Derek Dunfee & Johnny “Monster” Maher

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.

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.

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:
“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.

I 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.