Profile: Big Wave Dave

WORLD CUP: 21st Annual Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival March 16-18, Steamer Lane

World Champ Looks to Add to His Portugal Victory on Home Surf

Photo: Foto-Reportagem

Name: Dave Johnston

Age: 44

Home surf: Santa Cruz

Occupation: Kayak instructor, outfitter and Sherpa

Career Highlights:

  • 2006 World Cup Champion, Portugal
  • 1999 World Champion, Brazil
  • 2006 US National Champion, Cape Hatteras
  • 2002 US National Champion, Outer Banks
  • 8-time US Team member
  • Winner of the Grand Prize in 2005 Best Wave Video Contest

Favorite moves: Cartwheel in the tube (aka โ€œkarate chopโ€), a roundhouse 360 off the lip.

Most memorable ride: One of my most memorable rides was at Davenport Landing on a very big day. I managed to catch a wave from way outside at the north point, surf it across the channel in front of the beach and link it with a wave coming the other direction from the south reef. That was one hell of a ride!

Biggest wave ridden: I have ridden several waves in the 15-20 foot range at Davenport and Middle Peak at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. But when Iโ€™m on the wave I donโ€™t have time to think about how big they are, only about how to pull it off without any problems.

Scariest moment: Riding storm surf at the Lane, a big section pitched over onto me and just obliterated me, removing the paddle from my grasp. After hand-rolling upright, another huge wall of water and then another drove me closer and closer to the cliffs. While sitting in my kayak about 20 feet from a death trap of car-size boulders with person-size gaps between them, I realized that the next big set wave was about to deliver me into an ugly reality.

Rather than bail on my boat and swim the half mile to the beach, I started backpaddling furiously with my hands. The wave swept me up and perched me on top of the rip-rap pile where I quickly exited without injury. This was probably the luckiest Iโ€™ve ever been. Not as brutal as swimming in class V though.

Future of kayak surfing: High performance carbon-kevlar surf-specific boats are incredibly fun surfing machines. The more whitewater boaters try them the more they’ll be heading out to surf in the ocean. Thatโ€™s great as long as they practice good surfing etiquette toward other surfers already there. Or better yet, surf away from crowds in places that you have to paddle a little ways to get to. Find the perfect wave and ride it all by yourself.

Who else to watch in Santa Cruz: Rusty Sage rips; heโ€™s last yearโ€™s champ. Also Jono Stevens, Demany Smith, Jeff Burlingham, Ken King, Dick Wold, Sean Morely, and Vince Shay are all ones to watch.

Secret weapons: Having local knowledge and my new boat the Murkey Waters Twist with the quad-strap system.

Favorite surf spot outside CA: Easkey, Northern Ireland

For more information on the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival, visit www.asudoit.com.

The competition starts Friday, March 16, at 7 a.m.