Surf Cat

My, aren’t we feeling generous? We haven’t even dished out our five-figure check for the O’Neill Wave of the Winter, much less all that Regional WOTW cash and the 4ocean Wave of the Decade award, and we’re already trying to give away more stuff. We’re like Robin Hood, if Robin Hood wore a smartwatch and robbed himself to give to his friends.

But once Surfline Sessions arrived on the scene in early 2019, it was only a matter of time before all sorts of surfers performing within eyeshot of any of the hundreds of Surfline cams scattered about the globe would start sharing their results and clips. And it was only natural that a few surfers would vault to the top of the Sessions food chain with hard evidence of their hardcoreness that was too stunning to ignore.

We were particularly impressed with stats that revealed just how committed some of these surfers were: most spots ridden, most sessions logged, most days and hours surfed. In fact, we were so impressed, we decided to reward ‘em with prizes ranging from Rip Curl Search duffle bags, to full access to the online Ocean Warrior Course, to a complete set of UAG backpacks, phone and airpod cases and watch straps — to a lifetime of Surfline Premium.

“We launched Surfline Sessions in July 2019, but we already had such a frothy group of surf trackers from our Compatible Partners — Dawn Patrol and Rip Curl — plus so many new trackers on our app, that the yearlong data set got really robust,” explains David DeFilippo, Product Lead for Surfline Sessions. “The adoption was really fun to watch, so we felt like we couldn’t pass up the chance to share our excitement with the surf community.”

Here are the true picks of the pack from Surfline Sessions’ first year — plus interviews with the winners. Bottom line: These guys really, really, love surfing. And that’s worth celebrating.

Surfline: Let’s get those vitals.

Chas: I’m 56, from Seal Beach, CA, rode my first wave in 1971 and haven’t wanted to do anything else since then. I live pretty close to the beach, so if I walk the dog and see something to ride, I make it a point to get out there.

Right, but what allows you to surf such long sessions?

I’m a surfboard shaper, Chas Surfboards, and I like to think it comes with the territory. North Orange County is pretty consistent with Southern Hemisphere stuff, hurricane stuff and wintertime windswell, so there’s usually something to ride close to home. If not, I’ll venture to Huntington Beach Pier quite a bit. And I do some glassing work for Matt Biolos, so that puts me in San Clemente once a week during their busy season, which coincides with the Lowers season, so I get to surf there a lot. Also, for three and a half hours a day for nine weeks in summer, my family runs a surf camp in Seal Beach, Chas Surf School. And I wear the watch when I’m doing that, too.

Okay, it all makes sense now. You’re leagues above the average surfer in terms of water time.

Well, I’m trying to figure out how I accumulated 961 hours, but if you do the math it makes sense. My wife got me the Rip Curl watch for Christmas in 2018 and I got on the beta test program pretty early. I was probably in the 330’s for days surfed in 2019. If the waves are good on the weekend, I generally spend most of the morning surfing. And if I make the walk to Lowers, I’m gonna get my money’s worth and it’s gonna be a long session.

Have you always been this gnarly, or did the new tech motivate you to put up some real numbers?

No, it’s just what I do. To tell you the truth, my buddy Rob Colby once did a hundred-day streak after Hurricane Marie. He said, “Let’s do 30 days to celebrate the swell…” Well, 30 turned into 100 and 100 turned into 165, and we just got into the rhythm of surfing every day. It’s easy to make excuses not to go surfing, which is what most people do: The waves are shitty, it’s too cold, I have too much work or whatever. But then once you get back on it, you feel like a moron for allowing that stuff to happen.

So that’s the key to your longevity, persistence?

I’ve raised four kids who are all adults now, so I spent most of my late thirties and all of my forties on a soccer field sideline or a softball grandstand every weekend — which was awesome and I met a lot of nice folks along the way — but it’s not surfing. And with the kids grown now, it’s easier to find the time to do it. Life gets busy, but I’ve always had a hardcore surfer bone, which kept me fit enough to do it. But getting on that program with Rob after Marie, he’s the one who really inspired me to push my surfing past just being the means to something, and treating it as the end.

So the Sessions tech is just part of the means to that end?

I never started building surfboards because I wanted to be a famous surfboard shaper. I just liked seeing my friends surf well, and like shaping, this is just an extension of that addiction. At first it was just cool seeing the waves, time and commitment, but now with the perks of having the Surfline Sessions clips, it’s become habit. I’m a surf coach and a surfboard builder, and now having this technology to review it all, it’s unprecedented. And it’s super useful for what I do.

We were all set to interview our inaugural Sessions MVP for this feature, but he went ahead and did all the work himself via his own testimonial/ in-depth tutorial. What a guy.

Surfline: Apparently, you’re the Vasco de Gama of session tracking, and we’re gonna give you an award.

Milby Shannon: I heard it was a trip to Namotu [laughs].

More like Motel 6. Besides, it looks like you get around enough. What makes you so damn lucky?

Well, I’m 30 years old, from Los Angeles, and a broadcast producer for the World Surf League. Now I’ve turned that into a competitive Surfline career [laughs]. It’s so weird to think that I broke a record that’s never been established. I think I used the Apple watch in Australia, California, Texas, Europe for sure… I didn’t have the watch in Brazil or J-Bay, which was kind of a bummer because that would’ve been sick.

So that’s how you clocked 43 spots. Occupational perk. We knew there’s no way you could stay that busy in SoCal.

Probably not in the LA area, which is so crowded. Living around here, I’ve gotta travel. I grew up in Texas, so I’m already akin to going on the hunt, and driving to find a better peak with less people is no big deal for me. And I’m fortunate enough to travel with the tour to some of the spots, so I guess I kinda cheated a little bit.

Oh, yeah. That’s totally cheating. Were you religiously logging your stats from the beginning?

Yeah, I started using the Dawn Patrol app just to see where I surfed. Then once Surfline started promoting Sessions, I already had the Premium Membership, so I was like, “Cool, I can check some clips, too.” It’s all paired with the app, so it’s super easy. Plus, I don’t have a GoPro in my mouth, just the watch, so it’s a little undercover. I love it. It’s awesome to be able to check your clips and see how bad you’re actually surfing.

Obviously being around the WSL, you’re seeing the pros using cutting-edge tech on the regular. How’s it for a guy behind the scenes like yourself?

I base it around fitness, because most of my job I’m sitting down in a broadcast truck, so I’m really just trying to use it to stay active. It’d be fun to get the pros’ stats, too, being out at the same spots as them, and then check my stats against theirs. Of course, on tour you’re surfing the scraps. There are no set waves for you.

Surfline: Congratulations, we only have four categories for these tracking awards and you won two of them.

Dave Hopper: You mean surfing a lot of shitty days in a row counts? Dude, I’m flattered, honored and pumped. I was a beta tester for the first GPS watch, because I ride for Rip Curl here in Pacific Beach, so I started tracking all my sessions early. I have more than 30,000 waves already docked on the Rip Curl watch since its inception. Tracking’s just become part of my routine.

How do you make your living?

I’m a banquet captain at the Catamaran Resort, so my schedule is flexible. If I work breakfast or lunch, I’m surfing in the afternoon. If I work dinner, I’m surfing in the morning. If I have the day off, I’ll surf twice, sometimes three times. Almost daily I can get out there, throw up a few turns and call it a day. I just love to surf, man. I’ll surf every day — wind, rain, shine, or runoff.

Bullshit. No one’s homebreak is that consistent.

Seriously! San Diego is like Disneyland for surfing. I’ve been surfing Tourmaline for 20-plus years, but my first look is usually Pacific Beach Drive, which is right across the street from where I work. It’s pretty much always rideable. Or if the wind’s howling 40 knots out of the northwest, I’ll tuck into the cove; if it’s a hard south with lots of rain and big closeouts, I’ll take the 10-minute drive over to Shores and be completely sheltered. And even on the flattest day of the year, Blacks is still waist high.

You surfed 342 days last year. We can only imagine how bad those other 23 days must’ve been.

Easter and Mother’s Day, those two days are tricky. I have to work from 6:30am until 8pm, dawn to dusk. We do public brunches for like 2,000 guests, so there’s no way of getting around it. Other than that, I had a really bad sciatica once, so I lost a day there. I’m just very conscious of that surf window. I juggle it at work, I juggle it in life. I’m always like, I just need 45 minutes. Even with my boss, he’s like, “You need your 45? Alright, go get it.”

Sounds more like a medication than a passion. Where do you get your tenacity?

Well, I’m 55. The short of it is, I grew up surfing in New Jersey then moved to San Diego in 1989. But I don’t think that East Coast hunger ever goes away. But what really plays into the story is that I am 22 years clean and sober. Although I never stopped surfing, there was a time when PB sucked me in. But ever since I got sober, surfing’s become my new addiction. I just got hooked on trying to surf… Every. Single. Day.

How do you intend on breaking your other record, 468 sessions?

I can easily beat that number! I usually get two days off a week, so I’m gonna knock out two sessions on those days. My goal for 2020 is one session a day, minimum, two sessions on my days off. It’s funny, when the Surfline report is blue, Poor-to-Fair, I get stoked. If it’s predicted to be onshore and raining, a lot of people will see that and go do laundry or something, but I’ll be like, “Awesome. Less people. I’m so out there!” I can’t help it. Ever since that day in Jersey when I was 11 years old and stood up on a boogieboard, it was on.

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If you own an Apple Watch and are interested in finding out more about Surfline Sessions, go here. Rip Curl Search GPS watch owners, here.