Send us Fan Mail

Every once in a while you meet someone who is so unique and far from ordinary that they leave an indelible mark in your memory. Neftali Espino of Davenport, California, is one such character. Known to his friends simply as "Nef", this kind hearted board builder has been busy making a name for himself as a skilled craftsman and relentless workhorse over the past twenty years. Not only that, he's a community driven environmentalist and proud father who's kept his head held high after losing it all.

Born in La Morada, California, Nef is the son of Mexican immigrants who chose to leave Baja California to make a better life for their children. He was introduced to surfing after cutting his teeth on his skateboard and found community and purpose in the beach lifestyle. It wasn't long before he migrated to Huntington Beach, and then San Clemente. It was there that the Homegrown Surfboards brand was born. He was shown the ropes by a few local shapers and it wasn't long until he brought his rapidly evolving act north, to Santa Cruz.

While admittedly veering off the track multiple times due to hard partying, Nef never let his love for shaping surfboards die. He's bounced back from horrific tragedy with the loss of his son and, years later, his home and shaping room during the CZU Lightning Complex Fires of 2020. Since then, he's put down the booze and narrowed his focus with his board building and ding repair work. He's shaped boards for a who's who of local talent, including Anthony Ruffo, Zealand Hunter, Julian Sekon, Jesse Colombo, and Austin Smith Ford, just to name a few.

He's also a staunch advocate for environmentalism, and uses his powerful social media reach to document his efforts cleaning up the beaches and roads in and around Santa Cruz.

In this podcast, we talk about his efforts to bring awareness to pollution, his evolution as a shaper, the fire that took everything he owned, his love for music, his wide circle of friends, his unique shop overlooking the coast off Davenport, and much, much, more.

What are you waiting for? Time to dig into the newest serving of Split Peak Soup!

Send us Fan Mail

As a kid growing up in Santa Cruz with dreams of becoming a professional surfer, there were tons of local surf events to enter where I could sharpen my skills and get used to surfing against the best kids in the area with a contest singlet on. Out of all of them, however, there were none I looked forward to more than the Volcom Greatwhite Surf Series events, which were part of Volcom’s Totally Crustaceous Tour.

The tour, which started in the late 90’s, was Volcom’s effort to bring fun and free surf contests for all ages to beaches across the world. They were laid back gatherings that rewarded progressive surfing, shelling out cold, hard cash for the Pro division, and boatloads of insane prizes for the kids. I even won a complete Burton snowboard set up when I was fourteen!

The greatest prize I won at these events, however, was a lifelong friendship with the contest director, Mark “Munster” Taylor, a former pro and one of the original Volcom team riders.

As Taylor came of age in the 1980’s he formed friendships with Santa Cruz rippers from all sides of town: Adam Replogle, Nate and Zack Acker, Shawn “Barney” Barron, Osh “Frog” Bartlett and the late Jeff Lansing, just to name a few. His powerful brand of backside surfing gained him respectable contest results and sponsorships with brands such as O’Neill, Billabong, and later, Volcom.

As he aged out of professional surfing, Taylor, along with putting on the Volcom comps, established a name for himself as a skilled carpenter. Years later, after getting married and bringing a daughter into the world, he leveraged his experience growing marijuana to start a weed brand, 3Bros, with Tyler and Russel Smith.

In this latest episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, Taylor and I discussed a wide range of topics, including his love for growing weed, the importance of respect in a lineup, bridging the East/Westside gap, fatherhood, buying a home in Costa Rica, and much more. We also touched upon his weight loss journey and spiritual rebirth in recent years.

It was an honor to have such a beautiful soul on the podcast and it would be an honor if you could give it a listen.

Send us Fan Mail

Fifteen year-old surf phenomenon Isla Hardy is one of Santa Cruz’s next great hopes. This regular foot ripper burst on the scene a few years ago as a pint-sized grommet and has experienced impressive growth as both a human and surfer ever since. She’s well known for her positive attitude and bright smile and respected in the surf world for her precise rail game and futuristic aerial antics. She’s also a competitive animal, boasting a number of National Titles and a trophy collection that could, at this point, fill a storage container.

Not only that, she’s well-spoken, articulate, and outgoing. She’s got a strong work ethic and regularly shoots with legendary local photographers such as Dave “Nelly” Nelson, who just so happens to be a close family friend. As if all that weren’t enough, she’s a true student of the game, working with competitive masterminds such as Matt Myers and Nat Young to help her achieve her goals of competing on the Championship Tour and winning a gold medal in Olympic surfing.

Lately, she’s been on a freakin’ tear! Not long after signing with Billabong, Hardy took first place in the Vans Ladybirds division at the Stab High event in Virginia Beach, earning herself a cool $5,000 and tons of respect. It was her third time competing in the invitational wave pool event, one that has a simple format—launch the craziest airs possible and walk away victorious. Both developments are huge for the youngster and will undoubtably elevate her profile in an increasingly talent saturated surf world.

It would be an understatement to say I was thrilled to have young Isla on the latest episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast! In our chat we discussed her surfing origins, competitive drive, relationship with wave pools, and preferred heat strategy, along with her tight-knit surf squad, beach loving fam, international travels, and experience representing her town as a member of the Santa Cruz Board Riders Club. She also gave me the lowdown on her breakthrough win at the Stab High event, and how she’s giving back with her work with Stand Up to Cancer.

Enjoy this wide-ranging chat with yet-another charismatic guest on the Split Peak Soup Podcast!