Mr. Pipeline Pays a Visit

Surf legend Gerry Lopez and yours truly

 Gerry Lopez, aka Mr. Pipeline, was in Santa Cruz Saturday as part of a grand opening for  West Marine's retail store on 17th Avenue. As relaxed as ever, Gerry chatted with me about several of his favorite topics including his life in Bend, Oregon, surfing and yoga.

Although at age 67 he still surfs, he says he spends more time practicing yoga than surfing. In fact he is currently writing a book about yoga. "I've got to get focussed and just finish it," he says of his latest writing venture for publisher, Patagonia Books.

This upcoming book will follow his first for Patagonia, "Surf Is Where You Find It," published in 2008 in which he writes about growing up on the islands of Kaua'i and Oahu, his life as a surfer, board shaper and stories about the many characters he met along the way. Gerry earned the moniker, Mr, Pipeline, for his mastery of the Pipeline break on the North Shore of Oahu in the early 1970s. He didn't just master the most famous barrel in surfing, he made it look easy with his nonchalant style.

Yoga has always been a major factor in his life. So it makes sense that he would be a natural spokesperson for the ancient healing art that many world-class athletes such as himself embrace. His father was a newspaperman in Hawaii and dad's writing chops have obviously rubbed off on Gerry.

When asked if he liked to fly fish, since the environs near Bend are a Mecca for that sport, Gerry said it wasn't his cup of tea. "I like to catch fish," he says with a smile. The pace and particulars of casting flies don't appeal to him. I found this intriguing for such a laid-back guy. But then he earned his reputation in a high-risk sport where mucho adrenaline was doubtless coursing through his laid-back veins. Snow boarding is his preferred outdoor activity in Bend.

He says he moved from Maui to Bend to raise a family 25 years ago. Looking back on it, he says, "I think I made the right move." I would add that you can take the man out of Hawaii but you can't take the "aloha" out of the man.

He is in Santa Cruz this weekend representing his sponsor, Maui Jim sun glasses. It just so happened that I was wearing a pair of Maui Jims when we met.

"They're good sun glasses," we agreed.