Surf Stories by Florida Surf Film Festival

Travis Ajay, aka Bucky Johnstone, Mad Dog McTavish, Nacho, Derek "Dynamite" Jones, discusses early web clips focused on the archetypes of surf comedy from all over the world. Nowadays, Travis handles the contest announcer mic with aplomb, and his engaging smile and energy continue to provide fans and friends with laughs. He currently runs Mad Dog Surf Shop in Daytona Beach. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ultimate adventure awaits, and Alie Mancuso and Ben Whyte have been preparing for a while. Their 1980s 41-foot sailboat, Kiana, has been the recipient of some love and hard work as the duo prepares her for their pacific crossing to French Polynesia, where they hope to continue their search for empty waves. Listen in on some of the humor and challenges they've already faced to get ready for their 20-day sail. Follow along on YouTube at Breaking Waves, and enjoy this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A shot in the dark request for a documentary film called Molokai Solo starring Audrey Sutherland caught Kevin's attention, and the search for the film led him to Jock, Audrey's son. The ocean is in the blood, and his prowess in the water on the north shore of Oahu is now the stuff of legends. Listen in as he dispels and propagates old and new tales with fluidity to his banter. Enjoy the details of his upbringing, life as a roofer, fellow chargers, and in general, his precise gift of talking story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Purser directed And Two If By Sea starring CJ and Damien Hobgood, which shared the relationship between twin brothers as they progressed through amateur and professional surfing at the highest level, shining a light on the joy and challenges their career paths presented. Winner of Viewers' Choice Award - 2019 at Florida Surf Film Festival, it still represents a high water mark for Kevin and John. This conversation with Justin shares how the story made it to the screen and the hard work and career challenges it took to get there. Our sincerest thank you to Justin Purser for sharing his work and representing Florida filmmakers with such class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chandler in North Shore is one of Gregory Harrison's favorite roles. After being passed up for the role of Jack in Big Wednesday, he thought he'd never be cast in a surf movie. Ten years later, after Logan's Run, Trapper John, M.D., and For Ladies Only, Gregory put his main hobby to work on the screen. Another hard working actor has thankfully agreed to share his stories with us after 50 years in the business with 120 acting credits and 14 producer credits; he's a natural. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LanceO is a Florida reggae DJ with a deep understanding of what it takes to put a room at ease or on a vacation or just feelin' good about life. We have worked with him at our festivals when it's possible, and he's always willing to share a smile, and on this chat, he shares how he went from a young alcoholic, ne'er do well boy to the joyful man of Rastafari he is today. Enjoy his self-effacing story, as well as a couple quality surf surf stories.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writer and producer, Cynthia Posner, took off for Mexico during the pandemic to get out of the fast pace Los Angeles life. Undateable John starring Estella Warren and John Philbin (EP. 62 on this podcast), is a romantic comedy that flew under the radar in 2019. We loved Cyn's dialogue and wit, so we scheduled a screening coming up on February 2, 2024, with John Philbin in attendance. She walks us through the process of creating the screenplay and writing her novel, which may lead to another movie. We can only Mexico Time makes it to the screen. Enjoy. Presented by Surfing's Evolution and Preservation Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Philbin's blossoming acting career was self-admittedly sabotaged by a disease called surfing. He'd lock down a role in a movie like Point Break as Nathaniel and then disappear to G-Land, missing key auditions for other roles and scoring insane Indo perfection. The Turtle we know from North Shore would do nothing different. His craft is fully intact; Undateable John (2019) is a display of his evolving, robust talent and comedic timing. What a way to open 2024 with our man, John Philbin, on the podcast. He'll be at the festival February 2-3, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liberating treasure from the ocean floor revealed gold on the surface. He managed to keep it a secret for ten years, and then someone invited professional surfers... The secret was out. It was going to happen anyway. Might as well make a living touring folks the right way, the Martin way. Enjoy this trip down Daly's lane, aka the Mentawai, Indies Trader, sunken ships, guns, and feeding the monster in the Marshall Islands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Matty Hannon picked up a camera in 2006, he had no idea what the end would look like sixteen years later. Now, we have the footage, edited to life, including the beautiful, emotional two and a half year journey from Alaska to the southern tip of Chile. When you find yourself lucky enough to lay eyes on it, you will find this accompanying interview a warm addition to his work, winner of the 2023 Viewers' Choice - Feature Documentary Award, The Road to Patagonia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A career in surf documentary filmmaking comes in many ways. For Joe Alani, showing up with his reputation of a Newport Beach grom and a persistent grit at the ...Lost Headquarters was enough for Mike Reola to put him on task. Recent work includes his award-winning documentary Through the Doggy Door, which profiled the comeuppance of west Oahu professional surfer, Sheldon Paishon from homelessness to Rip Curl rider. Enjoy our chat with Joe about his journey and few great surf stories for the record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dick Metz was the focus of the recent biographical documentary Birth of the Endless Summer by Richard Yelland, sharing his three year adventure around the globe, a slideshow featuring Cape St. Francis with Bruce Brown, and most of all, the wonderful friends and people he met along the way. See, Dick is a people person. He opened surf shops, sold surfboards, negotiated out of difficult situations, started a clothing brand, and eventually, raised enough funds to create the Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center (SHACC) in San Clemente, home to the largest and best surfboard collection in the world, and a lot more. We so honored to have him on the podcast, and we could go on, but hear it from the man himself... Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dian Hadiani grew up on Java and experienced surf media and fascination as a child. Her background as an investigative reporter and writer sets up the perfect book about a perfect wave. We caught up with her while she's was on a six month world-wide trip to promote her latest work, The Chronicles of G-Land. Find her work here. And enjoy this chat with Dian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 8-Time XXL Big Wave Award Winner and 2010 Eddie Aikau Invitational Winner, Greg Long, joins us for some deep cuts and a fantastic story of surfers helping surfers in harrowing situations. After a terrifying near-death wipe out, losing friends, and witnessing several other close calls, he and a core group of water-people gave birth to the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group (BWRAG). Greg and his team explain that a "big" wave can be as small as 2 feet to some, and water safety should be an integral part of every surfers skill set. Plus, learn how to make long drives without stopping, and more! Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For forty years, Matt George profiled surfers like Kelly Slater and Bethany Hamilton and has published these in his new book In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings, with a forward by the 11X world champ. Your life will be richer for the read. Listen in here and meet the author as he shares some incredible moments outside the lines of the book.  Visit DAP Books - Diangelo Publications to purchase his latest. Enjoy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nate Tyler earns his living as a kinetic sculptor and a professional surfer in the central California hills about twenty minutes from the coast. His career of surf movie aerialist and brand ambassador for the likes of 805 Beer, Globe, and Octopus keeps his passport full with some incredible travel and inspiration for his work. We caught up with him on the release of a new film called Convergence. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harrison Roach shares quite a few good stories with us. We’d expect nothing less from this ride-anything journeyman. His charm and demeanor translates well to his role as brand ambassador for our longtime sponsor Roark and his work with Thomas Bexon Surfboards. Feel free to kickback and fall into the zone with Harrison. It’s a nice addendum to David Lee’s interview on Surf Splendor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Darieus Legg is a filmmaker and surfer who has rediscovered his passion for filmmaking and animation through his latest short film called Stoker Machine. His energy and banter is infectious. This is our best podcast yet in our humble opinion. It ties the whole film festival, podcast, our love for surf movies, stoke, and good people together. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Neverland, author Tricia Shantz chronicles American and Australian surfers’ influence on the north coast of New South Wales in the 60’s and 70’s. Tricia witnessed the change and significant events and characters of Byron Bay and Lennox Head, watching them transform into the cultural centers they are today. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about this nexus of quality surf and the rich history behind its lure, you’re in for a great podcast. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For as many years as we’ve been dreaming about empty line-ups around the world, Sean Murphy has run Waterways Travel, a surf travel company, to accommodate our disposable income and our lust for adventure and perfection. He’s had a few adventures of his own, and on this episode, we get to hear a couple stories that will serve your commute well. Enjoy our chat with veteran traveler/dream-maker, Sean Murphy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices