From Newport, New South Wales, Australia, Derek Hynd is known for his unconventional approach to surfing and all else. Hynd was a pro surfer in the late 1970s and early ’80s, making his name both for his surfing in a jersey and for the pieces he wrote for the surf mags of the era. In 1980, while competing in South Africa, he suffered a brutal injury that resulted in the loss of vision in his right eye. He retired after the 1982 season and became a coach, first for Billabong, then for Ripcurl. In 1992, Hynd came up with The Search, Rip Curl’s iconic film series starring Tom Curren. Around this time, Hynd bought a prime plot of land at Jeffrey’s Bay and built an architectural marvel of a house looking straight out to Supertubes. Design experimentation led Hynd to FFFF, aka Far Field Free Friction, aka finless surfing. Today, he lives near Byron Bay, where he practices his latest obsession: mat riding.

In this episode of Soundings, Hynd sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about his career as a professional surfer, unconventional surfcraft, writing, childhood’s golden moments, J-Bay, the allure of going finless, sharks, and how he lost his eye.