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For many Santa Cruz surfers, the giant, perilous waves that break at Mavericks, located off Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, hold a certain charm. Every Winter, the break produces waves that regularly reach the heights of large buildings, that, when ridden successfully, provide a shot of adrenaline unrivaled in any other aspect of the sport. The qualities required to be a successful Mavericks surfer include, but are not limited to: superhuman strength and balance, a healthy set of lungs, and, of course, the ability to stay calm under extreme duress.

When forty-four year-old Santa Cruz local Ryan Augenstein reached his late teens, it became apparent that, not only did he posses these qualities in spades, but that he had the determination and grit needed to test his skills at the hallowed break located just an hours drive up the coast.

So, at the young age of eighteen, Augenstein began the slow process of familiarizing himself with the iconic big-wave arena. After a handful of seasons paying his dues, the toe-headed Pleasure Point regular-foot found himself quickly ascending the ranks of big-wave hellions who descended upon the break every time it bared his fangs.

This led to a number of respectable showings, including a 3rd place overall finish, at the yearly Mavericks Invitational events—events that brought the best big-wave athletes from around the world together for a day of heavy water spills and thrills. Fast forward twenty years, and the soft-spoken charger is still at it, routinely sending it on any swell that awakens the break from its slumber.

Not only is Augentstein an accomplished Mavericks surfer, he’s also a standout in the smaller stuff. On any given swell, he can be found out at Pleasure Point, slicing, dicing, and weaving his way through wave after wave, drawing upon seemingly endless reserves of energy. In between swells, he supports himself as an instructor at Surf School Santa Cruz, sharing his passion for surfing with newbies of all ages.

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I was able to ask Augenstein about his introduction to and approach to surfing Mavericks, his experience competing there against the world’s best big wave surfers, falling in love, the ups and downs of being a sponsored professional surfer, and how he deals with violent wipeouts, both physically and mentally.

In the process, I gained insight into the mind of a soft-spoken charger who just clearly loves to surf.

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Sixty-one year-old filmmaker and photographer Tony Roberts is a true original, a trailblazer who never felt content to follow the crowd. He's dedicated his entire life to chasing those fleeting moments we all wish we could preserve forever...the hum of surfboard fins tracking through a vicious carve, the sight of a tropical rainbow arcing over a vibrant jungle, the haunting chorus of a soulful reggae tune, or the click of a high speed shutter as it captures a surfer burying their rail on an overhead screamer.

Tony grew up in Capitola, California, a stones throw from the water in the iconic Venetian Court. He was part of a surf/skate crew who came of age in the 1970's, ruling the waves at First Jetty and owning the cement at spots such as Skatepark Soquel. It wasn't long before the talented teen got his hands on a camera in which he began snapping shots of his friends disturbing the peace.

It wasn't long before this hobby morphed into an obsession, and from there into a way of life. Even at the height of his own surfing and skating career, Tony made the decision to devote his to producing films and images of his talented friends, starting with the Santa Cruz classic, "Surf/Skate". In the early 90's, as his work garnered acclaim, he spent more time working the "SC Rat Pack," an upcoming crew of young local surfers such as Peter Mel, Nate Acker, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, Josh Loya, Jason "Ratboy" Collins, and Shawn "Barney" Barron.

Tony and his crew would set the surf industry on fire with their skate-influced fisheye water shots, bringing tons of media exposure and lucrative contracts to the sleepy surf town. Despite the momentum, in the mid 90's, Tony made a shocking decision--to pack everything up and move to Central America.

It was here, in Costa Rica that Tony fell back in love with surfing, discovering breaks, experimenting with boards, and refining his technique--a lifestyle that he'd sampled during his world travels, yet found lacking in Santa Cruz.

Thirty years later, he's still living the dream, only now based out of the Dominican Republic. I was super stoked to have Tony, a longtime friend, on the podcast, where we talked at length about the early days in Capitola, his early rise as a surf/skate prodigy, Pleasure Point in the 80's, his love for Punk, Reggae, and Ska, working in the O'Neill Art Department, scouring the coast for surf, politics in the mags, and his rationale for bailing SC for Central America.

We also chatted at length about what it takes to surf at a high level going into one's golden years, including Tony's dedication to fitness, yoga, meditation, and diet.

TR is the man, so this is an episode you should definitely watch in full!

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Growing up in the shadow of one of surfing’s all time greats must be a daunting task. Not only are there a great deal of expectations to live up to, but theres also a paradoxical assumption that one must blaze their own trail, lest they appear reliant on the fame of their forbearers in their quest to make a name for themselves. For John Mel, son of big wave legend Peter Mel and heir to the Freeline Surf Shop dynasty, there’s no pressure involved.

“It’s funny, a lot of people ask me, ‘do you feel like you have big shoes to fill?’ I’ve never felt that way, he’s never put pressure on me, he wouldn’t even care if I wasn’t ever gonna be a surfer, he was just always wanting to be a dad to me.”

While this may be true, it’s also clear that both Pete and John are thrilled to share an infatuation with riding surf, from two foot to seventy foot. While Pete aided young John in his stellar amateur surfing career, one that saw him clinch five national titles, John now aids his old man in whipping into bone-crunching slabs at Mavericks.

While most surf prodigies run the risk of burning out upon adulthood, twenty-six year old John is still plugging away at his competitive dreams, and having a hell of a time doing it. And at the heart of his pro surfing longevity— the support and friendship of the man who brought him into this world.

“It’s also rad, because I have one of the best teachers in the world, he’s always done it in a way with love—giving me the guidance but never pushing me in any kind of way, and I think that’s what’s kept me in this for so long.”

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, come learn more about this touching father-son relationship and what makes young John a unique individual worth getting to know.

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Like most young surfers growing up in Santa Cruz, California, Kyle Buthman had his eyes set on becoming a professional surfer. Not only did he have perfect waves in his backyard and tons of talented peers to push his performance, he had access to a variety of action packed surf films to study before and after his sessions. The 1990’s were a peak era in terms of surf media production, and while guys like Kelly Slater and Rob Machado were showing the world what was possible in films produced by Taylor Steele, we had a fair share of videographers bringing the goods locally, as well.

Tony Roberts, Chris Klopf, Josh Pomer, and Graham Nash all put out a number of iconic surf films during Buthman’s rise as an amateur surfer, and he studied them endlessly. What was so impactful for the young surfer was the fact that not only could he watch someone like Peter Mel rip waves at Steamer Lane, he could go out there and join him afterwards

As fate would have it, after an injury to his Achilles Tendon at age 14, Buthman found himself behind the lens. To kill the boredom during his recovery, and to keep himself close to the action he was missing out on, the talented regular footer grabbed the family handycam and posted up at the waters edge, capturing the explosive surfing taking place in and around Pleasure Point. He put all the footage together in a short edit, entitled, “Trix are 4 Kids,” and never looked back.

While he never made it big as a pro surfer, Buthman was able to enjoy sponsorships enabled him to travel the world, and he always brought his camera along with him. He leveraged his relationship with Quiksilver to get access to their fabled accommodations on Oahu’s North Shore, where he produced edits featuring their team riders. Before long, his talent behind the lens established him as an elite storyteller, eventuating in his “Get Rad” trilogy, and other notable productions, such as “Tattle Tales”, and his “Brain Works” series.

In this podcast, Buthman and I chatted about how his surf-centric work evolved into a career that veered into unfamiliar territory, such as the UFC and professional competitive gaming, also known as Esports. We also touched on his love life, affinity for Mainland Mexico and alternative surfboards, the challenge and rewards of shooting from the water, and how he deals with missing out on epic sessions when traveling for paid shoots.

Buthman and I go way back, and it was a pleasure getting to shoot the shit with one of the most heavily barreled surf videographers on Earth.

Dig in!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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Growing up on Pleasure Point, I had no shortage of excellent surfers to look up to. There’s something special in the water off those fabled bluffs that molds such stylish, smooth, and powerful surfers—one’s who can measure up against worlds best on any given day. Chris Gallagher, Kieran Horn, Bud Freitas…the list goes on and on.

In my eyes, however, there’s one local hero that stands out above them all—Adam Replogle. Adam’s poise and presence in the water has influenced countless groms growing up on the Point, and he always brings humor and positivity into every interaction.

Adam has had a rich, action-packed life so far. From the early days in Capitola, sponsorship and brotherhood surfing Pleasure Point as a teen, life as a traveling professional surfer, to embracing life his current life as a father and business owner.

I was thrilled to have Adam on the Split Peak Soup Podcast. It’s not everyday that you get to interview one of your heroes. During our chat, we got into all sorts of juicy topics, from his opinions on modern pro surfing, wave pools, slanging surfboards at Your Board Quality Surfboards, the pros and cons of living in Santa Cruz, to how he avoided succumbing to the drug abuse that caught up many in his tight knit circle.

Time to bust out that crusty bib, cause it’s time for another tasty serving of Split Peak Soup!