Pete Devries Has A Protege And His Name Is Waterspider

Tofino, B.C. is a frigid place.

According to my eyeballs, the folks who surf there wear a minimum of a 4/3 year-round. In winter, and perhaps even autumn and spring, it’s 5/4/3/boots/gloves/hood/ all the time.

For those who have never had the misfortune of donning this type of rubber, let me tell you: it’s heavy, and it’s stiff. The type of self-applied straitjacket that makes surfing at least 40% more difficult. Especially when it comes to getting limber and loose. 

Such issues do not apply to Michael ‘Waterspider’ Darling, a 22-year-old Mechanical Engineering graduate with WD-40 in his hinges. In the ongoing surfpocalypse, Darling was recently dropped by Reef (which you’ll see plastered to his surfboard above) but quickly scooped by Vissla as their new ambassador of shrinkage. 

Michael’s surfing has distinct notes of Tofino’s most famous slider, Pete Devries, who after 20 years, was also dropped by Hurley this month. Pete, who was rumored to have been born in a fullsuit and booties, looks patently hilarious in a pair of boardshorts, and we’d have to imagine the same is true of our gangly Mr. Darling.

But I’ll be damned if they don’t rip in full rubber.