A bigger threat at Pipeline or Teahupo’o than
twice-over World Surf League champion Filipe Toledo.
Now, you are well accustomed to tales bout
actors who surf, on these pages, singers and models too.
Celebrities, in general, I suppose and we examine their toned abs
and chiseled faces as they slide upon li’l waves. Generally waist
and under, if not knee, unless they happen to be at Kelly Slater’s
Surf Ranch.
Well, what if I was to tell you that there is an A-lister who
hunts semi-secret bigger waves breaking over reef and charges upon
them? Not just any A-lister, either, but a full on heartthrob?
But let us turn to rising star surfboard shaper
Shea Somma for an account which he shared on this
week’s episode of The Grit!
I have had a few celebrity surf encounters over the years
but maybe the most memorable of these incidents was from about 2011
or so. It was mid winter, a west swell was pumping, and a friend
and I had devoted a whole day to chasing surf in the general, let’s
say, 805 zone. We lucked into a great morning of overhead waves
completely to ourselves at a lesser known spot that features an
entry via a trail through a long, pitch-black tunnel, which emerges
on the beach in front of the reef. After surfing our brains out for
3 hours, we decided to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
we’d packed with us before heading out for a second
session.
Sitting in the sun enjoying our lunch, and remarking on the
shocking lack of a crowd, our conversation was interrupted by an
incredibly jovial, “Hey guys!! Wow the waves are looking pretty
good out there!! You get a few?!!” It was none other than Rob Lowe,
emerging from the depths of the tunnel, and completely embodying
his aggressively positive character, Chris Traeger, from the show
Parks and Recreation, which was a huge hit at the time. He was
decked out in a floppy bucket hat, buckled snuggly under his chin,
and just about the thickest zinc sunscreen application I’ve ever
seen, but there was no mistaking that it was, in fact, Rob Lowe,
armed with a 7′ or so Becker “Fun Shape”, once ubiquitously favored
by beginners everywhere in Southern California and beyond. My buddy
and I were a bit dumbfounded. “Yea man! Fun waves!” was about all
we could muster. Rob Lowe proceeded to virtually skip down the
beach ecstatically, and then slowly but surely make his way
paddling out into the lineup. We finished up our sandwiches and
paddled out to join him.
Was Rob Lowe the greatest surfer I’ve ever seen? No. Did he
completely yard sale it on several waves? Definitely. Did Rob Lowe
embody the giddy stoke of a child newly in love with this silly act
of wave dancing we call surfing? Absolutely. Sure there were a few
blown waves, but there were also several respectable makes too. And
to see Rob Lowe (relatively) charging well overhead sets, with pure
enthusiasm, absolute abandon and an ear-to-ear, shit-eating-grin,
still brings a smile to my face when I remember it.
I was already a fan of Parks and Recreation but that session
made me a true fan of Rob Lowe.
Amazing, no? Rob Lowe a full on charger?
A bigger threat at Pipeline or Teahupo’o than twice-over World
Surf League champion Filipe Toledo?
Yes, amazing.
David Lee Scales also discussed former tour rookie Kade Matson’s
annoying friend.
Enjoy.
