The greatest ever surfer quotes

As surfers we are often asked to explain our surfing lifes, whether its to friends, family and in some cases the media: why do you surf, what does it feel like to be in a barrel, whats your worst ever wipeout or biggest wave?

I dont think that anyone has ever been able to adequately use the written or the verbal word to capture the essence of riding a wave, however some have come close and along the way there have also been some classic quotes to descibe what we do. Some are profound, some funny, but all of them we can relate to. Here are a few of my favourites:

Doc Paskowitz on surfing: "Its not a sport, its not even a way of life...its like an eskimo with snow, a farmer with the fields"

Buzzy Trent on Big waves: "Waves are not measured in feet and inches, they are measured in increments of fear"

Greg Noll on Makaha: " I remember being out there on a huge day and just going into mental freeze up. A haze settled over my brain like I was in a dream. No place put the fear of god in me like big Makaha"

Darryl " Flea" Virostko on surfacing from a Mavericks hold down: "Its like trying to do a sit up with a fat chick on my face"

Greg Noll on his nickname DA BULL: " I dont know. Better than shithead I guess"

Mark Foo's prophetic interview quote: "Its not tragic to die doing something you love"

Jeff Clarke: " Mavericks appeals to the dark side of a surfers psyche"

Ken Bradshaw on surfing: " Its created junkies out of most of us. Surfing junkies right? Our whole lives we drop everything to go surfing and we always will"

Kilgore in Apocalypse Now: "Charlie dont surf"

More to follow and feel free to comment and add your own favourites...


and finally heres a great moment of an unknown surfer winding up a TV interviewer!