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Derek Dunfee & Johnny “Monster” Maher

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What have you two been up to since the winter ended?

Johnny wrote:
“Derek and I have both worked at Tavarua for a long time. We were scheduled to rotate boatman stints this year and I was up first. I headed down in the end of February for close to three months. Working in Tavarua is incredible for your physical endurance, and all around waterman skills. We had back-to-back solid swells, I free dove, swam and did cardio in the little gym everyday and ate everything in sight to stay healthy and strong.

Matuse Family Member: Johnny When I showed up in Tavarua, I arrived straight into big perfect Cloudbreak. I was stoked! That wave will kick your ass no matter how prepared you are; Cloudbreak keeps you in check! Cloudbreak is so hollow, fast and shallow; but the wave is still perfect and so heavy at the same time.

Derek and I both have had the opportunity to work with Shane Dorian in Tavarua and I think we both agree he pushes us to go bigger and deeper. Shane has showed us how to put ourselves in fearful situations that help us gain confidence and grow as big wave surfers. He won the XXL Ride of the Year Award while we were down there which really inspired me to keep focused on my goals. We trained and surfed all day every day. Shane also taught me a lot about paddle-in surfing bigger waves and PWC operating techniques for towing. Shane’s really cool and humble which is another characteristic you find in lots of big wave surfers.

Matuse Family Member: Johnny I went from Tavarua to Puerto Escondido to meet up with Derek and Todd Glaser and just in time for a bombing south. Derek had been going there for a long time and it showed in his surfing. Derek and Todd dialed me in.

This Winter has been insane, we chased down every swell that hit the west coast this past year. Derek’s been doing the big wave circuit for a while now, a few years longer than me, and we have been friends forever, so it was great to have him introduce me to Mavericks and Todos—and to be able to ask him any question or get his opinion on situations and boards and not feel like a total kook.”

Derek wrote:
Matuse Family Member: Derek Dunfee“After the 2008 winter ended, I trained really hard because I was going down to Puerto Escondido. I left for Puerto around the end of April, and traveled with my good friend/Photographer Todd Glaser.

During our trip, we scored a couple amazing days at the beach break, but we also suffered some never-ending awful onshore winds. Johnny showed up around mid-may, right in time for the biggest swell of the summer. While we both scored some really nice barrels, Johnny got the barrel of the day. Johnny caught a behemoth of a wave on his 9’0 big-wave gun; He got barreled across the whole beach and got spit out at the shore. I knew Johnny got a good barrel when I heard people whistling and yelling from the beach.

Matuse Family Member: Derek Dunfee & Johnny MaherI left Puerto Escondido around the third week of May, and I went back to San Diego for 4 days. Within those days, I saw my girlfriend Brianna graduate from San Diego State and started packing for my stint as a boatman in Tavarua.

Matuse Family Member Derek Dunfee Makes the Rescue Of His Life

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Derek Dunfee is no stranger to heavy situations. A La Jolla native, Derek chargers huge waves all year long in Puerto Escondido, Mavericks, Todos Santos and Hawaii. Derek is also a boat man for the famous Tavarua Island surf resort in Fiji. With all the water saves he’s made the heaviest and most recent rescue happened on land. Click Here to read the full story on surfingthemag.com.

Save Trestles Public Hearing Sept 22nd @ Del Mar Fairgrounds

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The Federal Government hearing has been rescheduled for Monday, September 22nd at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The hearing will be held from 10:30 am–8:30 pm at O’Brien Hall which is located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard in Del Mar. The Coastal Commission made history when it denied the Foothill-South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. Don’t allow the Bush Administration to overturn that very important decision. Without your help we could lose one of the most important environmental victories made in California. Show your support and come down to the hearing. If you’d like to speak at the hearing you need to register by Sept 12 by sending in a letter. Visit the official website to learn how. Click Here.

In Like Flynn

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Matuse Family Member: Flynn NovakJapan Travel Blog
By Matuse Family Member Flynn Novak

Japan is often referred to as ‘the land of the rising sun.’

I didn’t have much time in my one week stay to investigate this slogan, but I did notice the sun beating down on my face every morning at 5:15 am! I like waking up that early and rising with the sun, mainly because it feels like I’m using the day to it’s full potential. I hate starting the day with the sun already up in full effect, it makes me feel like I’ve missed out on something.

I traveled from the CHAOTIC U.S. Open in Huntington Beach, to the tranquil country sides of Tahara, Japan for a WQS 6 star event. The weather was very warm, with light winds blowing through the humid air for most of our days there. The land was mostly used for cattle fields and agriculture, and the dominant smell blowing through the country side consisted of cows and warm soil. Japan was a much needed switch from hearing people cackle in my ear during the U.S. Open, to listening to the distant chirp of Cicidas and the singing of song birds in the bamboo forests that lined every cow pasture.

My Japanese hosts were, Eli and Hiroaki Suzuki–who I referred to as “the Keeper’s”. They were the owner’s of the Keeper surf shop and Lei Lei’s restaurant. I could easily say that these two people were excellent example’s of how the Japanese are the coolest, hardest working, and most respectful people in the world. Aside from running their surf shop and restaurant, which was conveniently an attachment to their house, The Suzuki’s somehow found time to tend to their 15 guests staying in their home for the surf contest. Anywhere from cooking the most tasteful meals to driving us 10 minutes down to the surf contest, these two were working all day to please their guests.

Most of the time, when I arrive in foreign places, it’s really difficult to feel comfortable. But even for it being my first time in Japan, I couldn’t have felt better even if I were sleeping in my own bed. The vibe of the Keeper’s household gave a very pristine feel of being at home, and that is something that I’ve never felt while traveling to foreign destinations.

As for the contest, we didn’t have great waves. It was anywhere from shoulder to knee high during the week-long event. I ended up making the round of 48 and finishing equal 37th out of the field of 192 competitors. I wasn’t happy with the result, but at least I didn’t travel all the way over there to lose in my first heat. But now that I think of it, even if I was a ‘first round clown’ I still would have had the same amount of enjoyment all due to our most hospitable hosts!

Japan is a very special place that I am sure I’ll return to soon…

Matuse Family Member Derek Dunfee and Johnny Maher team up for the 2007-2008 Winter Season

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By Derek Dunfee

How was it teaming up with Johnny this past season and chasing swells?

Matuse Family Members: Derek Dunfee and Johnny MaherJohnny Maher and I had an incredible year of chasing swells. I bought my jet ski last year, but this was the first year that we towed together. If there was an emergency, I would definitely trust Johnny’s wave knowledge and judgment to tow me in or pick me up. We both wanted to focus on pushing ourselves into paddling into big waves this winter because paddling-in is the true way to build up confidence in big waves. Throughout the winter we went up to surf mavericks 4 different times, sometimes for multiple swells, went out to Todos 3 times, Hawaii twice, and Oregon for a tow-in contest.

Tell me a little bit about the Nelscott Reef Tow Contest you guys did?

One of my good friends Zach Wormhoudt is a full-on Mavericks local, and he is a competitor in both the Mavericks surf contest and the Nelscott reef tow-in contest. Zach took me out to Mavericks my first time maybe 4 winters ago, so he has seen me slowly grow as a big wave surfer. The Mavericks surf contest was called for the same northwest swell, so he couldn’t make it up to the Nelscott reef comp. He gave the contest director my information and pumped Johnny and my big wave abilities. The contest director called me on Tuesday night and said I had to be up there by Thursday night. We thought the contest was in southern Oregon, but it ended up being in northern Oregon, so Mavs Ski Launchwe had a ridiculously long drive. We towed my jet ski and drove non-stop-barely making it up there by Thursday night, and we got pulled over by the police two times. In the contest Johnny and I thought we killed it, we thought we were going straight to the final, but we ended up placing like 10th. I was trying to tow Johnny really deep behind the peak on big set waves, a few times I thought for sure he was a goner, but Johnny was ripping and making most waves. Johnny and I both saw a big great white too!!

Did you do any training together?

Johnny Maher; Busted board in PuertoAll winter we were both training really hard when we weren’t surfing. Johnny was surfing, working out at the gym and swimming multiple times a day. I swim and I have been doing some kick-ass functional core workouts with my brother Shane Hurdman who is a personal trainer at Funxion Fitness in Bird Rock. Shane has me focused on strengthening my core by combining plyometric drills with my balance. I have noticed an improvement in both my surfing and my everyday life. For another workout I have been stand-up paddling a lot at La Jolla Shores. Stu Kensen has shaped me two really nice standup boards.

Any bad wipeout’s this winter?

Derek :“On the huge day in December, Johnny had a bad wipeout paddling into a bomb at Todos Santos. Johnny paddled out first, and I was on my Jet Ski watching so I saw the whole thing. Johnny free fell on a big one and skipped down the face. It looked like John got tangled up with his gun, and we he came to my jet ski, he said he Matuse Family Member: Derek Dunfeewas hit in the head by his 10’0 gun underwater and was dazed, then his full suit top was blasted open by the wave.”

Johnny: “I learned something about fear this winter just watching Derek’s 360 free fall from top to bottom on a huge wave at Mavericks this year. He ended up breaking his board and he even broke out his glass-on fins when he hit the water! He came up and the next set-wave was already widow peaking on his head and drove him into the rocks. I thought he was a goner; a rescue ski pulled him out all dizzy and broke. Good thing he trains for that shit, otherwise I don’t know.”

Matuse Family Member Mikala Jones Back in Cali

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Matuse Family Member Mikala JonesMikala Jones had time this week to stop by the offices of Transworld Surf and Surfing. Both magazines posted interviews with Mr. Jones. Mikala was stopping through on his way from El Salvador to Bali. Click Here to read the Transworld Surf interview. Click Here to read the Surfing Mag interview.

Mikala Jones is a Matuse Family Member who spends 1/2 of his year based on the North Shore of Oahu and 1/2 based in Bali. When he’s not there he’s traveling the world in search of perfect waves and cultural experiences. Check out the upcoming Surfing Mag issue which covers his trip to Sumba with Rob Machado.