Name:
Chris “The Skip” Aguilar

Year Started Surfing:
1984-1990, quit till 2003 and have been hooked ever since

Regular or goofy (surf stance only):
Goofy

What’s your surfboard of choice?
9’4” Becker UFO shaped by Wheatly

Grew up surfing where/home break(s)?
Ratt Point/Beach and Bluff Cove

What break do you call home now and why?
Am torn between two- Good old Ratt is sentimental to me since I grew up on that beach and love the memories waiting there for me as well as the great pack of surfers who regularly surf there. It is probably the friendliest spot I have surfed. But, lately I have been surfing with good friends south of the Jetty at El Segundo Beach and the wave there has really been a joy to ride.

Favorite type of wave?
Shoulder to head high, left, semi hallow with great shape. I will sacrifice shape for size any day

Favorite spot?
Ratt Point on a decent NW about mid tide

When confronted by a big, thick closeout barrel do you straighten out or pull in and enjoy the view?
Go straight! Longboard wipe outs can be pretty unforgiving, especially since I surf mostly beach breaks- hitting the bottom is just not as fun as it used to be.

How often do you get in the water?
Once a week

What do you do for a living?
I suffer from terminal ADD, so I have about three careers: Photographer and Videographer (http://www.soulsurfmedia.com) focusing on surfers and surfing. I also run a small business that does web hosting, web site design and development as well as marketing consulting, etc.. (http://www.pvtechcenter.com) and to actually pay my bills I work at a consulting firm.

Marital status?
Happily Engaged

What qualifies you to judge the waves for the rest of us?
Grew up in the water in Palos Verdes and surrounding areas and have a vast knowledge of swells, tides, and other oceanographic information that contributes to how we will get surf. I have always remained close to the water for as long as I can remember. Surfing is my passion and I love sharing this sport and talking about it as often as I can.

What do you like about doing the report (aside from the obvious fame and fortune)?
I love waves and the ocean. Gives me a great excuse to get out of bed early and hang out on the beach.

What possesses you to get up at dawn every morning and do a surf report?
Coffee

What makes your surf reports better than those of our competitors?
We (the Magnet guys) are locals with local knowledge. I think that says a lot. The other reports tend to be pretty standard with no information to help you make a decision. Our “boss” has specific standards that we are expected to hold ourselves up to in our reports.

Any words of advice for someone who is just learning to surf?
When your standing on the inside, shuffle your feet. I got hit by a stingray last year and that is something that you never want to experience.

Other than surfing what are your hobbies?
Surf video making, writing lyrics for my big brother (http://myspace.com/shagtracks) as well as poetry and fiction

Any surf destination you haven’t been to that you’d like to check out?
I really want to see some Mexican surf.

Where was your best surf trip ever?
The closest was surfing in Maui. All though I was riding a tank of a soft top (my bio picture is of me surfing that day- the only picture I have of me surfing), the waves were fun waist high little buggers with perfect shape. There is something magical about surfing in Hawaii, you can see the reef below, the water is about 80 degrees and I got to thinking that “this is where surfing started”. Surfing there, you are directly connected to the ancients who gave us this wonderful sport.

What’s the biggest wave you’ve ever ridden?
Probably a 12 footer in San Onofre. Shortly there after I got caught inside, had to be rescued, it was a long day…

Have you ever been in a fight out in the water?
No way, surfing is about a community. Not about a competition.

If you had to choose only 1 who would it be? Marrianne, Ginger or Gilligan.
Neither my fiancée would have never let me go for a two hour cruise in Hawaii without her. And if we had gone- we would be hanging out with the professor trying to figure out who “the others” are…

Last book you read?
Power vs. Force by Dr. David Hawkins

Favorite movie?
SingleFin Yellow for a surf movie, and for a feature…that is tough..I am torn between Shawshank Redemption, Rocky II, or any of the Star Wars movies.

Favorite band?
Too many to count, I love all music- if I had to choose a few: The White Buffalo, Talib Kewli, The Eels, Steve “Shag” Aguilar, Chris Pierce, Jack Johnson, Grasshopper Takeover, Michael Penn and Moby

Any parting thoughts or philosophical statements?
“Your style expresses your lifestyle . . . in the lineup and out of the lineup. Its about being free. Its about paddling out with myself and my friends and leaving all the political b.s.- all the bad stuff - on the beach, going out in the water, and feeling the motion of the waves. Everything about it is soulful…”” – Derrick Doerner