The Alien In The Pipeline, Catching Up With Gavin Beschen

The Pipe Trials were slow and strange. And the result was the largest age gap between first and second place finishers in history. The two North Shore transplants originally from Orange County, 16-year-old Finn McGill and “the Alien” Gavin Beschen will surf the Pipe Masters. If you grew up on VHS Volcom films, then you’re acquainted with the breezy nature and laid back style of Mr Beschen. From Stoney Baloney, Creepy Fingers, Dawn of the Stone Age to Psychic Migrations, the man is as graceful atop foam and fins as ever. And now he’s waiting to surf his first, er second, maybe first CT event. Which for the nostalgic fans of youth against establishment, it’s delightful to see Gavin get a ticket to the ball. 

Stab: Gavin, what’s going on man? 
Gavin: Shoots, I’m just cruising. Waking up with the kids and the dog. 

Congrats on making it into Pipe.
Thank you, I was baffled. I hear it’s pretty fucked down there today though. 

When was your last CT event? 
Dude, I don’t even know if I ever have actually surfed one. I think a long time ago I got into one, but it was just like knee high. Shit, I don’t even know if I ever have been [laughs].

How have you been spending your time over the past decade? 
I’ve been fortunate enough to still be riding for Volcom; they’ve been supporting me. I’m still riding the same surfboards. Then I’ve been trying to stay in the water and spend time with my family. My daughter is nine, and my boy is three. So that’s pretty much my full-time inspiration. I do what I can to put my energy into my kids.  

You’ve had a good stint on the North Shore by now.
Yeah, I’ve been here for over 20 years. 

Is there anyone you’d rather not surf against? 
Oh man, everyone’s so good it doesn’t matter who you surf against. You just need to stay with what you know inside. You’re your worst enemy you know? I think you just have to go with your own world and try to do what you do best. 

Outside of Pipeline do you think you can win heats anywhere else? 
I’m not really competitive. I never even thought I would get into this. I don’t want to go anywhere else in the world to surf contests. I just want to explore and surf with my friends. This is pretty much as close as I get to contest surfing. 

What were you riding out there? 
It’s my Timmy Patterson; it’s a 6’4 a little wider and thicker. It’s a pretty simple board.

You’ve been considered a “Pipe Specialist” for some time. When competing at Pipe do you listen to anyone’s advice? 
You can look into what other people tell you to do, but ultimately you just learn from your experience out there. You try to learn from everyone; everyone’s got good insight, but you gotta use what you already know. 

What’s kept you on the North Shore for over 20 years? 
Just my family and my lifestyle. It’s simple, we try to keep it on that level, surf and do the things we love, and do whatever we can to keep doing it. 

Where’s your competitive psyche at? 
I just want to catch a good wave. Just like freesurfing, that’s my main objective. Just to keep balance in my head and focus on catching a good ride. I’m just staying in that mindset.