Nelly's Magic Moments Podcast
Dave “Nelly” Nelson is a globally published veteran surf and skate photographer with countless magazine covers and spreads to his name. After spending years as a senior photographer at TransWorld Surf Magazine, Dave now shoots freelance for domestic and international publications.
Major action sports brands such as Vans, O’Neill, Fox, and Reef commonly contract Dave to shoot on location for trips locally and abroad.
As one of the best action water photographers in the world, he is usually in the right place at the right time to produce “the goods”. Dave’s relationships and mutual respect with some of the most elite athletes in the world give him access to the best action at the best spots.
Dave’s dedication to the sports of surfing and skateboarding is matched by his values as a person. A true family man, Dave cares about is daughter and wife as much as he cares for his community of Santa Cruz. A consummate role model for young athletes coming out of his hometown, Dave has helped pave the way for some of the best young talent in Nor Cal.
Nelly's Magic Moments Podcast
Episode #009: Mikey Bruneau
Ever wondered what it’s like to ride monster waves on Hawaii’s North Shore with some of the best surfers out there? Well, you’re in for a treat! In this episode, we’re hanging out with Mikey Bruneau—an epic surfer and all-around great guy—who takes us on a wild ride through his journey from growing up on the Big Island to tackling the legendary Pipeline.
Mikey shares what it was like surfing with childhood friends like CJ Kanuha and learning from the legendary Shane Dorian. We dive into the deep connection Hawaiian surfers have with the ocean, the culture that welcomes both locals and visitors, and what makes Hawaii’s surf scene so special.
But that’s not all—things take an interesting turn as we compare the golden days of big surf sponsorships to today’s crazy real estate market in Hawaii. Mikey opens up about balancing life between catching waves and navigating the business world, and how finding the perfect wave isn’t all that different from chasing the right investment.
Get ready for some jaw-dropping stories—like facing off against 30-foot waves and the friendships that form in those high-stakes moments. We’ll talk about the lessons surfers pass down, the thrill of watching footage of insane rides, and the unspoken rules of the lineup that keep the sport alive and thriving.
So grab a seat, tune in, and get ready to soak up some serious surf wisdom with us!
this is nelly's magic moments podcast. North shore invitational 2025 nel dog what's up everybody?
Speaker 1:we are so stoked to meet you here on the north shore. We are cough from keiki and I'm here with one of my good friends, mikey bruno, one of my favorite surfers, one of my favorite pipe surfers, someone I've traveled the world with, and, yeah, it's just really good to have Mikey here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, right on, nels. Thanks for having me, jeff, it's always a pleasure.
Speaker 2:Nice to meet you, mikey. Good to meet you as well, right on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know, like I said, we traveled the world together back in the day and Mikey's from the Big Island. So how was it growing up on the big island? Mikey, tell us a little story. Who we grew up with. Uh, cj canoe haw and like who, who was? Who was your crew over there?
Speaker 3:uh, yeah, cj. Cj and I actually went to the same preschool. We're in the same class together, so he's been my one of my best friends since then. Uh, yeah, just growing up on the big island too is just there's not a whole lot of waves to choose from, so everyone kind of just congregates at. Our banyans was our spot. Yeah and uh, just just typical groms growing up, rat pack causing trouble, surfing all day, living off of five dollars, icies, slushies, so hot dog yeah, and pushing each other heavily.
Speaker 1:Obviously, the smaller the crew, the harder you push each other, yeah we always.
Speaker 3:It was cool. We always had like shane doran and conan hayes to look up to, so these guys were always riffing out the back, uh, just growing up from ground with days. And then finally I made the move over here in uh 95 I think I was. I was only 12 years old. Uh, my moved over with my mom and my sister, dad and brother stayed on the big island, so I still went back and forth quite a bit right at the time.
Speaker 1:But then that's when I kind of started to see the north shore yeah, I met you a few years after that, but um, not too long after that. I remember your grommet hood and you were ripping and I was. I was always tripping because you were really good at pipeline but you were also really good at everywhere else, like the small way of ripping. You know, seeing some of my favorite turns that you do is like some of those tail blows and and some of that stuff we shot for xl back in the day. Some of that was slicey that was.
Speaker 3:I see that was far. Yeah, that was sick dude. Remember I think we got a two-page Excel ad of me wearing a full suit in Indo Indo.
Speaker 1:But it wasn't. Indo-wise Water was like 95 and he's out there in a full suit, glowing tail in my face. That was so sick.
Speaker 2:Taking a step back, though, makes me think about this sport in general. I always compare it, when I'm talking with Nellie, to other sports and how people basically practice their sport. And let's say it's basketball or baseball. You've got to get to a field, you've got're living in a culture, and basically you're waiting for Mother Earth to do its thing, and then the field and or the basketball courts kind of in that comparison is open.
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally Absolutely. It's not like I mean with any other thing skating, basketball, football, you got the fields, you got the court, you got the ramps, so kind of when the waves come, it's just kind of like it really brings everybody together as a community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think it's just a matter of and then you're also out there and every single day, every single moment, a Saturday is elevating your game. I love it Because of who you're basically just palling around with or going to school with you. Know you that it's a different? It's a different environment? You know, like the, the question I had also kind of doing a tiny bit of homework was um, you know, growing up in Santa Cruz, uh, you know, it's a, it's not a borrowed culture, but it's a secondary culture. Um, you know the difference in basically surfing here on any level, um feels from a, from an outsider's standpoint, there's a little more spiritual, a little more connected, and that's even me growing up in santa cruz, california, okay yeah, yeah, totally.
Speaker 3:I would have to agree completely. Um, it's just really got that whole cultural spiritual. We respect the place and, uh, just are super grateful to be able to have this resource and enjoy it amongst all our friends and family and and and all the travelers as well. It's like, um, it's, it's just culturally, culturally rich you don't get to see is it talked about like in the water, or is it just?
Speaker 2:is it just kind of um, is it more? It's kind of like an immersive experience yeah, I don't.
Speaker 3:I don't think it's really discussed per se too often, but anyone who knows, knows, has the feeling, has the respect and you get it.
Speaker 1:That's one of my favorite things too, mikey is you know everyone surfs here, you know, and that doesn't mean everyone's, every they, everyone surfs here, you know, and that doesn't mean everyone's surfing. They count surfing as stand-up paddling, they count it. Canoeing, outrigger, boogie boarding, it doesn't matter, it's surfing here. Okay, gotcha, you're a waterman here, you know, I mean, and everyone's like. It's just such a beautiful part of the culture here where it's kind of the center point of Hawaii. Yeah, being a water person, you know what I mean, at least for the majority, and I love that about Hawaii, where you know that's not necessarily the case in Santa Cruz, you know that's a lot of people who live in Santa Cruz who don't have nothing to do with the ocean, no doubt about it. And you know I've traveled to other places, like France and Australia too, where it's similar, where, like everybody who lives on the coast, they surf or boogie board or jet ski. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:And it's just a different way of life.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Yeah, so, mikey, how's the family? Tell me Family is excellent.
Speaker 3:Kids are growing like weeds. My house is never clean Ever.
Speaker 1:How many kids now? Five, six, six kids now. You just had twins, right.
Speaker 3:Yes, mom wanted a girl, and so we went for it. We got her, she came, but she came with a twin brother so vanessa's glowing.
Speaker 1:I just saw her the other night and she was just. I've never seen her look happier. And that's mikey's wife and okay, that's and um name off your other kids, just for the um, so I have.
Speaker 3:Well, my oldest son is river, he's 21. Yeah, um, he's living, he's doing his own thing, adult, he's doing it, he's doing well. Um, then at home I have frankie mike is 13. Then I got mike james is 11, colton 8, luca yo is five, and then we have the twins, jackson and isabella, and they're like a year, right, and they're a year a little. Uh, yeah, almost a year and a half. Yeah, let's get in there. Yeah, I think 14 that was cool.
Speaker 1:He just came into my, he just let me hold him the other night and just was cruising like that's amazing.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's my uncle uncle nelly, uncle nelly, right to it. He just jumped right in your arms too, yeah the.
Speaker 2:The thing that I was kind of thinking about also is like transitioning. There is like overall, nelly and I always kind of have conversations about like that, the athletic sort of like, the mindset of like, whether it even be like you know before you go out when you're in the water, um, you know, getting in the correct mindset or riding big waves.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so everybody always. I mean there's some guys who are animals and they train all day long and they're top shape, but for the most part, anyone who's out there doing trying to ride the pipe, yma, outer reefs, whatever yeah, everyone's pretty tip top shake.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, do you do. What mental preparation do you do, or do you just?
Speaker 3:charge. It's just kind of like risk assessment. I'll be like telling, talking to myself in my head about the preparation of all that. Like, just for the most, for the most part part, I'm pretty confident in my skill and and my knowledge of what's going on. But and then just basically running, swimming, breath holds, all of those kind of things to remember right, and surfing a lot. That's actually my main thing is I just try to surf as repetition, like literally muscle memory stuff, yeah, yeah, but then there's not always waves, so when you're not surfing, then that's's when I start training a lot more. But surf season, I'm kind of just trying to surf as much as I can. So today you just surfed Rockies, right, it was kind of pumping.
Speaker 1:It was pretty good. We've had a little bad run of winds and today all of a sudden it switched around and just buttered up into this buttercup world Amazing.
Speaker 3:Oh, this looks like dreamland out there right now.
Speaker 2:It's just straight offshore and it's funny, because we got here, did nothing but set up. I haven't even taken a peek yet, I haven't even looked out there yet. You know, as far as that goes.
Speaker 1:You won't even recognize it from yesterday. We'll get a good different, a completely different. Be sure you get out there and take a peek.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's no doubt, right there. I mean, I've been out there, you know, as far as that goes. So who?
Speaker 3:was out, mikey, kind of just all the regular Groms. I say Groms they're not really Groms anymore though, but like Kalani, rivero, mcconaughey, barron, some guys were there getting drained. There's Barrels, laugh, sandwrights, it was good fun. Oh, I saw a bunch of the San Clemente crew to uh Griffin and caves and jet, but uh yeah, the ways we're going off, it was firing sick Ways. You're sick, yeah.
Speaker 2:Nelly talks a little bit about, you know, talking about Volcom, talking about all of that. Like you've been in it long enough now is like overall, like what is your impression of the change in, I guess in the business culture of it over a period of time is, have you seen a dramatic change in sort of the business of surfing Well, yeah, I feel like back in my day there's B and C grade guys that are making a good living, yeah.
Speaker 3:So, whereas now I feel like it's going to be that you got to be one of the top guys to make a decent living and so that's kind of changed. But I have other incomes, do real estate, and my wife and I have a couple other things going on as well. So I'm not really as involved as I used to be, obviously, but I still see it and I feel like we're stoked. I was lucky because we had a pretty good we had a good era.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was like the butter era there's. No, everyone had a shoe sponsor. Oh, I have a sunglass sponsor. Yeah, it was like the butter era. Everyone had a shoe sponsor. Oh, I had a sunglass sponsor. You know, the checks were coming from everywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everybody was speeding on the culture at that point. Yeah, and for me a little bit off left-hand, turn here real estate on the islands.
Speaker 3:This is just me not knowing does that mean you broker on all islands, or is it just just Oahu, or how's that work? I could do all islands, but it's mostly Oahu. Yeah, yeah, island wide for sure.
Speaker 2:How's that been? How's that with the real estate market over here? Just as interesting, kind of like. Take on that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's, well it's. It's definitely simmering off right now, but with real estate everything up and down, up and down, and it kind of went so crazy high covid kind of time.
Speaker 2:well, yeah, yeah, exactly, covid time just just spiked everything and then it kept going for a while and and the last year it's definitely sizzled, uh, leveled off a little bit and started to come down right, even a tad right but it's still crazy high no, there's no doubt about it, yeah, and it's like um, and I think, for, for that one it's, uh, it's, I think in a lot of ways from what I've seen because we actually do a couple of shows with real estate brokers in it it kind of mimics California a little bit as far as the peaks and valleys. It seems to kind of be in the same sort of pattern as California as far as the highs and lows, the rental market and all that different kind of so the way it goes a little bit how long have you been doing it?
Speaker 3:About five doing it, uh, about five five and a half years now just jump to it for some stability. He's figured like I know people and I'm coming over him. I have my stepdad's a realtor and I have, right on, ford him a couple people and I was like wait, wait a minute, maybe I could do this too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no doubt, yeah. So your surf crew over in the big island. You know, I love, I love that crew. By the way, um, you know, you're casey brown, tanino benson, yep, uh, kanuha, my legend, biggest, funniest character ever. But uh, let's talk a little bit about your surf crew here on oahu now. Like you know, because I know that for me in santa cruz my surf crew shrank, you know, I mean, and it's like just to get someone to go surf with me, is like it's not as it's probably not as easy as it is here. But, like you know, what's your crew like here? Like who is your crew or do you just mainly surf?
Speaker 3:by yourself. I'm pretty much solo guy always because and the number one reason is is I'm on a, I have a window, you go surfing, and as soon as that window is open it starts to close. That's why I don't have any time to wait for anyone to screw their fins in, to change into their trunks, to look for their wax, because I just go at my own pace and that's the main reason, because I got to get home to the kids. Yeah, but I do occasionally I'll mission down, I still will surf with flynn sometimes, sometimes and Moody Well, I'll do little little missions down there, daniel Jones as well, but 98% of the time I'm going solo.
Speaker 2:And part of that. Is there some, is there some freedom in that right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was going to say there's some serenity and bliss in that also, Like you know, go and go as you please, go when you want, you're not waiting for anyone. So, like you know, go and go as you please, go when you want, you're not waiting for anyone. And then we're always seeing guys in the water. Right, we all have, we're all friends out there. So that is cool. You're still chatting it up there when you're waiting for waves and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, For the nature of this audience. So it's also kind of when we we roll through on this podcast is it's, it's so hard.
Speaker 3:I know so hard, I know, but do you have, do you have a singular, like memorable wave is there? Is there one that lives at an apex in your life? Oh, you know, that's a good question. Um, I have maybe four of them. I think we got time. Let's go all right. But I, but my goal, they all pipeline. Yes, I love that, but my main goal still, I'm 42. I just turned 42. But my main goal is that I want to have one.
Speaker 2:That's my guess at the question, and I haven't gotten it yet. That's amazing, then, right, so that's there. It's a white whale, as they say in the literary world.
Speaker 1:It's out there still. Yeah, that's one of my favorite. That's my favorite because you're still striving for that wave. That's gonna like be the wave probably for the rest of your life, right I, I really hope so.
Speaker 3:Um, I want, I want to have like that was the wave of my life. I have like four right now where I was like, oh, which one was better? And they're, they're good. I'll up, I'll take one of those anytime again, for sure, but it would be nice to just be like that was the one.
Speaker 2:Is it? Is it is it? Is it unknown? Will you not know the one till it's the one? Or do you kind of like if I'm a visualization guy when I coach football and kind of my life a little bit do you know what that wave is going to feel and look like in your mind or is in your mind? Is the one have a shape or?
Speaker 3:is it just? I got an idea of what it's looking like and if I get it and I'll know as soon as the wave is over Right, instantly. Yeah, that was it, or not?
Speaker 1:But where do you think it's going to be? At, like Desert Point? Or are you thinking it's going to be a pipe? Or? A few years ago you were psych on Mavericks Like have you gotten a? Have you gotten a bomb at Mavs yet?
Speaker 3:I've gotten a pretty good size wave at Mavs. For sure I would. I don't know if the boys would call it a bomb. I thought it was a bomb, yeah, but uh, I've got a few. I love Mavs. It's insane. What a sick wave.
Speaker 2:He um it. It's funny. We just had Alois Leiber on, you know, and he was talking about you know he caught one and I think his description of it was similar to what you're talking about. He was using descriptive words that he said on the podcast He'd never felt underneath him on a board, he'd never felt the feeling of like I think he described this is like basically writing sandpaper and being pulled backwards and but he knew he was kind of, he was in it and he was on it and he was in the moment and you know he talked about a healthy amount in, you know, earlier in the podcast about proper fear and things like that, but I don't it in that moment. I think he described being in that moment and sort of just just um, and sort of just just you know committing and not.
Speaker 1:He actually said he wasn't scared and that's what I'm saying. Yeah, it's just like, yeah, I was scared listening to him on that mega wave, that he caught is wild.
Speaker 2:It's wild and I guess my point is like he's talking about the, the, the proper amount of preparation and fear. But then you get on a wave. That again everybody there's. I know there's the controversies and things like that as far as but, but by any metric, now that time's gone by, it's a hundred something foot wave, because it's just the way it goes um.
Speaker 2:But I think he he got a sense of calm in the moment, in the moment he was probably just on autopilot, totally for sure yeah, and then I guess, the other one I always like to ask here, from I guess just a, uh, a human condition standpoint what's the gnarliest position you've ever been in? Do you have a singular moment where you were like this?
Speaker 3:this is yeah, I do actually, and I and that one is like one that stands that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, easier than easier than the one that hasn't existed is the one that happened I don't know if I've ever told you this story right on maybe, uh, it's I got another.
Speaker 1:I got another story right after you're done.
Speaker 3:So there was the day Bruce won the Eddie. So the waves were big. Yeah, it was giant. I don't even remember what year that was 2008, maybe, yeah, and we're out towing and I'm like over psyching. It's oil glass and 30 feet and I'm like throwing the rope out, throwing my board out, dive in, forgot to put my vest on and I was like over psyching. It's oil glass and 30 feet and I'm like throwing the rope out, throwing my board out, dive in, forgot to put my vest on and I was like let's go First.
Speaker 3:Very first wave started towing in and I let go of the rope going. Holy shit, it's going to be the wave of my life. It was just 20 plus feet, I don't know I would. It was big wave lining up, looking like pipeline. It was big wave lining up, looking like pipeline and I started bottom turning and I was like, holy shit, it's going to barrel and I just strave and I was like, oh, I'm not pulling in and I went straight and the lip hit me, basically right here and I'll never forget it, like pile, drive me down and then up and I was up in the air like 15 feet in the air, rolling up the window.
Speaker 2:Oh no.
Speaker 3:Holy shit, yeah, donuts pounded wetsuit top gone, and that's right. When I noticed oh shit, I didn't put my vest on cause my wetsuit top got ripped off, um yeah, just like a pounding you can imagine on a 20 foot barreling wave it was like as is this pretty uh, uh, no, a little further down, okay, I'll tell you later.
Speaker 2:Yeah hello, don't need spot no, I love that's the funnest part about getting to know this culture. More like, I surf and skate as a kid, but getting to know nelly, I'm sort of on the outside looking in. It's amazing, but that's the common denominator. There's a lot of shit's not said on this podcast. Exactly where you were, nelly won't tell you where he shot. Nobody you don't. We'll never know that story exactly where it was, is that? That's what? Again, it goes back to your bliss moment.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You can't have that if everybody's there.
Speaker 3:Oh, got a pounded. I remember coming up being like, okay, I got through that, and then seeing literally the biggest wave I've ever seen and my partner, justin lambert, and lambert's brother, um. Justin lambert at the time was my partner and he was flying it, riding this wave, trying to outrun it, not looking for me he thought I was and we just talked about before try to ride to the end of the wave, I'll pick you up there. But he didn't know I fell. So he was gone, riding the hugest wave ever and I'm waving at him come get me. And he's gone. And then I look and I'm just like, okay, here we go, real deal. And then same thing, just blown up, annihilated. I took a couple more on the head. Then I'm kind of treading water and I'm looking and I can see him looking for me like another four or 500 yards down there. I can just see him buzzing around and I'm treading water and there's no waves now and I'm like, well, I'm not waiting for another set, I'm out of here.
Speaker 3:Head down, started swimming to the beach. I was like got a good shore. This is so heavy he can't find me. It's 30 feet. I don't want to get sucked out to sea. So, anyways, head down, start swimming ashore. There's more sets and I just get kind of pummeled all the way to the beach. It went from like 30 feet to 20 feet to 15, 10, 12, like all the way, and then I finally get to the beach.
Speaker 3:I'm crawling up the beach and I'm puking up foam and I'm like I'm kissing the sand. I'm alive, dude. I got through this and I'm hanging on. I'm like the foam's coming out of my mouth and I'm just just trying to survive and like try to regain myself and be like breathe. I feel someone tugging on my shoulder. Are you okay? Are you okay? And he's pulling on my shoulder and I turn over and it's. I've washed up on the nude beach. It's a butt naked guy with his freaking cord just reeling in the wind. Dude, I was in this nightmare. I was like did I die? Go to hell or something? What is going on? Let's restart. I was like I'm Leave me alone, get out of here. And so, yeah, that one stood out. I almost died and then I woke up on the beach to that basically.
Speaker 1:So Lambert, where was he? How did you guys find each other?
Speaker 3:Then I just recovered on the beach for I don't know, 15, 20 minutes maybe, and then I just stood up and started whistling and waving. I could see him. And then he came in and was like I thought you were dead. I he found my wetsuit top floating, found my board, oh shit. And then he was like holy shit, I'm going to have to tell his mom.
Speaker 2:So he had, he had to go through a whole moment. He had to go through whatever minutes of you're gone Totally he was.
Speaker 3:I was 20 minute period going. Where the fuck is he? He's gone.
Speaker 2:Cause would he have known you had, you did or did not have your vest on? Would he have known he would have known? Cause that could have been trippy in his mind. Cause he's not seeing. He knows if he's seeing my wetsuit, that's excellent.
Speaker 3:He's probably thinking fuck his vest. How gnarly was this?
Speaker 2:thing. That's suck. Did it change you, I guess? Here's the thing is I I'm a sports psychology, human psychology, um, it's. It's almost like um, you know it's a weird comparison, but you get food poisoning from oysters. You got to get back on the oysters, kind of thing, is that sort of it?
Speaker 3:yeah, I mean we all go out there knowing the risks and the dangers, and yeah, it's part of it.
Speaker 3:It is a standard yep and uh. You know, you damn well know that something like that can happen. My thing every time we go out on the ski or if we paddle out on big boards, whatever, my thing is if, if the ski breaks, can you swim in? If the answer is no, you're not coming on my jet ski with me, right? And then it's same thing when you're surfing if my leash breaks, am I going to be able to swim in? So that's kind of basic number one rule, especially like the lifeguard background.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like because because a lot of times, like you see guys out there when it's big and there's like people like just on a jet ski, sit on the back and it's safe and it's fun and it's okay until you suck something up, exactly dead, yeah, and then you're like looking at the girl on the back of your jet ski, I see guys do it all the time.
Speaker 3:I'm like we're swimming in and so that kind of trips me out a little bit. I just want to like always everyone to know safety aspect, like you got to be able to be confident in I can swim in. Yeah, and that again too, on top of that, I might be confident that I can swim in. If you get in the wrong rip, though, you might not be swimming in, so you gotta like know how to try to get out of those rips, or, if you're, if you got a treble, serve some energy too. Exactly, you might be swimming for for hours if you have to swim to a safer beach down the way. Whatever it may be right, it's uh kind of just always. Generally, we're thinking like this may happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Serious.
Speaker 2:I have one little one. I have one more little nugget with that. It's um, and it's more just a thought. As you're talking about it. I'm kind of tripping because what you're talking about is sort of like the end result is that moment, but it's almost like any kind of business or a human relationship is all the work has to go in before it, like the infrastructure of being able to. You know, surfing the wave is its own moment and its own skill set. But it's kind of funny. You're basically telling me you got to have your shit together before you. Basically, now that would be charging a wave or it could be launching a business or whatever it is. You can't just, you can't just rush to the end result. There's a lot of work that goes in Preparation, preparation, yeah, like crazy amount of preparation, yeah.
Speaker 1:So, mikey and I, we did a dream trip, or we had a dream trip years and years ago to Indonesia and as the trip came closer and closer we saw that there was just this mega swell. I mean it was three huge swells merging together right underneath Indonesia and it was a mega swell. And so we went out there. We had like the sickest, deadest trip ever. They took us way out there, the very outskirts of the Mentoy Island chain, and we scored the swell out there. We got just ridiculous there at the very outskirts of the Mentoy Island chain and we scored the swell out there. We got just ridiculous barrels at the hole and these other zones I don't even remember some of the spots, names but, um, the swell was just firing.
Speaker 1:And then we went back into like the main part of the Island chain and we got to see, or we saw how big this well really was. Yeah, to see. Or we saw how big this well really was. Yeah, because it was kind of missing up there in the top of the chain. Even though we were scoring like stand-up barrels and stuff it was, it wasn't anything near what was happening down in the bottom of the chain, right. So we got down there. We were driving by a couple of these spots and it was just ginormous, you remember, like driving by bat caves and like all these. We were just like like I guess we're in the heart of the swell now, you know. So we rolled up to HT's or Lance's rights and we rolled up and there's like an eight footer just spit its guts out Like as perfect as a wave as I've ever seen. And uh, there was no one there, not one person on the beach.
Speaker 1:We were just like whoa, no one surfing nothing, nobody anywhere and so I started panicking and loading up my water housing and mikey was, mikey was frothing and our other friend, mike god, was out too, was psyching too, and we just jumped in the dinghy Like we didn't even watch it for one second. Out there, straight out there. Yeah, mikey and Mikey, jump off the boat. I throw my fins on, jump off the boat. Within like three minutes Mike Dodd got this crazy wave Thing just tripled up, standing straight up in the barrel of his arms above his head, like this. We hooked up perfectly in the barrel. I was like, oh my god, this is like fake, this is so perfect, it's like crazy hollywood movie set shit.
Speaker 1:I look in, mikey had gotten clamped and his board like half of his board went shooting up in the air and he got thrown into the lagoon across the reef. So then it was just me and and brunie baker here out the back and, uh, I turn around and slice high five in and all of a sudden the whole ocean just went black and I'm like, uh-oh, like what? And mikey's all, come on nels, come on outside nails, and I'm, I was, I like swam up to the first, to the top of the first wave, and I like saw like I don't know 14 or 15, like huge black lines coming in and I was like, oh my God, like exploded on my feet and pushed me out the back of the wave like a dolphin. It was like a explosion off the reef and I'm like, oh my God, it was so powerful, it was like gnarly.
Speaker 1:I was like, by this point I was like, uh, oh yeah, it was nuts. I look out, mike, he's scratching. He's like 15 yards further out than me and I'm like, oh my God, like the second wave caught me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they just kept coming and they just kept coming and I was just like I've never swam so hard in my life. And so then the you know I got pounded on a couple. Mikey made it over them and then I like we were way, way outside, where it like rolls in off the thing and all of a sudden the current came Cause. But when those waves come like that, yeah, it all goes into this keyhole and then back out the keyhole into a huge rip. So we were getting sucked around the reef. Remember all this Mikey? I do, I was shitting, he was borderline like there's.
Speaker 2:He was just sharting. He was sharting, not shitting.
Speaker 3:Oh, I had a board as well, like I was. Just I knew we were far enough. I made it over that whole set. But I remember paddling like, scratching my ass off, going holy shit, it was like 10, 12 feet.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like good boy can you, uh, and I always catch the little kind of words in there, and the one you said was and we talk about all the time, but this is your relationship with nelly. Is you know that whole the moment? And you yelling come on, nelly, because here's the weird thing about your lifestyle, and your thing is like yes, you talk about those bliss moments, yes, you talk about that solidarity, but you, you, you can be on that wave, you can tell an amazing story to a couple of people, but it's really nice to get that image right. It's really nice to get that image right. Your relationship with not only Nelly, but your relationship as a surfer here with Nelly, because this is his podcast, but also that whole thing about them documenting these moments that you talk about. It's different than a lot of other sports.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, right Cause, I mean, we were really fearing for our lives in that moment, that's it.
Speaker 2:That's it, yeah, but still, it's still like in that moment. It's not just about that moment, it's like let's fucking go, because you want both things to connect. You want this life-threatening moment. There's still a priority. Let's document this shit, right?
Speaker 3:That was pretty nuts, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but back to the story.
Speaker 2:Back to the story.
Speaker 1:Because it's not over yet. Oh shit, shit. I thought you were wanting to diss her story because it's not over yet. Oh shit, shit, I thought you were wanting to do so. Now, by this time we're getting ripped around the backside of the reef, you know, tour basically towards Lance's left area, not not near, nowhere near that, but like in that direction. And we're in the rip and we're waving and we look over and the boat is dry docked. Our yacht we're on a super yacht out there in the Mentoise Right that this company rented for us, that we were I was shooting for and he was riding for, and it's dry docked on the reef because the set was so big it sucked all the water off the out of the keyhole and it was and they were panicking right and I'm screaming at the guy who's driving the dinghy. You know, at this point I'm like come get us and uh, and you know it was just hectic, so they they had to like back the yacht off the. I mean, this is like razor sharp coral.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yep and like, luckily that guy grabbed the dinghy and came and got us Cause we were headed towards, uh, somewhere else in the ocean. The current South Nindo are like create or some of the gnarliest ones I've ever had to fight, you know it's just so funny.
Speaker 2:Again, I keep, I keep on coming back to it. But I really enjoy hearing those stories because it's um, and I'll I make. I do this all the time. It's like I always compare because I see you guys as such high level um athletes. It's, it's, it's the highest level I've seen, but um, a lot of other sports. You drop a pass, you miss a basket, you strike out, you walk back to the dugout. But this story, it's fucking massive consequences. It's not only what you do because it's what you would do if there was no camera there. It's what you would do if you didn't have that logo on your hat, right, that's just the rad part of it, but it's these, it's these consequences that you have associated with this thing that you're doing. I think that makes it singular and unique because and when you share it together, we both survived that shit.
Speaker 3:Right and I feel like that's a big part of like what keeps us coming back.
Speaker 2:yeah, it's like the risk reward. It totally like it's, it's and the bond right, yeah, and the bond yeah that's cool so if you were, um, did you, are we done? We're done. Well, that fucking was amazing and I'm hoping for more now, I see, I'm hoping you got back to the boat. You beat the shit out of somebody, or?
Speaker 1:so we got back to the boat and we were high-fiving and just like you're all city shrews. It's like, oh yeah, the other guys that were on the boat trip with us that didn't go out were laughing and they were like, dude, that was gnarly, that was heavy. Basically you get in those scenarios and it's when you come out the other side it's like I mean, well, come out the other side.
Speaker 2:It's like I mean well, let's do finish this story, though, because there is another part for me. From an outside, looking in, it's like so you're back in. You get now the energy sitting around that computer uploading those images. It there's the anticipation, like it's almost like this there's that polaroid and you're blowing on it trying to get the image to come out. You know what's on there. How fast do you get to it? How stoked is everybody just around you waiting to see you upload that. Shift from that particular session.
Speaker 1:Mikey dot, I think, got the only wave that yeah, okay, like a huge stand-up, but all if we would have done perfectly, I see. And then that set hit and the next thing I know survival. I will swim for my life. Yeah, I got you. I got you. You know, like, like he said he had a board, so he's probably, you know. You know, it was different for me. I was in the, I was in the, I was a victim of whatever the ocean wanted to do, like there was no battling that current, you know what I mean. Even with the dinghy coming, I would have probably had to just take a huge set on the head and swim to the shoulder. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Cause I would have never got back to the boat that way Just swimming, not in that current yeah, cause I would have never got back to the boat.
Speaker 2:That way, I'm just swimming, not in that current, and that's all that's going through your head right now is potential outs Right yeah. That's all you've got. Is those potential outs?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I was in the some of the best shape of my life at that point too. You know, like now, out of a deep trouble now.
Speaker 2:And ride your bike down and get water. Yeah, did you have anything queued up? I got a couple more. Go the. The one I have is the is the cheesy one, but it's meaningful. Especially I was watching that concert last night. It's like you know, you're sitting there at 42 and you got some of these young groms coming in and there's this next generation coming um. Conversations you may already be having like is there something? Like you know not, you're still in the game, but you kind of have this obligation. You know what do you tell the next generation Like?
Speaker 3:is there, is there? Do you have those conversations? Yeah, yeah, definitely. I do tell the next generation just to hold it down and keep, keep things the way. I feel like it's definitely changed a heck of a lot since, since I was a ground, that's for sure. It's definitely changed a heck of a lot since I was a ground, that's for sure. There's a lot more kids out now trying to just sit and come out to the peak Not necessarily either.
Speaker 3:Everyone kind of knows their role. I just feel like there's just everyone yeah, not everyone, that is true those people and a lot of times people. I mean it's the saying give them an inch, they'll take a mile. They creep, creep, creep, getting a little closer, a little closer. And so sometimes I tell the next generation like, hey, it's got to. Just this is the way it is, this is how we dealt with it.
Speaker 3:The people before us dealt with it like you guys got to hold it down to, like there's got to be some this pecking order, whether you're at rocky's, especially out at pipe, like it's, it's got to be. You earned your stripes out there. You should be, you should be able to get the waves that you want to get, and so I just try to tell the next generation like, let's just keep it that way. You guys are eventually going to be in my shoes where you're the older guy and you're like, hey, I put in all this time out here, I want this wave, I'm going on this thing and the guys below you should respect that and it's so funny we don't think about that.
Speaker 2:That it's actually you're right on point, because it's also getting more sophisticated. That whole concept of how do you hold down a tradition and this is just the way the world's going right now with cameras and video and cancel culture and shit like that. Like going up in Santa Cruz, it wasn't so much where you could and priorities where you could serve you physically found out very fast where you shouldn't be and you just moved down. Where you moved away, it's not for you yet. It's like, yeah, I earned your spot here yet, but but times are changing that way a little bit and so it's. It is a little bit, you know. It still exists to a certain extent, but it has to be maybe an earlier, more sophisticated conversation about how do you hold it down when those ways are more difficult or not acceptable to do anymore.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, totally, and like the whole, like there's no fighting really anymore. It's not, whereas when I was a kid, that's, that's there's no doubt At the point across. Really, that was it right.
Speaker 1:It's the heaviest pecking order in the world, for sure. There's no doubt.
Speaker 2:Zero I can imagine yeah, I'm even talking about Santa Cruz there was is if you got to where you wouldn't be or you made a mistake in priority, and it doesn't matter if you're 13, 14, it's like more like a dog. You found out really fast. Don't go in that room.
Speaker 1:That's different these days, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:When I was a grandma he didn't paddle out of sewer peak. I mean, it's just like out of the question. No doubt you were not going to store peak, you know. I mean now it's like I'll go there one day. It'll be 45 guys out and half of them will be 12 year olds and 13 year olds and 14. It's like what yeah same.
Speaker 3:Even vlan vlan used to be gnarly and now it's like all kids. Yeah, which is cool to see, it is as long as those kids stay in line and are cool and respectful and know the pecking order that's exactly it and a lot of them don't.
Speaker 3:I have like it's tough too because they're all majority of them are all super cool, good kids, yeah, but yeah, and you just let them know nicely, like, hey, dude, you know how long it took for me to come sit at the peak out of pipe, like you can either go sit over there. I don't want to be a dick man like why you gotta make me tell you sit over there.
Speaker 2:I don't want to be a dick man. Why are you going to make me tell you yeah. And then the last one I had. We, we always ask this kind of um, uh, we fooled around with another podcast for a little bit, kind of working up to this one Um and it and it's it's not narrowed down to one thing, but we, you know, to get to the level you're at, to basically have the success you've had, like this is the Ted talk kind of part of it. Is there anything you feel like you do on a daily or weekly basis that that you know elevate you in your sport? Do you have a? Do you have like a practice, like, let's say, you're in front of other people, like this is one little hint I would give you to be great at. It doesn't have to be surfing, it could be anything.
Speaker 3:Do you have?
Speaker 3:uh, no, I just try to be healthy and try to stay fit and just no, yeah, no, I don't have anything like exact pinpoint, but uh like, do this and that will kind of translate to them if you put in the work, you see all these guys who are in the gym and putting in that work and they're you're seeing the results, whereas I I feel like I'm kind of just more surfing. But my goals have changed, have definitely shifted from from surfing I still love. Surfing is my life, I love everything about it. I want to pass it on to my kids and my kids are starting to get super into it and I love going with them. So it's kind of it's shifted a little bit away from just to to to trying to be successful with my family. I want like. I want like I want to always have a good time with my kids. I want to. I want them to essentially like my goal in life is to have my, my kids be like oh, my dad did a, did a good job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and that and then. I think that's funny because I've got three of my own. That's an interesting kind of pivot. I like that conversation because here's the thing, the trippy thing about that is like I think you kind of circle around and you find the same answer. In that.
Speaker 2:I think the fundamentals of what you're talking about you know, you know the being connected, being present with your kids, doing that part of it. It's like I never think of things specifically A to B. I take that like well, that's just you're talking about your kid, but then I take that same A to B conversation. I go I wonder how that would work in my business. I wonder if I was more like I. I want to be. You know, I want to make time and be again, use that word present and be basically accessible and have my kids, um, uh, feel agency. Even in a father, daughter, father son relationship, you still are going to be. It's almost like we talked about that priority. You have that with your kids. There's a time where you've earned your spot in this family.
Speaker 2:Yeah it ain't a day it eight an eight, an eight and you kind of work your way. But I like to think about those conversations sometimes, because this I love this question, because it's not. Some people are like I do this, I meditate every day. I think Zoe Chait was like like she gets in a mental state, you know, for her to go out of math. She's young.
Speaker 3:She's the best.
Speaker 2:Amazing. There's no way you're talking to that kid at 17 and I'm sitting there. She's. In a lot of ways she's more mature than I am. But what we were talking about, nellie, is this question. It's expansive in a way because he's talking about you know nothing very specific other than, like he said, preparation, staying in shape. But his priorities have shifted. But I guess here's the long-winded question which I'm good at is do you think that part of it being a parent and kind of the patience and slowing down with your kids, is it possibly has it made you a better surfer in a way?
Speaker 3:Possibly, yeah, I mean yeah maybe actually You're not a surf pipe.
Speaker 1:You're definitely locked in. You know what I mean? I've never really thought about that, yeah.
Speaker 3:But with the question, thinking about it, I do feel like, again, back to that window I have. So, yeah, I only have so big of a window to surf where I'm trying to. I really want to get quality waves and, yeah, not waste my time with right, with whatever it's. Quality over quantity, right, yeah and uh, so yeah, in that aspect, yeah, yeah, it's rad, yeah yeah, and we get older.
Speaker 2:We, you know, they say our brains don't even develop till we're 26 or 27 as far as like future consequences, things like that, and a lot of times if you're in a in in a sport like yours, um, or I think of somebody even jumping over to like a Steph Curry that keeps himself together that he can still perform at a 21 year old level. But what he's got now is he's got his body in shape, the nutrition on point, but he's also got his 38 year old mind around the game Right. That's the thing. As I see guys like you is like you have this knowledge and like if you had the knowledge with you know in, in, by keeping yourself in shape. Let's say you could gift your knowledge at 42 to your 24 year old self, you'd fucking be, you know, you'd be so far ahead and a lot of people they just let themselves go. And at 42 it's like god damn if I was still in shape. But you're in shape, you got the logo on your head and you have experience.
Speaker 1:Kind of amazing and he's about to sell a house in Wailua in a minute. I hope so. I like that thing.
Speaker 3:Should it be one, I'm worried about or what nah, nah, not one you're interested in. I saw one at laia point that looked pretty man oh, recently I did that thing is really let me know, let's go see it I'd have to go look, in case you're still talking about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nice, nice, let me know land of milk and honey how many guys you know at your level that are real estate agents? Not many, or is there a few guys doing it?
Speaker 3:in haw, hawaii. I know I think the hobgoblins do it Okay and I feel like there's quite a few Cool angle.
Speaker 2:I mean, I got to tell you it's, it's, it's, it's. You know, you're sitting and picking between realtors.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, add a surfers to. Like you know a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 3:And then we're on the North Shore and so we know surfers who want to move here, and there's a lot of surfers have money and can buy houses. Yeah, that's true too. So there actually is. There's a pretty solid group of surfer realtors for sure around. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, everybody's cool.
Speaker 2:Everyone gets a lot of wealth.
Speaker 1:I'm out of questions now, Doug. That's good. I think Mikey's got to go anyways, but thank you.
Speaker 3:Perfect. Yeah, super Nails. Thank you guys. This was great. Yeah, this is Rene. I appreciate it. I've had a really good time. Say hi to the Ami, give a big hug.
Speaker 2:I will. I will Same to you. Hey, we balanced out the scratches the last 30 minutes. We'll fix the first part. Thanks, boys, yeah.
