Surf Splendor

596 - Jeff Johnson: Part Two 31.05.2026 2h 2min

In Part Two, Jeff Johnson explains how he side-doored his way into becoming Patagonia's first staff photographer, the toll of being sued by one of his surf idols, and he distills the value of being naive to your own limitations. Enjoy!

595 - Jeff Johnson: Part One 28.05.2026 1h 27min

Adventurer Jeff Johnson joins us today to explain his path from ne'er-do-well skate teen to world class photographer; from stealing lumber to build skate ramps, to lifeguarding on the North Shore, to designing a professional life of world travel, Jeff explains how boredom is the key to unlocking your life's passion. Part One of Two. Enjoy!

594 - Torren Martyn: Southern Edge 14.05.2026 1h 32min

In today's episode Torren Martyn returns to discuss leaving Byron to rebalance life, his latest sailing journey to circumnavigate Tasmania in an 18 foot kayak, staying true to a filmmaking focus despite market shifts, intentionally deflecting career opportunities in order to maintain a singular focus, and how seeking solitude can yield deeper community connections. Enjoy!

593 - Matt Titone: Surf Shacks 07.05.2026 1h 50min

In today's show designer Matt Titone discusses the inception point for Indoek and their Surf Shack's series, relives the anxiety of not knowing how to pick a career, marvels at the enduring influence of print, explains how great home design has little correlation with money, reveals which surfers refuse to let him into their home, the frustration of working with surf brands, and why creative inspiration is an endless boom and bust cycle. Enjoy!

592 - Paul Strauch 29.04.2026 51min

Paul Strauch passed away this past weekend, at peace, at home with loved ones, comfortable and with his beloved Hawaiian music playing by his bedside. His daughter Summer said, "I asked my dad recently what he would want to say to everyone when he stepped into eternal life. He smiled and said, 'ALOHA'." Today we're sharing an interview with Paul, recorded in 2019, where he reflects on his early life in Hawaii discovering surfing, Duke Kahanamoku's mentorship and influence in his life, lessons from George Downing, the inception of the bottom turn, and how "Aloha" became the principal that defined his life and relationships. Enjoy. And aloha, Paul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

591 - Eden Saul: Dead Kooks 09.04.2026 1h 18min

In today's show board builder Eden Saul explains his shifting manufacturing practices in response to erratic US tariffs, injury's endless travails on a shaper's livelihood, the blessed gift of finding a committed apprentice, the scary first step of scaling and delegation, how to create a brand aesthetic while still letting you lam team go nuts, and a patriotic fervor for the new crop of CT shredders. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

590 - Rob Machado | The Surfrider Podcast 31.03.2026 1h 34min

Legendary pro surfer Rob Machado is widely regarded as one of the most influential and stylish surfers of all time. But Rob's relationship with and impact on surfing and the ocean run much deeper than his professional career. In this episode, Rob shares about his deep family roots in Southern California and traces his personal journey as an ocean advocate — from taking water samples for Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force as a high school student in Cardiff to founding the Rob Machado Foundation, which has installed water refill stations across San Diego County schools and eliminated millions of single-use plastic bottles. In this wide-ranging conversation, he opens up about the competitive mindset that took him to the pinnacle of the world tour, why that famous high-five with Kelly Slater at Pipeline actually deepened his connection to what surfing should be, and how becoming a father shifted his priorities from tour life to environmental stewardship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

589 - Gerry Lopez: PodAloha with Paul Strauch 31.03.2026 54min

Today's episode features a conversation between Gerry Lopez and early Hawaiian surf pioneer Paul Strauch. Strauch thanks Lopez for preventing crowds at Sunset, discuss the virtues of surfing pre-leash, reflect on the deeply integrated influence of Duke's spirit still in their lives and the special bond of communicating with him in native Hawaiian, growing up in Hawaii before statehood, surfing through the vast surfboard design evolution, and the essential role of mindfulness in the act of surfing. PodAloha originally aired in 2019 and is being made available to you today through the Strauch family. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

588 - Greg Noll: PodAloha with Paul Strauch 27.03.2026 55min

Today's episode features a conversation between Greg Noll and early Hawaiian surf pioneer Paul Strauch. Noll and Strauch reflect on early lessons hard earned on North Shore in the 1960s, regale with stories of larger than life friends and waves, chart the path of how big wave surfing has developed from their early exploits, and recognize the tremendous gift that surfing was in their lives. PodAloha originally aired in 2019 and is being made available to you today through the Strauch family. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

587 - Skip Frye: PodAloha with Paul Strauch 26.03.2026 1h 52min

Today's episode features a conversation between Skip Frye and early Hawaiian surf pioneer Paul Strauch. From Strauch, "Skip Frye is a legendary figure in the surfing world, renowned for his exceptional skills and significant contributions to surfboard design. With a career spanning several decades, Skip has been a key innovator, known for his work in shaping surfboards that have influenced modern surfing techniques and styles. His deep connection to the ocean and his expertise in big-wave surfing have earned him respect and admiration within the surfing community. Beyond his achievements in the water, Skip's legacy includes mentoring younger surfers and continuing to push the boundaries of surfboard design. His impact on the sport is profound, making him a true icon in surfing's history." PodAloha originally aired in 2019 and is being made available to you today through the Strauch family. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

586 - Brenden "Margo" Margieson 26.02.2026 1h 23min

Genre defining pro freesurfer of the 90s, Margo, joins us to discuss ushering pro surfing from cottage to corporate, humility gleaned while working as a baggage handler, how a passion for bird watching led to his greatest work, and what sparked the revival in his surf career at age 50. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

585 - Roger Hinds 18.02.2026 1h 41min

In today's show board builder Roger Hinds shares strategies to fend off the old man and continue surfing the North Shore into your 70s, offers a lesson in why original board building materials are still relevant and which modern fabrics offer advancement, reveals why the real threat to domestic board building may come from within, reflects on the reward of restoring historic boards, and explains how to improve your surfing by watching 50 year old surf films. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

584 - Bob McTavish: Part Three 05.02.2026 2h

In today's show Bob McTavish attributes his biggest design epiphanies to the evolution of the surfboard fin, and each of those to a personal relationship that sparked his inspiration. He shares how Dave Rastovich altered his perception on hydrodynamics, reveals the unfathomable generosity of Bill Bahne, the ingenuity of Tom Morey and Carl Pope, explains how the Sydney ferry and Greenough's tuna fishing's influenced fin design, reflects on surfing Noosa before the streets were paved, preaches the supremacy of asymmetry, reflects on the birth of the body board, and how Bunker Spreckles' El Rollos' altered his rail designs. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

583 - Randy Hild: A Life Built On Boardshorts 21.01.2026 1h 38min

In today's show surf biz stalwart Randy Hild details the various false starts at Roxy prior to the inception of their industry-disrupting female boardshort, the tension between scaling and brand authenticity, which parts of the Golden Era were fake and inflated, how a serendipitous Swap Meet discovery led to him becoming an inadvertent surf history archivist, and why 1953 Makaha would be his ultimate time travel destination. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

582 - Bob McTavish: Part Two 15.01.2026 1h 13min

In today's episode Bob McTavish explains how one of his most iconic designs came to him in a dream and Joey Cabell's influence in it, he shares the inception of the swallowtail, his afternoon spent with Duke Kahanamoku, the epiphany he had at Rincon in 1967, why he renounced competition for a mortgage and children, climbing out of suffocating debt with an assist from the cast of Jackass, the board he most recently made for Kelly, and reveals the unsung surf heroes who most influenced his journey. Part Two of Surf Splendor with Bob McTavish is now available on all podcast platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

581 - Bob McTavish: Part One 12.01.2026 1h

In today's episode Bob McTavish shares stories from surfing in an era prior to foam cores and surf wax, charts the path from dropping out of school to surf, to being homeless with only $10 to his name, to stowing away on a ship to Hawaii for the North Shore winter, the jail time that resulted, and he reveals the only two surfboards he's ever purchased in his life. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

580 - Jeff Divine 24.12.2025 1h 42min

Surf photographer and photo editor Jeff Divine's imagery has largely framed our perspective on North Shore surfing from the 70s and 80s. Today he shares stories from the era defining Expression Session in 1971, reveals that he didn't befriend Gerry Lopez until a decade after they had helped build one another's careers, he discusses how the inception of clothing brands altered surf mags editorial style, shares how to showcase personality through still imagery, the best photo he's ever missed, and how he chose his last ever surf session. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

579 - Max Stewart: Eye Symmetry Surfboards 16.12.2025 1h 41min

In today's show board builder Max Stewart explains the inverse relationship between product quality and business growth, tales from early days at Hayden Shapes, how Tom Carroll has informed how he takes custom orders and why he factors your personality into the order card. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

578 - Matt Warshaw 12.12.2025 1h 41min

In today's episode the Encyclopedia of Surfing's Matt Warshaw discusses the risks of having surf history chronicled by a single man, who's gotten short shrift on the EOS, how much and how little has changed in surf culture since the first magazine, an examination of pioneering female surf photographers, the first surfer to go at Backdoor, and why he got screamed at (and run over) on his most recent surf trip. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

577 - Jordan Rodin 30.11.2025 1h 1min

In today's episode Jordan Rodin joins us to chat about life lessons and hazing gleaned from Derek Hynd, make a case for heavier surfboards, explain his 5 year hiatus from getting barreled, why you should be stripping down used boards and reshaping them, what famous sculptors of centuries past can teach us about surfing, why sometimes the smallest movements can translate to the biggest things. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices