Santa Cruz is an environmentalist town. Not just because of the hippies. But everything. The trees.  Giant primordial redwoods that used come all the way down to the shore. And the coast. There is no Newport Beach two miles away. No Huntington Beach and its hot sand silicone enhanced breast. There are no parking meters. Farmers with shotguns to keep you off of their land.

Oh yes.    

And it’s a radical town.

From its history with Huey Newton and Angela Davis at the university to the surf scene down on the cliffs, people have always carved their own path. In the early days the Petersen brothers went to Hawaii and ruled. Richard Schmidt and Vince Collier controlled the eighties with a mixture of grace and explosive anger. The nineties were blazed with the meth infused big wave aerial charging of Flea and the crew of vermin that really opened up Santa Cruz to the outside world.     

Into this path comes Kyle Thiermann.

People often talk about how a certain surfer blends the different styles of others and makes them their own. Well Kyle has taken all the elements of his hometown and made himself into one of the most unique pro surfers the world has ever known. Not only doe he charge, blazing through giant Mexican barrels, he also bust airs through the slop like any other pro. 

But he is not just like any other pro. 

He’s a critical thinker.

He has taken advantage of his situation of privilege. One of the great things about being a pro is it affords you the luxury of traveling to amazing places. As is the case in many of these locations, the surrounding areas suffer from many problems. Abject poverty. Disease. Pollution. Environmental degradation. Too many to list here.

Most of us have learned to pass over these problems we encounter in the hopes that we will never be affected. And pro surfers are no different. Most pass the injustices and head straight for the surf.

Well one day, while on such a trip to Chile, Kyle stopped ignoring. He opened his eyes and he took action. Since that trip he has started many campaigns that have seen an incredible amounts of success. From his website and videos on Youtube to his talks at Ted conferences, he has truly become the change he wants to see in the world.  

.                           

Cold Waters Press sat down with Kyle to find out “How Does He Do What He Does?     

    

Questions for Kyle           

CWP: Surfers often talk of mentors, people who have helped them along the way, are there others outside of the surfing world that inspired you? Activists, politicians, visionaries who helped you see things differently.                                                                                                                                 

My friend Kyle Buthman is a killer filmmaker and has taught me a lot about moviemaking, Annie Leonard (Story of Stuff) inspires me with her web movies. My parents are documentary filmmakers and they push me for sure. Joe Rogan and Shane Smith (Vice) are to of my non-surfing heroes.                        

CWP:  One of the criticisms of the youth today is their apathy, or unwillingness to get involved and do something for positive change. You are making a career out of being active and showing others how to be active. What inspired you to do this, to be the change you want to see in the world?                          

I’ve always dug traveling and surfing and through that it set me on the course I’m on now. Ever since I was big enough to carry my own board bag my parents would take me on trips to places like Mexico, Peru, a lot of poor surf destinations in Latin America. When I was on these trips I remember my Mom and Dad would make a point to have me interact with locals there. They would tell me, “Kyle, these people are just like you, you were just born in Santa Cruz and they were born in Peru so they weren’t given the same advantages as you.” That helped me develop the mindset that given my unique position as a pro surfer, if I could help, then I should.

CWP:  One of the problems with activists in the past has been their inability to go from criticism to pro-active action. One of the great things about your work is you give people concrete steps they can take. How did this come about, how were you able to see solutions when others have only seen problems?  

It pisses me off when people stop at the problem, I think it some ways it does more harm than good because it makes people feel hopeless. I recognize that we’re up against some serious problems, but I’m also excited about the fact that people are figuring out ways to innovate out of these problems. I’d like to cover the solutions because they’re more fun.                                                                                        

CWP:  Most pro surfers only worry about where to do a turn on the wave so they can get the “cover shot”, you have evolved the notion of pro far beyond that. What made you want to do this? Wouldn’t it be easier just to kick it on the beach and worry about work out routines?                                                  

To be perfectly honest I get stir-crazy if I don’t exercise my mind. I love to surf when the waves are good, but if the waves are crappy and everyone’s just sitting around doing nothing I have a hard time with that. I really can’t imagine living a life where I didn’t push my mind. Then again, sometimes just surfing and cruising with friends is fun too.                                                                                           

CWP:  You have a series on Youtube called Surfing for Change, how did this get started and do you find this as an effective way to get messages to a large audience?                                                        

Yup, Youtube the site gets a billion unique views per month so I’d say it’s a pretty effective platform to get a message across. Here’s how I started the first project:                                                                    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQIt2JUF-sg                                                                                    

CWP:  Now for a surfing question, surfers love their boards and trying out new designs. Despite the many changes in design over the last twenty years the thruster remains the predominant design ridden, can anything replace it? If not, what designs are you most excited about?                                             

I’m really excited about quads right now! I’ve been going down to Puerto Escondido a lot recently and I just changed my quiver to quads and I feel like they give me about 20% more squirt off the bottom into barrels than thrusters. But my Santa Cruz quiver is still pretty much all thrusters. I’m actually trying to ride bigger boards right now to help smooth out my style.                                                                        

CWP: There have been many changes in the surf industry over the last fifteen years. From computer shaping to the rise of the Asian mass produced market, surfing has gone global and expanded far beyond the local companies they once were. How does an activist, professional surfer like yourself get your message across to the businesses’ behind the surf industry?                                                                        

I made a conscious effort to associate with specific companies in the surf industry and steer clear of others. I am stoked to surf for Patagonia, Clif Bar, Pac Wave, and Sector 9 because they all do business in a way that reflects my values. If I put a sticker on my board I want to feel good about the brand I’m representing. These companies are not scared to make bold statements, which I need because Surfing For Change is a bold series and I need my sponsors to stand by me when I release these videos.

  

CWP:  One of the first projects you worked on was changing your bank to a local one which became very successful. What about your method is so effective at getting people involved and not just bitching on Facebook?                                                                                                                                            

I guess I try to give simple solutions that people can act on.                                                                   

CWP:  What are some of the issues you see as most pressing and what other new projects you do have coming up?                                                                                                                                               

Stand Up Paddle Boards, haha! I don’t know how we’re going to solve that one.

Seriously though, I’d say plastic pollution is at the forefront of issues we face today. Change starts when the citizen demands it. It can be as simple as refusing plastic bags and telling the storeowner at your favorite taco shop you think it’s lame that they use plastic bags. That might sound small but hey, in the 50’s a bunch of black people got together and refused to ride segregated buses. That small decision ignited a           movement that changed the world forever.                                                                    

I have a few pretty big documentaries coming up but I can’t talk about them too much yet. Stay tuned though. You’ll be able to see if first if you sign up for our         email list. http://www.surfingforchange.com/get-involved/                                  

CWP:  Is there anything people have told you that has been instrumental in your success that you would like to pass on to others?                                                                                                         

Just stick with it. Whatever it is that you’re passionate about, just keep going and one day you’ll wake up and realize, “wow, I’m living my passion.”                                                                                                       

                                                                              

        

How does Turtle do it?

Q&A with the legendary actor John Philbin, the surfer who acted in two of the best surf movies ever.

 “They fly up baby barney’s all the time.”

 “When the wave breaks here, don’t be there!”

“Here on the North Shore we treat friends mo’ betta.”

Identity.

Who are you?

Trying to find where you belong in this world is something we all spend our teenage years doing. Media of course is the biggest influence on us. Everything. From the songs we remember, to the movies we identify with.

For surfers our pickings have been slim. Even though our influence over mainstream culture has been immense, our representation in the media has been limited to mainly cheesy movies that only hard-core fans can appreciate.

The North Shore is one such movie, its influence has been unbelievable. In the movie nobody may have listened to Turtle, but in real life people around the world have been spiting out his advice both seriously and for jokes for the last twenty five years. To this day you will still hear lines being quoted by pro surfers as they describe their antics to the cameras.

The other is Point Break, while some questionable philosophy is displayed, the heart of the movie is still good and true to surfers and the surfing, done by my hero Matt Archabold for Patrick Swayze, is second to none of any movie.

It may be kind of dorky, but when I was a grom I used to go down to Huntington Beach in the summer and stay with this friend Trevor Rogers. After The North Shore came out, when I went down that summer, he and all his friends had the whole movie memorized, word for word. I too watched it so much that summer we would all repeat it out in the line up, yelling people off waves out at Trestles, Newport or wherever.

“Hey Haloe, this our wave!”

“Got any pointers?”

“Yeah, you’re not ready!”

How'z it that the supporting actor got all the best lines in a movie? Or that one man has been able to parley his talents into surfing along side some of the best surfers of all time while also acting with some the best actors of his generation? Well actor surfer, extraordinaire, John Phlibin has done all of that and more.

To find out who is the man who has helped bring us these classics, Cold Waters Press got ahold of John Philbin, perhaps the best surfer actor combo the planet has ever seen. Not only has he acted in the North Shore, he acted in Point Break and taught some of the actresses on Blue Crush how to surf! If you would like to book him for a surf lesson, whether you’re in the LA area or anywhere in the world, surf over to his website, you can find out even more about him and what he is doing there.

http://www.prosurfinstruction.com    

                                Questions for John Philbin

CWP: You have acted in three of the most seminal, cult classic movies of Generation X, Children of the Corn, The North Shore and Point Break. Which of these characters are you most proud of? Which one do you feel you were most involved and did the best job at creating?  

By far my role as Turtle in North Shore was the most informed work. I was fortunate in having the real person who inspired the role to work with on the set and for weeks in preparation, his name is Brian King and he still lives on the North Shore and works creating surfboards. 

CWP:  Both The North Shore and Point Break have the typical cheesy Hollywood moments, but both also have really great parts that are real and true to the heart of surfing. However most of the people involved in those movies are not surfers, did you have anything to do with these moments, did you help write lines or give feedback? 

My contribution to both films was just surfing and training and hanging out with the real people as much as possible, so that my character came from a real place, inside of a structured Hollywood screenplay.

CWP:  You have also made a career out of teaching surfing, most famously to some of the cast of Blue Crush. How did you get started in that and who do you teach, just celebrities or regulars as well? 

While filming Point Break I noticed a lack of constructive surf training for actors. When my acting jobs got few and far between, I needed a job, and not knowing any other skill, I started teaching surfing, first at a camp and then privately to actors for movies and TV. I found great joy in this work, and now I travel and teach anyone who wants to learn anywhere on earth.

CWP:  You were living on the North Shore teaching surfing until recently. One of the great things about The North Shore was the lesson’s it taught to visiting surfers about respect and Hawaiian culture. Nowadays the area has become so corporatized, all the houses are corporate, Gerry’s house is the Volcom house….  Do any of the lessons from that movie still apply to the area or surfing in general?

I think a lot of the lessons taught in north shore have remained true today. the Hui still exists, in a more evolved stage, but respect will always be enforced on the North Shore. In and out of the water , one way or another. The ocean has a way of teaching all surfers humility, that is our most common bond and even though the surf business has gone corporate, success in competitive performance surfing was even appreciated by Chandler and Turtle. It’s when success lacks humility and gratitude and promotes a disrespectful and arrogant attitude in visitors, that local islanders do their part to help the guilty parties learn their lessons the hard way.

CWP:  For surfers one of the hardest things about growing up is finding the balance between working and surfing. You have said that after a trip to Bali in 1980 you thought following both surfing and acting was impossible. In Point Break the gang of surfers rob banks in order to always able to surf.  Since you are not robbing banks, what are some things you discovered in order to maintain that balance?  

Balance is very important to me at this stage of my life. I was spoiled when I was younger, now I seek a simpler healthier less stressful life. I appreciate sharing fun surf sessions with my girlfriend as much as charging G-land. Teaching surfing lets me enjoy the thrill kids and adults get when they get a great ride, and I’ve started acting again, part time, and that’s been fun, without the pressure to make a living from it, I find it easier to handle the anxiety usually attached to that lifestyle. I have just rotated into a cleaner healthier stage of life and I've never been happier.

CWP:  Having been involved in two of the best surf movies of all time, what in your opinion is the best surf movie of all time, or has it been made yet?

My favorite surf movie by far has been Big Wednesday. 

CWP:  As someone who has been involved in both the movie and surf industries, do you have any scripts or stories up your sleeve that you’ve been trying to get produced? You said in a recent interview something about a sequel to the North Shore, is this still a possibility?

The writer/producer and director of North Shore are trying to get Universal to allow them to make da sequel. I have done some work on that story, and tried to get universal to let go of the rights a long time ago so that a sequel could be made. It has recently become such a cult film with new generations enjoying it, that we believe a sequel would be profitable for the studio, so yeah I have done some work towards that end. I wrote a screenplay a few years back called GROM about the surf industry, it was a sports drama/coming of age story, I really like it but I could not get anyone interested in buying it or financing it. Still it was a real accomplishment to write and re-write a screenplay to the point of satisfaction

CWP:  You have been involved in both surfing and acting for most of your life. How did you get interested and started in these, both as a kid and later after college when you decided to make the leap and try and make a living out of both? 

I started surfing at 12years old in Palos Verdes and immediately fell in love with it, In high school I started doing plays and competing in drama festivals, and surfing as much as possible. I went to UCSB in 78 and got on the surf team and the main stage productions and advanced acting classes. It was during my 2nd year at college that I decided I wanted to become a professional actor, so I transferred to USC and decided to move to L.A. and see if I could live in a city and do Hollywood. I found that I loved the city and put surfing on the back burner, way back. After graduating I started doing equity waiver plays in LA, got an agent thru that and started doing movies. I never tried to make a living in surfing till my career as an actor slowed down, then I made the leap, and that’s a funny way to put it, but I made a living teaching surfing for the last 15 years

CWP:  You have maintained a career in acting throughout the years, coming close to major stardom, but remaining in supporting roles of cult classic movies.  You have said in a past interview that earlier in your career you didn’t take it as seriously, how would your career have been different do you think had you been serious about it or rather what are some of things you would advise others to do differently? 

As I said, I was spoiled when I was younger. I was an immature, selfish, and entitled angry man, filled with the delusional arrogance of youth. In other words, I had a great time! But I could not sustain my career on confidence and wishful thinking with my limited talent. If someone wants to be an actor in Hollywood, the only thing I didn’t do that I wish I had done, is be nice and respectful and consistent in your work ethic, don’t take anyone or anything for granted and realize EVERYONE is working so hard on movie sets and in pre-production, that actors are the luckiest people in the world! Make the work more important than the lifestyle!

CWP:  Over the last few years you have started to make a comeback in Hollywood, you have moved back to the area, what are some of the projects you have coming up? 

I started acting again this year and booked a small part in a Henry Jaglom movie OVATION, scored an associate producer credit in the Helen Hunt, Luke Wilson movie RIDE and will be playing the lead in a low budget independent called UNDATABLE JOHN, also starring Daryl Hannah and Estelle Warren.

Thanks for the questions! 

Turtle’s advice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spBu2XAk4A

Nobody listens to Turtle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VeBW9BHHE

Pro surfers quoting Turtle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ejDzaGMcVU   

Point Break trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZXWpJw_tUU

Hey there Cold  Waters Fans, big news coming, like da kind no way for reals bra, da real Turtle, John Philbin, from the movie, The North shore, will be our next contestant on, How Do You Do What You Do? When i was a grom we had the whole movie memorized, word  for word and we would repeat it out in the line up, yelling people off waves ... wha you JOB or FOB? lets pray for the sequel!

Cold Waters Press: Shark Prevention

Cold Waters Press: Shark Prevention: Growing up chest deep in the red triangle my experiences with sharks started early. Like most kids I got rides up ...

Shark Prevention

Growing up chest deep in the red triangle my experiences with sharks started early. Like most kids I got rides up north from the older guys. Stuffed in the back with the piss stained suits and wax I triumphantly waited for our arrival at the mysterious breaks of the northern part of the county. This one day we went straight to the heart of elephant seal breeding ground.  Of course being the youngest meant there was no hand holding, only taunting and the added pressure of a dead seal bitten in half lying on the beach before paddle out.  Surfing past the fear, I caught my waves and actually was able to forget about the threat that lay below.

Not content to let me be, an older knee boarder decided to start telling me shark stories as the sun started to set. His last story was about a friend who had been chased out of the water by Mr. Whitey. He laughed. Big and throaty how only thick men can. He pointed out the giant boil that formed just outside of us. “Yeah, it was one just like that!” His hands flying through, doing how surfers do, talked the story, as a splash of water crashed own right next to me. “Damn thing torpedoed straight up and at us.” He laughed again. Big throaty walrus mustache laugh, turned around and caught the last wave before dark in, leaving me to my thoughts and the boil growing bigger the harder I couldn’t stop myself from staring. 

Surfers are a curious breed. There is no other species that will intentionally put itself back into the food chain.  I mean think about it. As a species, humans have done everything we can to remove ourselves from the ecosystem that spawned us, going so far as to destroy the very earth we live in to protect ourselves.

But not surfers. We dangle our bodies over known spots of encounters in the pursuit of “few tasty waves and a cool buzz.”  

I mean think about it. You don’t ever see the wolf go to his buddies“ hey guys, lets like put on some sheep clothing and go hang out down at the watering hole around sunset.”

But surfers do.

We put seal clothing and go out during peak feeding hours. But now we are safe from our own stupidity. Yes once again capitalism has saved us and we can ignore the laws of nature and go blindly to our favorites spots.

So in steps this new wetsuit.  

http://news.yahoo.com/anti-shark-wetsuits-inspired-nature-130413629.html 

Wholly jumping tuna fish, Batman a shark free wetsuit!

That’s right. By disguising a surfer in colors associated with poisonous fish, the theory goes the shark will not attack. That is to say, they believe sharks have a built up a natural aversion to thee fish over time. But what do we know about these killers.

JAWS.

Carcharodon carcharias. White pointers, blue pointers (said with an Aussie accent), man-eaters, manila sharks are found in all cold temperate and dang it, tropical waters, from 60°N latitude to 60°S latitude. Seal crazy as a surfer is for waves, whitey migrates long distances, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins. For example off the western cape of South Africa, from May to September they snack on some seal burgers before cruising over to my old hometown, the red triangle extending from Monterey to San Francisco where they chill from October through March. 

So that’s a little knowledge for ya. 

Migratory.

           But this suit is making big claims. Big claims. Read the article for yourself.

This wetsuit is based off of recent research that suggests, at least at certain times, great whites hunt their prey visually. Using their dark dorsal colors to blend in they cruise near rocky bottoms and watch for unsuspecting seals above. When one is sighted, they accelerate quickly to the surface and take a massive bite. Being a predator they have little tolerance for a fight so they swim away and wait for it to bleed to death before returning to feed on the carcass.

But safe from what.

This new research relies on a belief that White's are very visual. But great white sharks are nearly blind. And they close their eyes while attacking. So how do they do it? Like all other sharks, Whitey have an extra sense which enables them to detect the electromagnetic field emitted by the movement of living animals. Every time a living creature moves, it generates an electrical field and Whitei’s are so sensitive they can detect half a billionth of a volt. A heart beat. From as far away as a half a mile.  

In other words they are much like a bat, like the ones at the lake when you were a kid during the summer that caught you by surprise and even though you swerved and twisted to get out their way, they still missed you. Like this video here of this whale, it comes up right next to the diver. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ut7wK9l9mk&feature=player_embedded

Mistake or intentional?

I submit to you nature knows exactly what it is doing. It seems much of science or modern thought is having to combat the hubris of our past ways of thinking. Sharks have been around 16 billions years and so know their way around the dinner table. One thing the wetsuit has done is shed some light on perhaps the shark visually and hunting abilities, but not shark safe suit. Most attacks I submit to happen because of two factors. 1. A feeding frenzy. Surfers often find themselves in a chain of food; bait fish followed by seals followed by dolphins followed by sharks. These are the attacks that happen at beach breaks. 2. The isolated incident, this is usually the inexperienced surfer or just one siting too far outside the pack, the straggler, the sick antelope on the savannah.

So what does this mean? Am I really suggesting  not buying protection and instead endorsing knowledge?

Yes.

Know before you go. Think about abut the time of year and day you are surfing, stick to the shallows, on the reef, in the kelp, where Whitey can’t swim or see through it. And watch the video below; this guy is amazing and brave and will teach you real knowledge about Whitey. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVc9-Q5jGBw