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In this two part special Gerry talks Pipeline, his time in Oz and discovering the waves off Indonesia and much more. |
Gerry Lopez, Manly Beach, 2012. Pic: natesmithphoto
The hour I spent talking with Gerry Lopez for this interview is without doubt the highlight of my career as a surf journalist. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing the likes of Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, and even the late great Michael Peterson, to name a few, but Gerry, with his cool demeanour, and welcoming Aloha spirit, was so innately rich and uncomplicated an interview that I just can’t seem to top it. Despite his obvious agenda, he has a book to spruik [Surf Is Where You Find It] we had an open discussion void of even a hint of self-promotion. There was no obvious attempt by Gerry to mention his book, or his publisher/sponsor Patagonia. I’d liken the experience to being granted an audience with a surfing father Christmas – as weird as that sounds. Imagine if after praying at the oceanic alter for 30 years it (surfing) finally spoke back to you? It was that profound. Now the last thing he’d want is to be put on a pedestal (too late?), but I can honestly say that as a human being, as a recognised elder among the surfing tribes, he is everything you’d hope him to be and less. Yes, less. He was not distant, he was not arrogant, he certainly doesn’t buy into his own press and he was less inclined to talk at me than to listen – a rare case in the surfing world. Less is certainly more when it comes to Gerry (and his surfing). Does he drop in a bit out in the waves? Apparently. But after spending some time talking story with the man they call Mr Pipeline I can unequivocally say the guy’s a living legend… For more reasons than ruling one surf spot alone.
In this two part special we talk about the criticalness of surfing Pipeline, his time in Australia in the seventies and discovering the waves off Indonesia with his friends… There are also tiger stories, spilled blood, slow and fast boats, making movies and the art of telling a good story.
Get deep with Mr Gerry Lopez and Tracksmag.com
There’s rumours going, Gerry, that you got barrelled at Manly while you were here?
I’ve always loved it here [Manly Beach]. In 1970 when we came down for the world titles (which was held down south), we came here with Baddy Treloar [David], his mother had a flat down here and we stayed for ten days or so and surfed every day. And we built some boards in Brookvale and then went up the coast – but I really have fond memories of that first day here at Manly. We ended up down in Lorne (in Victoria), and we were in the bush basically. So this was really my first introduction to Sydney and I loved it. And I’ve always had an affinity with Manly since back then – and that was a long time ago…
And you’re back again?
Yeah, man, and it’s great coming back. And everything’s going well, unlike one of my first trips out here…
Can you elaborate?
I was surfing Whale Beach with Terry Fitzgerald, and he, you know, had been showing me around. It was early on my trip – I’d only been in Sydney for a few days. We’d taken off on a wave together and proceeded to cross each other’s wake. He’d go high, I’d go low – you know the deal. Fitzy, banked into a cutback and rode right into me… speared the nose of his board deep into my leg. Obviously it was an accident, but I was left with a big hole in my thigh. He drove me to the hospital. It was [pause] painful. For that early trip that was that. I went straight home.
Stitches?
Oh, yeah. It was really a deep wound. The thing swoll up so bad – it was not pretty.
You surfed with Tommy Carroll, yesterday – is he someone (despite your radically different approaches to surfing a wave) that you have a surfing kinship with?
We got a long relationship – he’s quite a surfer, you know – quite a guy too.
Mr Pipeline.
How would you describe the difference in your approaches to surfing Pipeline?
To describe it simply – my style, I did nothing – his style, he did everything [laughter]. I think he was more of the power style; he had those thighs and did those turns – pretty amazing. I got bird legs! (Mine) was nowhere even close to his style, but I guess we were both goofy-foots and that’s where the similarities end.
You both drew lines that allowed for deep tube rides at Pipeline though?
You can’t help it. Right from the beginning, when I started surfing there that was the one thing that really stood out in my mind. When you were padding out looking into the pit you really wondered ‘how you could keep a surfboard in a wave like that?’… Cause more than any wave out there on the North Shore, it was so hollow, the cavern was so big, the wall was so steep and concaved. It didn’t seem like a surfboard would ride anywhere but at the very bottom. Of course as you did it more you learnt where the places were that you could get away with putting a surfboard – but still it was kind of limited. And of course when Tommy came along thrusters were pretty big then, and that allowed you to press up higher on the face then we’d ever been able to on single fins. But generally, to draw the tube line at Pipe it’s almost always the same line. Once you’re got your angle it’s more about how fast you can go to get across that section than anything else… The lip pitches out so far – it doesn’t matter that you’re at the bottom of the wave, you don’t need to be up high to surf the tube. You just had to go fast and cross that distance before it all collapses on you.
Humour me hear for a moment, as I’m no expert – but I really don’t think people fully understand how daunting the take off at Pipeline is until they’ve surfed it (or at least tried). Seen from a distance (on film or from the beach) it appears to be a perfect left… Not till I surfed there as an 18-year-old green horn and looked down the vertical face and saw those onion rings did I get it.
It’s critical man. It’s a powerful wave and when you take off there that moment is so compressed. Success or failure is based precisely on that moment! And if you don’t get that moment right! You’re fucked! [Sardonic laughter]
Gerry, Manly SUP session. Pic: Sproutdaily.com
Did you ever go right at Pipe? Backdoor?
Hardly ever… You know what’s really interesting is that at the first, I don’t know how many? But a lot, Pipe Masters contests – if you went right you weren’t even scored! The judges were all down the beach on the left [at Ehukai Beach Park]. It just didn’t count if you went right! Of course that’s all changed nowadays, and most of the contests there are being won by a guys getting a last minute ride right. Pipeline was always (back in my day) considered a left.
What John John Florence and Jamie O’Brien and the like do at not only Backdoor, but Pipe too, must make you proud to be Hawaiian?
The way these guys have been able to make the backside take off more effective than a lot of the frontsiders (at Pipeline) – grab the rail, almost not even stand up, and be able to take that drop almost like a kneeboarder, or even a boogie boarder – you know there was one point there at The Pipeline where the boogie boarders were really starting to rule the place because they could take on the wave much later, they didn’t have to stand up. Being able to take the wave so late – like I said – that critical moment on a surfboard is so heavy, if you don’t connect with that moment on a surfboard you gotta let that wave go! Sometimes it’s already too late and the waves already got you! It’s no use putting on the breaks you’re still going to go over.
I could talk about Pipeline all day, but I do want to ask you specifically about the Aussies who visited the North Shore in the early seventies. In an interview that appeared in Tracks’ in 1973 fellow Hawaiian Buzzy Trent described them (Aussies) as, “Aggressive…” While you, quote, said, “I think the reason they [Australian’s] do so well here is before they get here they hype themselves up so much about doing good that by the time they are here they just plug in…” Now, do you still think that attitude rings true?
They’re just going for it! Originally that was the nature in general. It was a generalisation of the Australians coming to Hawaii – and I think that a lot of other people that are coming to Hawaii today have learnt that. That’s a good way to be – if you want to be successful. So they’ve taken that – that’s kinda the way to do it.
Not that you want that attitude on land, but if you’re going to paddle for a wave don’t go at it at only eighty percent?
That inner drive that you have, you’re either going to not do it – or go all the way. Just like you said – 100 percent.
One particular Aussie that affected your life was Wayne Lynch who tipped you off about the waves and culture of Bali?
Yeah, Wayne went in ’73 and I told me about it and I went in ’74. There was a picture of him Dick Hoole had taken that Jack McCoy had at this restaurant in Torquay. It featured Wayne, looking very Wayne, like, up high in the lip, you know, real critical position but just beautifully poised there kinda pressed up, and I thought, “Wow, where is that?” And they told me, “Uluwatu!” Shit! We’re going.
Gerry and Wayne Lynch, book tour talk, 2012. Pic: Patagonia
I was lucky enough to visit in ’86 and it was magical, but going through the Ulu’ cave in ’74 must have been like going through a wormhole?
Man, every time we did it. And the surf never went below six feet! It only went up!?! I’d never seen anything like it. Myself, Jeff Hackman and Jack McCoy, every morning we’d go out there – for three of four days in a row, and then the next morning I’d come in and say, “Hey, let’s go!” You, know because we were staying in Kuta. I’d already walked out the front to see the reef [Kuta Reef] pumping. “It’s gotta be good, let’s go!” And Jeff would say, “Nah, I’m not going out today – I’m sleeping.” I didn’t want to go by myself… In fact I couldn’t, cause we only had a motorbike and someone had to sit on the back and hold the boards [laughing]. So I’d say, “Alright”, and go out and surf Kuta Reef and the next day I’d ask again and they’d be all, “Okay, we’ll go back.” It was too much – it was too intense. That was the beginning of a very very long and involved affair with me, Bali and definitely G-Land.
The culture is powerful and beautiful in Bali, how did it affect you?
It was magnificent. It was easiest culture to just slide into, become a part of and never want to leave. Back then immigration would only give you six weeks – that was it. And we’d stay right to the very end, leave and then come back again. We never wanted to leave.
Is Bali well represented in your own home?
Oh, yeah. There’s definitely some kind of magic about it.
So, there’s a little piece of Bali in Oregon where you live now?
Yeah! Especially in my mind…
PART 2 Coming Soon: Discovering Padang Padang, Grajagan and the best tiger story ever.
Surf Is Where You Find It is a fabulous read and avalible from all good book stores or at Patagonia
