Glad you liked it Gargoyle.
I don’t think Laird was prepared for how heavy that wave got on him. In the one still picture I posted you can see him desperately trying to keep from pearling as that thing squares off in front of him. A few weeks previous to that a Tahitian pro had died at that spot on a wave about a third that size. He went over into the reef headfirst. He didn’t drown, he was ripped apart. Laird knew he had pushed it beyond where even he wanted to go with that wave. The man who has probably ridden bigger, meaner waves than anyone on the planet kicked out of that wave, sat in the channel and cried.
I have 3 classifications of big wave rider mentality.
The first is the most common. It is done for glory, respect, and these days, money. These are the guys who go out in monster surf, but only when the lighting is good and there are cameras in the water or on the beach. Many of the current pros are in this situation. They force themselves to ride in conditions that they would avoid if there were no witnesses. They are sponsored and their sponsors expect them to be in the thick of it. They have photo incentives, which mean with every published photo they receive a bonus.
People in this category can be world class, but its based on experience and ability. It is not done for the sheer love of it. Although this group can excel, they will never be the pinnacle of what is happening.
The second is the category that Laird fits into. They will do it with no witnesses, no publicity, no cameras, for nothing more than the sheer love of the process. I have watched Laird and I believe Buzzy K. doing tow ins at outer reefs where they are alone. The only way I saw it was through a high-powered telescope from the hill. There are no helicopters, no cameras, no glory, and still they do it. Because they WANT it. Life without it is not worth living. These are the guys that are setting the standards. As I got older I became more comfortable in larger and larger surf, but at those upper reaches it was never what I would call ‘fun.” The best part, for me, was getting out of the water in one piece with your buddies and dissecting what had occurred over a few beers. For me the charge occurred with simply surviving it. The guys at the top of it are the guys who LOVE the process of pushing over the edge of an elevator shaft.
My third category is what I would call the “no brain, no pain” group. I have a childhood friend and rival that still seems to average a cover shot and a center spread every year at pipe. His physical capabilities are incredible and he is probably one of the most naturally talented athletes I have ever encountered. He is also as dumb as a fence post. He has flat told me “I have never seen a wave that scares me.” I have heard other people make that claim, but I don’t buy it. With him, I do. You can see it. He is totally relaxed, fluid and grinning in situations where some of the best surfers in the world are in tense crouches running for their lives. He believes he is invincible, so he is.
I showed that same video to my 8-year-old son, who is a beginning surfer. His first comment was, “he’s crazy!” After he watched it a couple of more times he turned to me and said “you DON”T surf waves like that.” LOL! It wasn’t a question, it was a command….. from an eight year old.
During the El Nino winter I had kind of an epiphany in some triple overhead stuff. I took off behind the peak and committed to the thing and a guy dropped in on me on the opposite side and never hit his turn. He just went straight down. I tried to straighten out but when I looked behind me and up I could see that there was no way I was going to get out from under the lip. I bailed off the tail, got no penetration, and got beat up a bit. When I finally came up, I barely got a breath before the next one came down on my head. They guy in front of me had his board broken and he was swept out of the impact zone pretty quickly (prick!) I on the other hand was anchored right there taking wave after wave on my head. I wouldn’t say I was in danger of dying, but the possibility was crossing my mind. What hit me was how a father of two could be so selfish as to jeopardize his life for something as unimportatant as this. That was it for me. I consider that to be the moment I lost my edge in that type of surf. I made it to the rip and I did paddle back out. I simply could not leave with my tail between my legs. But that was it. I sold my 9’6” gun. I still have an 8’4” gun, but if I need anything bigger than that, I’m done. “A man has got to know his limitations.” (Cool Hand Luke?)
Suddenly it occurs to me that maybe some of these same mindsets are applicable to NHB fighters or Boxers. Some are there for the money, the glory and shot at being somebody. Others are there because they have no choice. It’s what they are inside; it’s what they have to do. They would do it for free.
At this point we can probably shift into a discussion of gameness in fighters, surfers and dogs. LOL! Where’s you brother?
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