freesurfmagazine.com

This Issue

Cover Story: Frequent Flyer

By Noa Myers

Casey Brown is a fan of frequent flying. While traveling ten months out of the year he moves his lanky frame in a slick, creative fashion to slide through deep, warping tubes, wrap turns in the pocket and soar high above the lip. His smooth surfing has earned him some impressive competitive achievements and he’s become pretty comfortable posing on the podium. With a WQS 2-star under his belt, he’s hungry for a 6-star and eventually the WCT.

What motivates this up and coming competitive talent and influences his progressive surfing? He’ll modestly tell you that it’s his friends that drive him the most. This may seem odd to any aspiring pro surfer-to-be who grew up stoking on Momentum and Loose Change. Normally it’s Machado, Robb, Taj or Kelly rather than the hometown posse, but growing up surfing with the likes of Dusty Payne, Tonino Benson and Torrey Meister (and with his neighbor island acquaintances like Clay Marzo, Mason Ho and Kyle Ramey) has forced Casey to strive far beyond normal to develop and progress at the same rate as his freakish friends.

After all his traveling, getting barreled from Indo to Tahiti and winning contests from Cali to Europe, Casey still prefers Hawai`i over any exotic destination. “I’m really looking forward to posting up on the North Shore this winter and surfing Pipe and Off The Wall,” he admits. Must be something in the water.

ON THE COVER: Casey Brown
PHOTO: Heff

Resurrecting Bruce Irons

Surfing’s Anti-Hero Makes his Second Act
By Jeff Mull

At 29 years old, Bruce Irons is turning over a new leaf in his life by creating a new beginning for himself. He’s stepping off the World Tour, and in the process, revolutionizing professional surfing by opting to spend his time pushing himself over the ledge for the cameras rather than the ASP judges. Welcome to Bruce’s new world…the future of professional surfing.

Whatevas - Eli Olson

Who? Him? Me? Me? Him?

Hawai‘i surfers have been doubling as stuntmen and even actors since Duke Kahanamoku rode a nine-year Hollywood wave beginning in 1926. Many have followed in his footsteps: Gerry Lopez, Laird Hamilton and Mike Latronic worked on North Shore, Derrick Doerner wiped out at Waimea Bay for Point Break and Kala Alexander, Megan Abubo and Rochelle Ballard killed it in Blue Crush. The latest movie to hit the outdoor set of the North Shore, a Stephen King eco-carnage flick, has enlisted the help of the talented grom Eli Olson.

Training Secrets of the North Shore Lifeguards

Run, Swim, Run, Breath
By Siri Masterson

Hawai‘i, in all her beauty, can have extreme mood swings—in a matter of hours ocean conditions can go from playful and manageable to extremely dangerous. The isolated island chain is respected by lifeguards around the world as a unique place to guard, because of the challenges and unpredictability of the ocean. It’s not surprising then that the Hawai‘i Ocean Safety Officer must go through rigorous physical (and mental) training to be prepared for anything.

Grom Report: Ezekiel Lau

Grom Report

Ezekiel Lau is one of those kids who doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t have to, he lets his surfing do the talking. When Zeke does have something to say, he’s articulate and witty. A Kamehameha student, he’s definitely all there. Zeke is known for his fins-free surfing and his shaved head, a testament to his determination to win Nationals. Keeping that dome glowing must be a daily ritual. Respectful of his elders and peers, Zeke can be seen hitting lips and pulling in from Kewalos to Bowls on a daily basis. Right, left, lip hits and airs, he’s a staple on the south shore all summer and known to put his time in the water at Pipe and other various locales all winter. Zeke’s holding a nice bag of tricks and with his focus on surfing backed up by classroom knowledge spilling out from his ears, he’s ready to grow his hair. —Tony Heff

Jamie Sterling emigrates to the Mexican Pipeline

Vierno Caliente

Jamie Sterling has accomplished a lot in his 27 years on this planet, and this summer he saw yet another dream to fruition, trekking down to Puerto Escondido and literally shacking up for a couple months in the fabled mainland Mexican town. Leaving nothing to chance, he came equipped to make use of his time both in and out of the water, with all the toys necessary for a pro surfer in this era to surf, train, tow in and just kick back in style.

Inside Section

Press Play: The Junior Lifeguard Movie

There’s only one man who can roll blue carpet into the sickest Pipeline barrel you’ve ever seen. Andrew Miller, better known as Drewtoonz (Dawn of the Stone Age and Surf Skool), recently released his latest animated surf movie, The Junior Lifeguard Movie, a comical educational water safety flick sponsored by the North Shore Lifeguard Association. In beautiful Hollywood surf movie satire, the movie’s main character, Tommy Stone, little brother of Hawai‘i pro surfer Johnny Stone, wins $500 at an amateur surfing event in his home state New Jersey, and travels in July to O‘ahu to surf the big waves of the North Shore.

Rob Johnston Surf Movie Premiere

Robin’s Randoms

When you hear of a new surf movie premier, names like Taylor Steele, Jack McCoy and companies like Quiksilver and Billabong come to mind. The surf flick industry is like an epic day at Pipe, uber crowded and only the big names getting waves. Robin Johnston, a local shaper on the North Shore of O‘ahu, paddled out into the surf movie lineup and dropped into a macker as he brought his wealth of surfari adventures abroad with underground surf talents to a big projector screen at Jazz Minds on Sunday, September 21. The O‘ahu surf community gathered together in seldom fashion to rock out to Plumpüs and witness the deep barrels and filthy hacks in Robin’s first surf flick, properly named Randoms. —Noa Myers

Ed notes – November

The Sanctity of Solitude

On my way to and from the FreeSurf office I pass by one of the best reefbreaks on the windward side of O‘ahu. It picks up everything from north to east swells and receives healthy doses of trade swell on a regular basis. The barrier reef is way out there so it always looks small and shitty from the shore, which is an added bonus as most salivating surfers keep the pedal to the metal and fly right on by and up to the North Shore.

Popular

Login