The Man on the Mike

Of all the highlights from the history making Volcom Fiji, Pro there is one that’s been disappointingly glossed over. The performance of 37 year old North Shore lifeguard and big wave surfer, Dave Wassel behind the mike during the event broke new ground in surf-calling.

“I’ll tell you the truth, it’s something I’ve been practicing for 20 years at Pipeline, just sitting on the porch talking handfuls of shit,” he told Ain’t That Swell recently.

The Hawaiian was rolling out one-liners like – and I’m channelling Wassel here – whale steaks at an Okinawan Wendy’s (close?).

Gabriel Medina became the “spider monkey jacked up on mountain dew!” Joel ‘park it’ Parkinson was the “tube whisperer” aka “the Cesar Milan (dog whisperer) of surfing,” and a scintillating backhand reo would be known as the “backhand hacky sack attack.” He appeared shirtless in the commentary booth, had a passable though comical handle on the local dialect but it was when the waves got big that Dave really found his voice. “Are you kidding me?” said with mike-distorting vigour became his signature catchphrase.

“It was a pleasure to be put there in front of Fiji and the world’s best surfers,” says Dave of the opportunity. No Dave, the pleasure was, and continues to be, all ours. – Jed smith

For the big man live and unplugged on our radio show, drop the cursor here.