 |
|
|
JEFF
O'DONNEL
 |
|
|
Sunset,
Just like big Malibu????
|
|
|
If
you surf enough, you have probably seen him ripping
the early morning surf somewhere between Malibu
and the South Bay. He gets up every morning at 4
AM to surf before work and family, and is as committed
as any surfer can be. Next time you are out, look
for the guy whose white van is one of the first
to park, you may learn something.
OK, tell us about yourself, how old are you and
how long have you been surfing?
I will be 42 in May, and I have been surfing since
I was 14 years old, so I have been surfing for about
28 years.
Where do you mostly surf?
All over the place, but I mostly surf at Malibu,
El Porto, Topanga, and also go to places depending
on where the swell goes…
up to Oxnard, Ventura, Rincon. Yeah, I go
around to sample all of the flavors.
I hear you spent time in Hawaii this past winter.
Where did you surf?
 |
|
|
OD
representing on the North Shore
|
|
|
I
stayed on the North Shore of Oahu and surfed many
of the spots there. A lot of big Sunset and Pipeline,
Chuns, Haleiwa, Waimea Bay, Backyards, Pupakea,
Ehukai, Punahoa.
Wow, you surfed everywhere there.
Yeah, we surfed different places depending on the
size of the swell. We would surf Sunset almost one
session every day, especially when it was all time.
We surfed Sunset in the early morning for 3 or 4
hours, and then would go somewhere else.
What was the biggest Sunset you got?
The biggest Sunset I got was 15-foot backs. After
that it was a little out of my league.
People always hear intimidating stories about localism,
crowds, and really aggressive surfers in Hawaii.
Are these stories realistic?
It goes as it does anywhere, where if you show up
with the wrong attitude or skill, you will not get
a lot of respect. It depends on how you handle yourself.
Even if you are a good surfer here, you are still
a new face over there and they don’t know
you. You need to start on the 1st step of the ladder.
Otherwise, you will have problems. For me, there
was no problem, but I did see people who ran into
trouble. But, it is not worse than anywhere else.
How difficult is it for a surfer from El Porto/South
Bay to get waves in Hawaii? What can a regular guy
expect?
The South Bay is a very good spot to practice ground
for Hawaii. El Porto is a quick action wave, and
even though it is not the best wave, you are able
to practice being
fast and speedy and to react quickly. This helps
in Hawaii when you are finally able to get perfect
surf. Yeah, El Porto is a good practice ground.
I have mentioned Hawaii as a surf destination to
my friends but many of them will suggest going somewhere
else like Indo or Fiji because the places are potentially
cheaper and less crowded. What do you think of that
attitude?
Well, many of those places are third world countries
and sometimes you are putting your life at risk.
Also, in some of those places there is not as much
variety as there is on Hawaii. Like in Hawaii you
can have waves hitting all 4 sides of the island
but in other places there are only 1-2 coastlines.
This is a tough question to answer because it all
depends on the location, but I feel that Hawaii
is always a sure bet and the waves are a thumbs
up. In Tahiti or Costa Rica, the waves may not be
so good or are might be only head high even though
they have good shape. In Hawaii, on average, you
will get more surf and the size is always up. The
size will always be bigger and the waves will be
testing your ability. Its good to travel to other
places, but Hawaii in winter is always a sure bet.
Thanks a lot Jeff, we appreciate it.
INTERVIEW BY JORGE VAZQUEZ
back
to who's hot page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
