Who Didn’t Get Barreled On Oahu’s Short-Lived Superbank?

A completely biased opinion, but the Tommy Peterson Fireball Fish is an unsung design in modern surfboard evolution.

Today, on Tommy’s 66th birthday, Mason Ho just dropped a new edit featuring him flying on his Fireball at the Ehukai sandbar that right now looks a hell of a lot like Snapper Rocks. 

A while back, Stab talked to Mason about his love for Tommy’s design and overall respect for the man he calls “uncle.” The relationship “goes deep.”

It goes deep for a lot of reasons. First, back in the day when Michael Peterson, Tommy’s older brother, was shaping fangtails, puffing chillums, wearing aviators and raising hell, Pops Ho cruised with them on the Gold Coast and in Hawaii. The good times go way back.

Then there’s the Tom Curren factor. Curren shined a lot of light on the design when he rode it in flexing Bawa back in ’94. The footage appeared in “Searching For Tom Curren” and ignited a new passion for smaller, faster, more sensitive equipment. 

Sound familiar? That’s exactly what Kelly and Daniel Thompson got up to a couple decades later. And, of course, Tomo’s family has ties with the Petersons (you can read it about it in our previous piece).

More recently, five years ago Mason was geeking out on “Searching For Tom Curren” (which should be required viewing for everyone). He hit up Uncle Tommy and scored a genuine Fireball Fish from the man.  

One of those magic sleds that only gets the call up when the cosmos align, on Tommy’s 66th birthday the edit is all the more special.