Interview in New Zealand Surfing March 2005
EXPLORING OPTIONS / LETTING GO
photos: www.himaniphoto.com
The biggest wave a New Zealander has ever caught ??
So you thought there was only a couple of Kiwis charging Jaws over
the last few months....na-haa......meet Shaun Dickson.....
"I'm 42 going on 22.....I was born in Taranaki, then Hamilton and finally Rotorua..
...that was a balls up from my family..ha.ha. I learned to surf in and around the
Bay of Plenty.....lot's of trips to Raglan, New Plymouth and Gizzy.
I've spend the last 25 years travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave: Indo, South Africa, Europe, South Pacific, Central America, Hawaii, the list goes on.
I'm currently living in Maui. Checking the internet for every swell, paddle surfing
Honolua Bay and Hookipa, towing on all the outer reefs and going on surf explorations on my friends 85ft steel catamaran.
My main focus though is Jaws, this is a different animal, sooo heavy but can be
perfect. I've had some horrendous clubbings, hit the bottom two times, which is
35ft deep, held down for 30 seconds, swam through giant shore breaks onto the rocks to retrieve boards; it's all part of Peahi. I love the barrel at this place.
It's so thick and gnarly - this is heaven if you are a natural footer.
I tow with my good friend Robby Seeger; he has been my mentor. With 15 years of tow and wind- surfing knowledge he also partners with Cheyne Horan, which is very inspirational. We have a great team and that's what you need in such a
heavy spot.
On big days the international crew is amazing Gerlac, Parsons, Dorian, Dave Kalama, Laird, Garret McNamara, Ross Clark Jones...the list goes on, all the
Brazilians. It's water world out there, but mostly there is a real sense of comrade.
Watermanship is part of the deal. When someone goes down, up to five or more skis will attempt the rescue, this really helps, because your driver might not get to you quick enough. Lots of skis end up on the rocks which is an expensive and dangerous process, most big days a few skis are lost.
My boards need some serious repair after the last swell. The boards weigh around 20 pounds, you really need that weight with the speed and power.
.......So I hope this is a bit of an insight to what I'm up to......Ocean and Earth have been incredibly supportive with great surf gear and Powerplay here in Hawaii as well......there's a DVD out called "Jaws Underground" which has a few waves of me in it.....and I am also a contender for the XXL award from these waves on Jan 10th.....Shaun"
