of enjoyment and people coming together

to advance surfing as opposed to strict

competition, that might attract more people.

Skaters don’t claim who’s world champ or

who’s won this or that. For them it’s all about

who’s pushing the level.

SURFING: LET’S COME FULL CIRCLE. IS

THERE A PROBLEM WITH AMERICAN SURFING?

IF SO, WHAT CHANGES DO WE NEED TO MAKE?

CJ: It could be stronger. But let time sort

itself out and we’ll be back on top.

Brett: The format at the amateur ranks

could be fitted better to help the kids as

they get toward that stage of wanting to

get on tour. Get these kids prepared for what

they’re gonna deal with on the QS, where

you jump from the pond to the ocean and

start competing against a lot bigger fish. I

also think we need a few more QS contest

opportunities in our areas so they can climb

the ranks.

Kelly: The feeder system could definitely

be stronger. But to CJ’s point, it’ll just

take some time. There’s an ebb and flow

of surfing power. Everyone talks about

the Brazilian Storm, but it’s nothing new.

They’ve had a lot of good surfers for a long

time. They were always a force, even when I

was an amateur. There’s been a lot of great

Brazilian surfers over the years. It’s new

that they’re at the top now. It’s new that

they’re going for world titles. They have

the desire. It’s a cultural thing and it’s also

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Kolohe Andino: Pro surfing’s patriarch for patriotism. Lower Trestles. PHOTO: JIMMICANE

“I DON’T THINK ENOUGH YOUNG

AMERICAN SURFERS DEDICATE

THEIR WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE TO BEING

SUCCESSFUL ON THE WORLD TOUR.

IT’S EASIER TO LIVE IN AMERICA

THAN IN BRAZIL. IN BRAZIL, THAT’S

THEIR WHOLE LIFE, TO SUCCEED.”

— KOLOHE ANDINO

a personal thing for each individual. Right now I think we have a

number of really good surfers that I’m surprised haven’t made it on

tour yet. So I’d like to see that happen.

Kolohe: I don’t think enough young American surfers dedicate their

whole entire life to being successful on the world tour. It’s easier to live

in America than in Brazil. In Brazil, that’s their whole life, to succeed.

Nat: In Brazil, qualifying for the tour is their only option. And their

heroes are guys like Gabriel who are doing well in contests. That’s

what everyone wants to do. They want to qualify and be that guy. In

America there are all kinds of different paths you can take, and you can

do what you want and have a lot of fun and make a good living without

necessarily competing. For the Brazilians, they have a very clear path

and they know exactly what they need to do.

Brett: But I think that is slowly starting to slide away. Years ago

regional guys were making a lot of money. A couple guys from

Huntington, a couple guys from here, a couple guys from there.

Some would do the QS, some didn’t, but they were all making decent

money doing what they were doing, going to Mexico or doing these

little trips. As I was saying now, in America, the tour is becoming the

“it” thing and sponsors are starting to push guys toward the tour

if they want that big contract. I think we’ll see the results of that

here in the coming years.

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Pipeline. PHOTO: JOSH BERNARD

T

H

E

A

L

O H

A

D U E T O A 6 0 Y E A R O L D T E C H N I C A L I T Y,


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S

T

A T

E

D

E

B A

T E

T H E 5 0 T H S T A T E O F A M E R I C A , H A W A I I , H A S B E E N D E L I N E A T E D A S I T S O W N N A T I O N H A W

I N P R O F E S S I O N A L S U R F I N G . B U T I S I T P E R H A P S T I M E T O R E T H I N K T H I S S E P A R AT I O N ?

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BEAU: Hi Chas, have a seat. You want a coffee?

CHAS: Aloha aina, Beau. A coffee from here? Hell no!

B: [laughs] Mine’s delicious. Kona coffee, obviously. Best stuff in the world.

Speaking of which, let’s get into it: I believe Hawaii should stay its own

sovereign surfing nation. The HAW abbreviation should stay.

C: Of course you’re on the side of Hawaii. You’re Hawaiian, right?Flemister …

that’s the ancient Hawaiian term for…lost Flemish tribe of Niihau. Just

kidding, so on what basis?

B: The original reasoning behind the “HAW” distinction stems from the

Makaha International Surfing Championships, the first surfing world

championship, so to speak. And the first Makaha contest ran in 1954, before

Hawaii was an official state of the Union, so Hawaiians classified themselves

as such — a different entity than the Mainland — and then it just carried

over to now.

C: So, is that really true, though? Is that really a fact?

B: Absolutely, it is. You disagree with the oracle and sage Matt Warshaw and

his sacred electronic text, The Encyclopedia of Surfing…dot com?

C: Well, I think that the HAW is how Rabbit Bartholomew first delineated it. I

think that he gave Hawaii its own slot in the contest and it was just accepted.

That’s what I heard. But you or Matt Warshaw could be right.

B: So you don’t buy the “before it was a state” theory? You think that Rabbit

just did it to kiss up to Hawaiians?

BEAU FLEMISTER, SURFING’s Hawaii-born editor-at-

large, and CHAS SMITH, former SURFING editor-at-

large and author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to

Hell , sit down at a Starbucks in Carlsbad, California,

to debate:

So…if HAW got changed to USA…are allthe past-champs (and current, ahem,Carissa Moore!) still “Hawaiian?” Maui-boy, Kai Barger, already spinning outover it. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN


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C: Yes, to appease them. I think that Rabbit

had a little Stockholm syndrome. I honestly

think that he came to love the oppressor

[Hawaiians] after taking so much shit for so

long. When I say shit, I mean almost getting

killed by Da Hui like inBustin’ Down the Doors.

But I also think Rabbit’s relationship with

Hawaii is too tangled to ever really know

what’s going on or how he feels or why the

HAW delineation happened. I’m sure that

he loves Hawaii but there’s probably a fine

line between what’s appeasement and

what’s respect. But I would say that it’s

appeasement.

B: Well, despite the dubious origin story,

I’d say that Hawaii has and always has had

enough good surfers to sustain itself as a

separated surfing superpower. Hawaiians

created the damn sport and were practicing

it for centuries before it was spread globally.

One could maybe say that surfing existed in

Hawaii before the United States was even

a country. But I’d have to consult with Matt

Warshaw on that.

C: Let’s look at it this way: If Hawaii wanted

to secede and become a sovereign nation,

they’d have good reason to, what with the

overthrow of their monarchy and the division

of land by missionary families, but as long

as they’re a state, then Hawaii is a part of

America as far as I’m concerned. I think the

surf world’s artificial respect for their “nation”

is silly. Especially when Hawaii’s current guys

on tour were mostly Caucasian. John John,

Dusty Payne, Seabass. It’s not like giving

Hawaii its own delineation is helping actual

Hawaiians or guys with Hawaiian blood to

get on tour. If anyone is prospering it’s just

the haoles from that artificial delineation.

Like, I could see how if a Duke

Kahanamoku-type surfer got on tour again,

Hawaii would want to claim him as a figure.

Or, some Hawaiian with a Hawaiian name

and Hawaiian blood. But to see the Hawaiian

flag next to John John Florence’s face…does

that make actual Hawaiians proud?

B: Aw, I think Hawaii will take what it can

get as far as qualifiers. But I also disagree

with that sentiment. I bring to the stand

Exhibit: Andy Irons. A beloved non-Hawaiian

Hawaiian world champion.

C: I think that Hawaiians really liked how

Andy Irons surfed and lived. There was

something about Andy’s persona that was

very Hawaiian. I almost feel like Andy was

more Hawaiian than John John even though

they’re both haoles, or at least is more

embraced than John. Andy had the whole

Wolf Pak behind him — he had a crew. John

John has his close friends and brothers but he

doesn’t have a bad-ass posse like Andy did.

But they also have different personalities,

however, I don’t think John’s personality

resonates with the same people that cheered

for Andy.

Let me put it this way: I think that Andy

Irons is a Hawaiian champion in the same

way that Bill Clinton was the first black

president.

B: [Laughs] Right, like if we finally get one

then we’ll take it. God, I feel dirty, or like apolitician, discussing what’s good for actual

Hawaiians. But what about Sunny Garcia

and Derek Ho? Those guys were Hawaiian-

blooded Hawaiian world champions. How

can you discount them and say Andy was the

first beloved one?

C: Aw, they won it pre-Dream Tour. Those

guys won theirs dominating the Triple Crown

when all three events were on the CT. [laughs]

Juuuust kidding. But listen. Even if I were to

argue that we should combine HAW with

USA to bolster American pro surfing…wouldit? Besides John John in 2016, who else do

you really have? Keanu Asing and…Kanoa

Igarashi? [laughs] There are great Hawaiian

surfers right now, don’t get me wrong, but I

don’t see anybody in the near future that’s

going to come out and shine on tour like

John besides maybe Zeke Lau. Am I missing

somebody?

Really, this argument matters if surfing is

going to be in the Olympics — which seems

pretty inevitable. Hawaii will have to get

added to the American team. How, on a

world scale like the Olympics, are you going

to convince the committee that Hawaii is its

own entity? I’d say as long as the American

flag is flying over their flag it’s tough luck and

if Hawaii wants to be its own surfing nation,

then it should rise up against the American

government and make itself its own nation-

nation.

B: Fair nuff. But if you were to ask John John

or any of the other “Hawaiians” on tour if

they should be part of the USA, what would

they say?

C: They’d say no. And it’s true, I think guys like

John John don’t identify with the Mainland

and their whole world is Hawaii so I could

see how they’d just want to fly the Hawaiian

flag as opposed to the American one next to

their name. But again, it’s kind of tough luck.

I may dislike America’s policies from time to

time, but when I travel I’m stuck claiming I’m

an American. What passports do John and

Keanu carry?

B: USA, but I’m fairly certain Fox makes

a pretty mean Rasta-centric Hawaiian

passport wallet that Keanu keeps his in for

traveling. But you do see this phenomenon

with other countries within the WSL trying to

be their own sovereign nations. The Basque

Country has its own abbreviation and the

Canary Islands do as well, when they’re clearly

both under Spanish rule. Puerto Rico has its

own and they have American passports, too.

What’s the sense in this? If Hawaii were to

join the USA within surfing, does that mean

all the separate spin-off nation states join

their motherlands? Perhaps the WSL is a

strong supporter of autonomous territories

and cultures?

C: I wish…but it’s probably completely and

utterly haphazard. It’s funny because I

remember when I lived in Australia, West Oz

often had a robust secessionist movement

because they sent all their mining dollars

east. I wonder if Taj Burrow or Yadin Nicol

would want to secede. The WSL has set such

a precedent that they would have to let them

do it. Which is totally silly and arbitrary. If it

weren’t so arbitrary and they had real reason

behind it, I could see. But it’s more like the

WSL is too afraid to stand up to Hawaii to

switch them over to the USA. Either nobody’s

made a stink about it or people have, but the

WSL is chicken. I am making a stink about it.

“One could

maybe say that

surfing existed

in Hawaii

before the

United States

was even a

country.”

B E A U F L E M I S T E R

May,

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B: Don’t you feel, though, that if the WSL

played into being more nationalistic and

rooting for the home flag, it could maybe

help some countries get more guys on tour?

Like, give the fans in that country something

to rally behind in surfing?

C: I think that with the Brazilian surf fans,

for instance, the whole title thing is so new

to them, so I can understand why they’re

so passionate and rabid. I think that’s cool

and they’ve got this huge presence on the

beach and it’s very patriotic and cute, but I

also think that after 20 titles, it’s gonna wear

off and the patriotism will fade and they will

focus on the individual like we’ve done for

the past 15 years. I’m sure right now it’s more

than that, though. Brazil is kind of a Third

World country, so to finally beat the, well,

whiter countries is a big deal. I get that.

B: Right. It’s new for them. I’d say any country

who hasn’t had a world champion after 50

years, they’re gonna rally as a nation.

C: But as far as nationalism in surfing goes,

I don’t know how much the WSL really plays

that card. I understand that it’s a reason to

watch and a reason for non-fans to be a part

of it. Especially with Brazilians finally winning

world titles, which took a long time. Maybe

they keep Hawaii “HAW” so that each nation

that they have the events in, it’s like come to

Brazil and cheer for Brazil, or come to Hawaii

and cheer for Hawaii. Like a travel agency.

B: It probably serves the WSL well for

multiple cheering interests. People cheering

for America, people cheering for Hawaii…

maybe they can go to Hawaii and sell a

Mason Ho, ali’i-bred enjoying the “Sport of Kings.” PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN


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Haole-Hawaiian, Hawaiian-Hawaiian, Hawaiian-American...who gives a shit? When it comes down to it, are we rooting for the man or hisnation? John Florence, a man adored by men of all nations,. Outer Reef, Hawaii. PHOTO: HANK

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“Let me put it this

way: I think thatAndy Irons is a

Hawaiian champion

in the same way

that Bil l Clinton

was the first black

president.” C H A S S M I T H

different package and the WSL-Hawaii can get

Hawaiian surfers involved in a different way for

contests that have a lot of local contestants.

Like the Xcel Pro, the Pipe Trials, the Volcom

Pipe Pro or the Triple Crown?

C: Sure, but I bet that if every last American

fell off tour and there were no more Americans

on, that the WSL would change Hawaii to USA

because then who would non-surfing fans in

America cheer for?

B: Baseball’s still popular and aren’t they all

just Dominicans?

C: [laughs] When it comes down to it, who

really gives a shit? Maybe Brazilian surfers cheer

for Brazilians, but whether John John is under

HAW or USA, American surfers don’t care, they

just care about John John, the individual. I don’t

think American surfers care what country the

best surfers are from, I think they just have their

favorite surfer, not a favorite national team,

right? I mean, do you give a shit?

B: About what surfer is under which country?

Absolutely not.

C: I mean, do you even care within a heat? Do

you have your heart pulled slightly one way or

another based on the nationality?

B: Nah. I’m always just hoping John John —

the individual — advances. Even when he’s

blown it in Round 3 and isn’t in the comp

anymore…I’m still hoping his night goes well

and he advances…like, socially, at least.


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BLURRING DREAM AND REALITY DURING A WEEK IN

PORTUGAL WITH AMERICA’S LATEST CT QUALIF IER

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R I C A R D O B R A V O

KANOA IGARASHI

B Y B R E N D A N B U C K L E Y

M a d e i n t h e U S A


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May,

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Turn by turn, wall by wall. Kanoa is quicklylearning the way of the lightweight power surfer.

IT’S 11 A.M. IN PORTUGAL. THE BOYS ARE JUST WAKING UP.

The boys, in this case, are Kanoa Igarashi, Leonardo Fioravanti and Matt Passaquindici.

They went out last night and didn’t come home until late. Or early, depending on how

you look at it. It was 6 a.m. when they finally laid their heads to rest. And now, bedroom

doors are locked, windows are closed, waves are going without suitors and the whole

world is being ignored.

You can’t really blame them.

They’re young. And pro surfers. They have a decent amount of money, a relative amount

of fame. Everybody wants to be their friend. Plus, there’s a casino nearby, right in the

middle of some ancient street that’s now lined with modern clubs. Music’s loud. Drinks

are cheap. 6 a.m. always comes too soon.

After some prodding, the boys awaken from their linen tombs. And suddenly, I’m

caught off guard.

Their eyes aren’t glassed over. None of them complain of a headache. They aren’t

even limping? I’m confused. Where I come from, a night that stretches until that hour

leaves a man looking and feeling like he’d just left war. But Kanoa and his friends are

shockingly…fine.

We load up the car — to the beach, finally — and I wonder how they’re not hungover.

Turns out they didn’t drink very much. The girls were standoffish so they only danced a

little. Maybe they played a few hands of blackjack, but it was all pretty mellow.

This is a normal night out, they explain. Partying, for them, rarely involves excessive

indulgence. I can’t tell if they’re innocent or responsible, but it doesn’t feel like both.

We arrive at a little beachbreak. It looks fun, so wetsuits are thrown on in a zipper-free

frenzy — the Portuguese winter has a way of reminding you to change as efficiently as

possible. They surf long and they surf well.

I’m beginning to realize that Kanoa isn’t the type of 18-year-old I’m familiar with.

HIS PARENTS WERE YOUNG WHEN THEY MOVED.

His mother, Misa, was a popular yoga teacher back in Tokyo and was offered a job inCalifornia. Pops, Tomatsuri, is the owner of a very fine cutback and came along for the

ride. They decided to give the USA a shot and never looked back. Some years later, out

came Kanoa. Turns out America is a great place to raise a surfer.

“My first memories of surfing all revolve around my dad,” Kanoa says. “I actually

remember him brushing me when I was super young. [laughs] Surfing was something

that he liked to do with his friends for fun and I don’t think he wanted the responsibility

of taking a little kid out there. That fired me up so much. He finally taught me once I was

old enough to learn, and I remember wanting to get really good at it and prove to him

that I could hang.”

“YOU LOOK AT A GUY

LIKE ADRIANO DE

SOUZA. HE WEIGHS

LESS THAN ME AND

HE FIGURED IT OUT.”


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Kanoa speaks three languages and has two citizenships, but he only has onehome (and no, it’s not the tube).


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He could. Kanoa quickly be

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Surfing - May 2016