The Global Paddling Community

Interview with surf kayaker Dave Johnston (USA).

This interview was originally produced for the Portuguese web site 'kayaksurf.net' and is published exclusively on Playak in english to make it available to a wider audience. The portuguese version of the interview is available here.

Name: Dave Johnston
Age: 43
Born in: the USA
Occupation: Kayak Instructor, Kayak Guide, Kayak Shop Owner
Sponsors: Murkey Waters Kayaks, Seals Skirts, and Werner Paddles
Website: www.kayaksantacruz.com

Recent competition results:

• World Cup Champion 2006 Portugal
• World Champion IC 1999 Brazil
• US Masters IC Champion 2006
• 2-time US National HP Champion 2002, 2006
• Commander of California Cup Champion 2006
• 8-time US Team Member
• 3-time Member USA World Championship Team (1993 USA, 1999 Brazil , 2005 Costa Rica).
• 5-time World Championship Individual Finalist
• 4-time Santa Cruz IC Champion

Hi Dave, congratulations with your great surf kayaking year! Winner in Santa Cruz (IC), winner in Portugal (World Cup)… what's the secret?

Yeah, it's been a dream year for me. I think I owe a lot of it to my new boat, the Twist, and my quad belt. The quad belt is the strap system which holds me in the boat. I just started using it with my new boat. Also, I think I'm more focused now than in the past. I have fewer vices than when I was younger. I may not be as fun, but I win more and more importantly, set a better example for my two kids.

When did you start surf kayaking?

I started surf kayaking back in 1984. I was working for a mountaineering store and teaching kayak rolling and whitewater kayaking. That's when I started taking my Perception Dancer out into the surf where I lived in Santa Cruz. I had to learn the hard way about surfing etiquette and board surfers' attitudes about kayakers. I'm lucky to paddle for a living so I don't have to train as much as other people. And since my wife is a Chiropractor, she helps me recover from injuries. That's why I've been able to do this for so long.

You joined the US team in 1988 for the first International contest in Ireland. Tell us about that...

In 1988 I joined a group of California kayakers (the first US Team) and travelled to Ireland to participate in the Home Open.  We didn't have a complete team, and no wave skiers but we did manage to win the kayak portion of the event. One of my team mates, Eric Hanscom won the individual title. Afterward, my wife and I biked around Ireland in the rain, it was our honeymoon.

What were your best experiences?

The best event I've ever been to was in Brazil. They erected a three story structure on the beach with food and free energy drinks for the competitors. The judges were on the top floor with computers that produced instantaneous scores that were announced to the crowd and competitors during the heats. These were the same judges and the same venue that were used for the World Surfing Tour, and the World Bodyboarding Tour. There was also lots of media coverage. After I won there were two TV cameras with reporters who interviewed me as I came out of the water. My picture was on the back cover of the sports journal the next day. Brazil has an incredible beach culture with healthy food and active lifestyles mixed in.

And on the downside?

Of course, with all my victories came many more defeats. The worst is when you lose because of lack of waves. It's frustrating because you feel cheated by Mother Nature.

About the contest in Portugal, that was a great heat with Jonny Bingham! Did you realize you were the winner after the heat?

Peniche was a great venue. The waves were different each day and throughout the tidal changes too. This made it a little more challenging to figure out a strategy. But there were plenty of waves to go around. From the Quarter Finals on I felt like I could wait it out on the outside and the sets would come for me. And they did. I was a little surprised that the other guys in my heats were going for the inside waves, but they probably thought the outside ones were closing out more. This was true, but my strategy was to go farther east down the beach where there were some shoulders to ride. Also, to avoid being closed out, I was trying to go fast down the line to the left, making fewer cutbacks and generally being a little more conservative than usual at the beginning of my rides. I think if we had all ridden the same size waves, I might not have won. But, I knew I had caught the bigger waves.

Peniche was great because the hotel was right there. There was plenty of room to surf, big waves, small waves, plenty of variety, and very few hassles with the local surfers. I hate surfing in crowds. During the heats, guys in the water were giving me all the waves I asked for, no problems. The water and the beach were clean and the water was warmer than Northern California.

Your Team will be in the next 2007 world championships. How many surfkayakyers from your team will be in Mundaka?

The US West usually has a full, strong team. We always expect to be in the finals. We'll all be there at Mundaka. We have some unique aspects of team structure that distinguish us from some other teams. Our team policy of one person/one spot on the team sometimes gives us a little disadvantage because we don't put our best people out there to surf in two categories as some other teams do. We try to include as many people on the team as we can so we bring the maximum number of surfers. This brings about great camaraderie and team spirit and also helps us to develop new members for the future of our team. Our team coach and manager don't really have the power to say who surfs, once you make the team, you are in and you have a voice. From then on, the major team decisions are made by a team vote.

Do you think that WW experience is needed for surf kayaking or do you think that, for instance, surf boarding experience is better to progress in our sport?

In my kayaking career, I have evolved from a river boater to an IC boater to an Hp boater. I don't know if it's better to start from whitewater boating or board surfing to progress to surf kayaking. Surfers have better wave sense, but whitewater boaters have a better Eskimo roll. I still do some whitewater, although I have backed off from the class V's. I guess I kind of got spooked on Cherry Creek a while back, and that's what made me back off. When I was a lot younger I was a whitewater guide for Epic Adventures in California. This was old school, we're talking about Perception Dancers. The other guides and I ran most of the major rivers here, and whenever we came to a scary looking rapid it seemed like I was always the one who got tired of looking at it first. Maybe I just wanted to get it over with fast, but that's why the called me "the probe". Anyway, I can say from experience that there is little that is more frightening than swimming in a class V rapid. After that, nothing much really scares me in the ocean.  I went from a Dancer to a Sabre to a Mega Jester. Then came a Mega Titan, which is what I won in Brazil with, then a Mega Cyclone which I still have. Along the way, I gained a reputation as a boat abuser because I liked to try to catch big air, go off the lip and do enders. Those long boats didn't hold up. Now that I surf an Hp boat exclusively, I haven't broken one in a long time. Short boats have better structural characteristics and can maneuver more quickly to get you out of trouble. They are more fun, much easier to throw around, and lighter for better aerials. The Hp designs are constantly improving. There are more boats out there now than ever before.

What do you think of the new  "big aerials" in surf kayaks? 

I always try to go big because it's fun.  My best move is a barrel roll or an aerial 180. I think in general, the more air you get, the better scores you'll gain in contests. But it depends on the wave. You have to surf the wave and flow with it, not just focus on a particular maneuver. If you can put the big moves together into a kind of dance with the wave, that should be the goal. 

This year, in Mundaka (like always), the juries were surf boarders. What do you think of this idea – also defended by Darren Bason – of appealing to surf people to judge kayaksurf manoeuvres?

Board surfers can appreciate this as well and I think that they make excellent judges. They are usually impartial too, they don't know the competitors.

Which is, for you, the best kayak to surf?

The HP boats that I like the best are the Reaction and Twist by Murkey Waters. I also like the Mega Neutron. These boats are great for getting speed, carving, and getting air. For spins and blunts and rodeo moves, Dick Wold's boats are the best. I am also looking forward to trading my Cyclone for a new long boat from Mega, with a flatter bottom and sharper rails.

Do you have some surf kayaker in special you admire in particular?

The guys that I have always admired and had the most trouble defeating in the past have been Ken King and Dick Wold. These guys have beaten me more than any others. Today the hardest chargers around here are Jeff Burlingham, Vince Shay, Demany Smith, Rusty Sage and Ken King, although, thankfully, Kenny doesn't compete as much anymore. Other guys who are pushing the limits and nobody wants to face in a heat are Darren Bason, Chris Harvey, Dessie McGlinchy, James Hawker, Edu Etcheberria, and Jonny Bingham (still the World Champion). Out of all those guys, I think I would aspire to have a combination of Rusty's moves and Kenny's style.

Which was the best spot that you surfed?

Here in Santa Cruz, we have some of the best surf in the world year–round. There are probably a hundred surf spots within a half-hour drive from my house. I usually surf the rugged coast north of Santa Cruz because there are few crowds and big waves. Davenport Landing, Scotts Creek, and Steamer Lane are my favorite spots. In the winter these places can hold waves up to about 20 feet (6-7 meters). The only drawbacks are cold water, crowds (in town), and sharks.  Although I have never seen one, we know they are there. Just the idea of sharks thins out the crowds.

Your scariest moment at sea?

My scariest moment surfing came at high tide after a storm when the lane was breaking 10ft+. My paddle was removed from my grasp when a huge wave closed out on me. After hand-rolling twice and getting pummeled by the set I found myself looking at a pile of boulders at the base of the cliff with a large wall of water about to hit me. I paddled toward the wave with my hands and it picked me up and placed me on top of the pile. Everyone thought I was meat, but I barely had a scratch on me. I guess I've had a few scary moments at that spot where I've been slammed against the cliff and broken a few boats and waveskis. This past year I was scared not for myself but for some of my clients who were on a kayak-whale watching trip with me when a large grey whale jumped out of the water and landed 10 feet from them, nearly crushing them. The water covered their kayak. They were lucky to be unharmed. We have since reviewed and updated our liability release form to include this potential occurrence.

Thanks a lot Dave. See you in Mundaka!

Interview: Luis Pedro Abreu
Photos: www.foto-reportagem.com + John Bonaventure + kayaksurf.net