Are you still active in surfing today, and what types of boards do you use on a regular basis?

I am very active in surfing now. I surf about four to five times a week. Living in San Clemente where there are nine breaks within five minutes of each other and very consistent all year round. Although the surf in this area only breaks over 8' a few times a year, you can find surf at least 300 days of the year. I use about five different boards on a regular basis; two 10' small wave longboards, a 8'8" semi-gun, 10'6" gun and 11'2" fun board. I prefer to ride a longboard here in California due to the smaller surf. I love to noseride and the thin, glassy morning surf here offer a premium ride for that purpose.

I spend a lot of time at the Point at San Onofre where the surf is very consistent, mellow and family oriented with predominately longboarders. There's no real contention in the water, and everyone has a good time. I'm the current president of the Hawaiian Surf Club of San Onofre, a 12-year old surf club designed to perpetuate surfing and Hawaii's culture, and we meet every Sunday for a relaxing day at the beach. We host an annual Polynesian festival and luau in San Clemente over the Memorial Day Holiday to share and perpetuate Hawaii's culture and the Aloha spirit with everyone here in southern California. It's become a very popular event over the years. In addition, our club makes an annual trip to Hawaii every year to surf and relax on the north shore of Oahu. It's become like one large extended family…Check it out on the web at www.hawaiiansurfclub.com and be sure to click on the "Talk Story" section. There are some hilarious stories to enjoy there.

There has been a major resurgence in longboards during the 90's and now especially with the 70's-style, heavy weight, noseriders with volan cloth and single fins. Why do think this board design has become so popular now?

In the 60's and 70's, one of the most important aspects in surfing was style. If you wanted to improve your surfing, you had to demonstrate your experience and control by looking smooth. Casually turning, walking to the nose to trim and then back to the tail before cutting back and then repeating the process. As your surfing progressed you would ride each wave as if it were like a choreographed dance. The best surfers always rode with the smoothest style and repertoire. They stood out from the crowd with their casual elegance and always looked so poised and in control. You would carefully studied your surfing idols and try to mimic all of their moves and developed your own style. You practiced the same maneuvers over and over again until you could perform the entire dance without hesitation or jerky movements. You learned how to pull out over the top of the wave and glide slowly to a stop while reversing the direction of your board so it pointed back to the lineup as you casually dropped down to the prone position to paddle back out to the takeoff area. You would slowly develop your own personal surfing style by combining all the best maneuvers from all the surfers you admired. All the good surfers did this. It was just part of the flow in surfing.

If you watch Joel Tudor, currently one of the best longboarders in the world, you will see elegant Longboard surfing at its finest. Joel Tudor has spent years developing his own surfing choreography into a precise, flowing wavedance. His super-smooth, graceful style has developed a huge following among longboarders everywhere, and you can see young surfers trying to emulate his technique, coordination and style.
Joel has been one of the leading proponents to usher back the 60's style mastery and has helped put real soul back into surfing.

What is your opinion on tow-in surfing in search for larger waves?

Tow-in surfing has opened up an entirely new horizon in riding big waves without question. It has magnified the requirements for being fully prepared to ride the outer reefs. It takes an intense commitment to physical training, special equipment and boards, partner relationship, and a vast expanse of knowledge that can only come from first hand experience.

In 1996 I was hired to scout the top big wave riders in Hawaii for a feature film, called In God's Hands. I helped to arrange a session at Jaws with Maui hellmen Laird Hamilton, Derrick Doerner, Dave Kalama, Rush Randle, Buzzy Kerbox and Pete Cabrinha. I flew over from Honolulu to Maui with Brian Keaulana, Brock Little, Mike Stewart and a cameraman and we drove out to Peahi. We stood on the edge of the cliffs watching these guys tow-in to perfect 18 - 25-foot Jaws for over an hour. Neither Brian, Brock nor Mike had ever surfed there and they paid close attention to the whole set up. Then we drove back to the launch area and met the Maui crew there for their lunch break. Laird and Derrick were extremely serious about surfing Jaws and reviewed all the safety procedures to be followed with all of us. They emphasized Jaws was a real life and death situation and didn't want any showboating going on out there. I can't over-emphasize their seriousness about tow-in surfing Jaws, and I respect them for it.

After lunch they all headed out the small boat harbor on jet skis and several auxiliary boats for Jaws. I drove back to help set up the cameras with our crew. For next two hours someone in the group rode every wave that came through Jaws. One of the teeth-clinching moments came when Mike Stewart was towed into his first wave, a giant 20-footer on his boogie board. Everyone on the cliff held their breath as he left go of the tow rope and bounced three times to the bottom of the wave, and then got completely tubed before popping out on to the shoulder. It was an awesome wave.

Another chilling ride came when both Brian and Brock were both towed into a 25- foot monster. Brian was on the shoulder and Brock on the inside. Brock faded too deep into the pocket and as he made his bottom turn he knew there was no way he could make it out. So, he just pulled up high right into the pocket as the whole thing buried him and he was snuffed like a rag doll. He was held down and dragged for nearly 60 underwater and finally surfaced. He was picked up by Billy, one of the jet ski drivers and towed out into the channel while his board was trashed on the rocky shoreline. Watching the entire wipeout from the cliff, I wasn't sure Brock would be able to pull through all that punishment, but thank God he did.

From Brock's mishap I learned how important your ski-driving partner is to setting the takeoff up and your survival. If he drives too deep, you're history! On the north shore when the outer reefs are breaking, sometimes an outside set will break a hundred yards farther out than the last one. You've got to be prepared for this to happen all the time when the surf gets super-big. It takes a great deal of practice, area familiarity and seamanship. It's dead serious stuff. Your survival depends on it.

I worry over the growing probability for accidents as more surfers venture out into the realm of extreme surfing due to a number of reasons like inexperience, faulty equipment and a disregard for safety precautions. It seems the fantasy challenge for big wave hunters to tow into bigger and bigger waves will continue as will the personal liability factor. The raw natural power behind waves with 60 to 70-foot faces leaves very little room for error to survive.

Your life as a surfer has covered several decades. When do you feel was the best decade to be a surfer?

That's very difficult to answer. I think every surfer has an indelible mental and emotional imprint etched into his or her memory bank of his or her very first wave. For me Waikiki will always have a special place in my heart and memory. There's so much history there and it's so beautiful sitting out in the ocean and looking back at lush Manoa valley and seeing the brilliant colors of the rainbows against the glistening sun...What a majestic sight that is!

For anyone asked this question, it becomes very personal regardless of the particular time frame they choose. Surfing is very personal. That's exactly what separates surfing from all the other sports. It's all up to you as an individual. There's no team or other players to always consider. It's you, your board and the ocean and no one can take that personal aspect away from you. For me it was back in the early 50's riding a redwood plank across the inside reef at Baby Queens in Waikiki and watching the fish swim by as I walked on water. I'll own that moment forever.

You have been praised by many for the influence and contributions you have made to the art of riding waves. How does it make you feel to be so well recognized? What do you feel has been your greatest contribution? The Paul Strauch Cheater Five?

I haven't the faintest clue on how to answer this question. Having surfed through the surfboard evolution from redwood planks, hollow boards, balsa, foam and new super light composites and all the design improvements, I can say it's been personally fulfilling in every respect. Learning to smile while using body weight displacement and physical coordination to functionally maneuver a long, heavy object to stay in the critical part of the wave while trying to appear in complete control has been my objective since a child. I guess that's it…that's my answer. Surf with a smile. Yes, if I can be remembered for one thing it would be my smile. You can't have fun without smiling, can you?

Who do you feel is the most influential surfer today?

There are so many surfers who are considered leaders of the sport today. I admire all of them for their incredible skills, dedication and raw talent in all types of surf. Right now without question, one of these surfing icons has to be Kelly Slater. He's super-human when it comes to surfing skills. His dexterity, timing and talent is truly awesome. Now he's also venturing into the extreme realm of super large surf, too. He's definitely capable of taking small wave performance surfing to an entirely new level in big surf. Just watch him. He's already there!

Do you have any advice for today's surfers?

Yes I do. Remember the thrill of your first wave. It's the essence of surfing. Find that feeling every time you ride a wave so you can laugh out loud because you're doing what you love. And… Smile! It's contagious!

May 25 / 2001

Mike Brock exclusive interview for Surfersvillage.com
Pictures courtesy of Robertaugust.com