Back in 2011, I was posted up in California for what was then The Hurley Pro Trestles. A little over a week earlier I’d watched Owen Wright beat Kelly Slater in front of 40 000 screaming New Yorkers at The Quiksilver Pro. The same contest where the waves pumped and Bobby Martinez infamously erupted in a post-heat protest against the first incarnation of the mid-year cut-off. Meanwhile, Chris Davidson was still an unpredictable presence on the CT. It was a fine time to be following the tour.
Surfing legend David Nuuhiwa was staying in the same, San Clemente hotel as me and somehow I ended up riding in his wake. If you are not familiar with Nuuhiwa, he was once considered the world’s best nose rider, before dedicating his preternatural talents to mastering the fish. Many say Nuuhiwa deserved the nod in his 1972 world championship final against Jimmy Blears, but that’s another story.
In his hey-day, Nuuhiwa was known to arrive at contests in a Porsche, wearing a mink coat and aviators, whilst flanked by minions. By the time we connected in 2011 he was 63 and had swapped the Porsche for a Hummer and the mink coat for a Hawaiian shirt; he’d certainly lost none of the flamboyance he was famous for.
Eventually we landed at a local pub where Chris ‘Davo’ Davidson was playing pool and taking tour life in his loping stride.
Below is an excerpt from the original story that ran in the Jan 2011 issue. It says a little about two of surfing’s colourful characters – Dave and Davo – one of whom is sadly no longer with us.
“As I struggle to keep up with Dave’s banter a voice from the other end of the bar shouts, “Hoy!” I look up to see the snarling sideways grin of Chris Davidson about to bury itself in a beer. We shuffle down in his direction. Dave (Nuuhiwa) and Davo don’t recognise each other but once I make it clear that they share the same profession, they chime in easily.
Davo has lost his first round heat but claims he has a secret weapon that will ensure he progresses through to the sudden-death second round. Sipping his beer, he turns and points to a board resting against the timber wall behind him. It’s a brand new Lost Rocket. “Pick it up and have a feel,” he insists. “How many top 32 pros would bring their best board to a pub and lean it against a wall while they knocked back a couple of schooners with the locals?” I think to myself as I gently place it back against the wall. Meanwhile, Nuuhiwa has been closely watching the whole episode. By the time I take my seat, Davo is occupied, talking to the pretty brunette barmaid.
Nuuhiawa turns to me with a smirk on his face and says. “Hide the board”. Sensing that my role as practical joking accomplice is more important than worrying about how Davo might react, I sneakily grab the board and hide it behind a dark curtain. The manager throws me a sly smile to let me know he’s in on the scam. All eyes are on Davo.
“Where’s my board?” he eventually shouts, reeling out of the chair. We play dumb as he starts doing laps of the bar, looking high and low. The manager suggests he saw someone leave with the board but didn’t stop him because he thought they were together. You can see the cogs spinning and the internal kettle starting to boil. Before Mr Hyde has a chance to come out we pull the pin on the charade and lead him over to where the board is. Everyone, including Davo, cracks up. The next day, Davo wins his heat on the board and I hang on the deck at the contest with Nuuhiwa having the time of my life…
