Who Is Laird Hamilton's Surf Hero?
Yes, Laird Hamilton has ridden some of the biggest waves on the planet. And yes, his workout program attracts NFL, NBA, MMA and Special Forces type people. He’s gnarly. But he’s also a softie at heart. His wife Gabriela Reese lovingly refers to him as “Beef Cake.” And like every other surfer, he fan-boys out from time to time. Awhile back I asked him who the best surfer he ever saw was. Like most things he does in life, his answer was committed and unwavering:
“How do you put a finger on the greatest surfer you ever saw? It’s so circumstantial, you know? Time, person, place, there’s so many factors,” he hedged for just a moment before finding his line.
“But I guess if I had to boil it down to one guy, the only choice I would have would be to say Gerry Lopez at Pipeline. Growing up as a kid on the beach there, watching him do his thing, I can’t think of anybody that inspired me more,” Laird surmised.
“Things were in full swing, Rory Russell, Lightening Bolt, Pipeline is where it was happening, and there was Gerry with that style, that grace, that Zen tranquility in the middle of the storm. That stands out,” he continued. “That’s kind of what we all aspire to be as surfers, calm in the face of chaos. It doesn’t matter if you’re standing next to a two-footer, twelve-footer or forty-footer, it’s about keeping your composure, and Gerry had it. The waves he was riding, the boards he was on, the position he was putting himself in, he never looked like he lost his composure.”
“He was also had that sort of mystical connection to the ocean. You see it with Kelly Slater today, this affinity for finding great waves where maybe there aren’t any. It’s like they’re able to conjure them up. There aren’t a lot of people that have that innate connection. Somehow Gerry would always be on the wave of the day. He would patiently wait out the back, it didn’t seem like he cared how long he sat there, when the wave would finally come through, he’d be on it. But not only was he on it, it’s what he was doing on it, the lines he was drawing and where he was putting himself. It was like total mind surfing for a kid.”
Laird summarizes his observations like most surfers do, through the lens of a stoked out and impressionable kid. Because when you’re a kid on the beach and in the water, the horizon is wide open.
“I guess if you look at it through the lens of an impressionable 12-year-old kid, yeah, for sure it would have to be Gerry,” finalizes Laird, perhaps convincing himself along the way. “He kind of set me on my path, you know? There were a lot of good surfers around, but Gerry rolling in on a big one out the back, that’s what sent me on my way. And that’s what we’re all striving for anyway, right, to still be that 12-year-old, surf-stoked kid on the beach even after however many years? Gerry’s been a great mentor and a great friend to me over the years. He’s like our guiding light, like you always have to ask yourself, ‘What would Gerry do’?”
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.