QS: Let’s talk about the pretty crazy thing that happened to your house a few months ago. How is everything now?
I own a beach house on the North Shore near Sunset Beach and this year we had a unique wind and swell coming through in summer. The big north came and Shane Dorian and all those guys flew in to Maui to score big waves. Meanwhile I was in France and my house was getting hammered by this swell with no sand to protect it. The pool was undermined completely and half of it cracked off and fell 15 feet to the bedrock. At first I thought it was an internet joke and somebody had computer generated that stuff. But then my sister facetimed me and said, ‘Oh look, the news is on’ and showed me my house on the news. It was crazy.
QS: So you’re still living there?
Yeah, I’m still living there, it’s all good. I also rent it out – Gabe Medina was staying there when I was in Australia and he was training and surfing.
QS: Tell us about your expectations for this season. Obviously, you’ve started pretty well at the Quik Pro. Congrats.
I’m really excited about this year. The last three years I’ve been a really low seed, but last year I was able to fight back and bump myself up. In the first couple of rounds I’m not surfing against the top five, now I’ll get a top six guy.
I don’t want to say they’re easier to beat because everyone’s really good but … they’re easier to beat than Kelly and Mick and those guys. [laughs] So I’m really excited about my seed, the way my boards are working and the way I feel.
QS: You’re pretty comfortable in front of a microphone. Ever think about doing something with it?
I love karaoke but I’m a terrible singer. [laughs] I like being in front of a microphone and a camera and my voice being heard. A lot people in the surfing world would know, I’m pretty outspoken about anything I want to bring up.
QS: You’re a very competitive animal, you love competing. Where do you see yourself in a few years?
In the next three years, I want to give it a good crack and solidify my spot in surfing history. I know I’m probably not going to win a World Title but I have been here for 10 years and I think that’s a great feat. I want to be able to show to other kids coming up, if you’re not the best junior in the world, shredding and winning every event it doesn’t mean you can’t have a long, prosperous career. You can do it if you put your mind to it and just stay on your game.
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