This Ocean Life Podcast

In episode 86 we continue on the theme of competitive surf lifesaving and hear stories of Amanda Calabrese, a world-class competitor in the sport. Amanda takes us through her early days in Montauk, New York as a Junior Lifeguard, finding her passion for competing at a high level, and her path leading to the US National Surf Lifesaving Team. We talk about the fringe nature, supportive community of competitors, and gender equality natural to surf lifesaving with Amanda sharing stories of her mentors who have helped push her along the way and her philosophy toward the mental aspect of competition. Amanda shares her love for training the next generation of Jr Guard groms (including my own daughters!) and balancing her own training for both prone board racing and beach flags while building her start-up, Tempo, that's driving to empower women through higher performance feminine products. We hear of Amanda's training with the Australian elite, competing on the world stage, and connection with Buell Surf and Rescue, to help push the sport forward with innovative new equipment design and grom training.

Thanks for sharing Amanda's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Amanda on Instagram and her new company, Tempo. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In episode 85 I speak with April O'Gorman, a world-class competitor in the sport of surf life saving. April shares her stories of discovering surf life saving competition later in life than most of her peers, finding her competitive strengths, and learning the skills and techniques for success. We hear of her mentors in the sport that have helped April progress from the regional to national then world stage of surf life saving competition, her time in Australia training with legends of the sport, and great stories of competing on the US National Team. April shares her perspective on the community of surf lifesaving competitors, her approach to training and competing in her favorite events such as board paddling and The Iron, a multi-discipline event of board paddling, swimming, running, and surf ski paddling, that April today (Aug 2019) is set to defend her current national title at the upcoming US National event. April shares her enjoyment of providing back to the next generation of groms to help them grow their love of competitive surf lifesaving and find their own success in the sport, and her synergy with Buell Surf and Rescue, a California company pushing the sport forward with innovative new equipment design and grom training camps.

Thanks for sharing April's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of April on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In episode 84 I sit down and talk story with two legends in the world of competitive surf lifesaving -- Ryan Paroz and Ryan Buell. We hear stories from Paroz about his competitive success today in both prone board and surf ski paddling events, his time on the US National Team, competing across the world, and crossing the Kaiwi Channel (Molokai to Oahu) six times on the surf ski. Buell takes us back into the 1980's and 90's where he competed on the world stage with major focus on prone board racing and beach flags, sharing a great history of the men and women of that era who have laid the foundation for competitive surf lifesaving of today. We talk equipment with both Ryan's sharing stories of the gear they've used and hear the story of Paroz's homemade prone sprint board that he's used for years and Buell's surf ski that he still has 25 years later. We hear of the synergy between Paroz and Buell in their mutual focus of growing the sport of surf lifesaving through bringing the best equipment to market and providing strong mentorship and coaching to the next generation of groms frothing to compete on the beach.

Thanks for sharing Paroz's and Buell's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Paroz on Instagram and Facebook. Check out Buell Surf and Rescue on Instagram and Facebook, and Ryan Buell himself.

You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean. And... reduce your use of plastic!!

In episode 83 we hear the stories of Mick Slattery around his world of surfing and running SureFire Boards in his home waters of Sydney, Australia. Mick takes us through his time as a grom being in the Nipper program (Jr Lifeguard), moving from the bodyboard to surfboard, leading to hollow barrels and epic waves in the Mentawis. We hear of Mick's first SUP session way back in 2009 that brought him to experimenting with SUP shaping and design which ultimately brought him to building his SureFire Board company. Mick talks philosophy behind his board design and the importance of delivering high quality to his customers. We hear stories of Mick interviewing and surfing with some of the biggest legends of the sport like Kai Lenny and Gerry Lopez and a fun tale of beating a brand new rental truck in the sand dunes with Laird Hamilton.

Thanks for sharing Mick's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Mick on Instagram and Facebook. Vote for SureFire Boards to be SUP Brand of the Year!!

You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean. And... reduce your use of plastic!!

In episode 82 we hear stories from Tony Rapacioli on his life of longboarding and surf photography in the beautiful waters of Noosa, Australia. Tony shares his stories on learning to surf at Noosa, one of the most famous longboard surf communities in the world, and his perspective on the surfers and waves that make up this special place. We hear of Tony's positive approach to surfing, enjoying both the ocean and people around him in the water. Tony talks about rediscovering his love for photography through shooting surfers at Noosa and his approach to sharing photos within the community. We also hear of great perspective on introducing children to the ocean, the animals living in and around Noosa, and Zenhiser.com, a great music business that Tony has built. Images by Fenna de King

Thanks for sharing Tony's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Tony on Instagram and Facebook. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In episode 81 we speak with Patrick Webster, an incredible underwater photographer with an artistic flair for capturing ocean scenes within the Monterey Bay and beyond. Patrick takes us through his transition from underwater video to photography and the community of local photographers he has around him in the Monterey area. We hear how Patrick's background with the UC Santa Cruz Marine Science program has influenced his photography and his focus on telling stories of the scenes and animals he photographs to inspire others. Patrick shares his perspective on developing social media content for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a world leader in ocean education and conservation, and the importance of relating the ocean world to the everyday lives of people to help them understand and connect. We also hear about the amazing success story of Cabo Pulmo, a marine protected area near Cabo San Lucas, where Patrick has spent time photographing the amazing ocean life there.

Thanks for sharing Patrick's ocean life with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Patrick on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In part 2 of this multi-part series with stories and perspectives on the world's gnarliest paddle board race, Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O). Five of my past guests and current legends in the water -- Gerry Lopez, Josh Riccio, Alice Henley, Jenn Lee, Mike Dilloughery -- all share their past experiences paddling in the Kaiwi Channel (The Channel of Bones) including seasickness, poor choice of lines, horrific sunburns, dealing with mental fatigue, logistical nightmares, and much more.

Gerry Lopez podcast stories from M2O is available here.

If you enjoy this story compilation I'd be stoked if you gave a nice rating of This Ocean Life in your podcast app or even better stop using plastics whenever possible so we can keep them out of the environment and out of the stomachs of our favorite ocean critters. Thanks!

Check out all podcast episodes at www.ThisOceanLife.tv.

In the continuing series around the unofficial world championships of padde board racing, Molokai 2 Oahu (M2O), we speak with Hunter Pflueger on his past years in the Kaiwi Channel. Hunter takes us from his first relay team as a 13-year old grom up to today where he is focused on challenging to win the prone stock division. Hunter shares his stories of training for the event, persevering through the various areas of the channel, pushing through the mental and physical challenges paddlers face in this heavy 32-mile stretch of water. We hear of intense paddle battles with other racers, bumping rails across the channel, and epic finishes. Hunter provides a very humble and gracious perspective on the event, the paddle community, and his own family for providing strong support for him throughout the years. 

Thanks for sharing Hunter's M2O stories with us. Be sure to check out photos and videos of Hunter on Instagram. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In episode 79 we bring back Troy Nebeker to hear about the 2019 24 Hour Paddle for cancer and the incredible grass roots growth that the event is experiencing. Troy takes us through the fun and challenge that his own Team Seattle faced in this 2019 event, shares some stories from other teams around the nation as they paddle around the clock in their local waters, and discusses the amazing growth within the paddle board community that this organic movement has experienced in the last 5 years. Troy and I talk shop about various aspects of the 24 Hour paddle including the sense of community, commitment, and physical challenges to being in the water in the middle of the night. A lot of great inspiration to do good for others through our own time in the ocean!

Thanks for sharing Troy's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of Troy on his Monster and Sea website and Instagram page. And always see some fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In this continuation of our series of Molokai 2 Oahu paddle board race stories, we hear from the legend Gerry Lopez on his time in the Kaiwi Channel. Gerry takes us through the years he competed in the M2O event on relay teams, sharing tales of big seas, epic paddle battles to the finish, choosing the wrong line, and more. We hear Gerry's perspective on the challenging conditions that the Kaiwi Channel can provide, his respect for that water, and some neat history on the M2O event and the people who have been involved with keeping the tradition alive. Photo credit: Bernie Baker.

To learn more about the Molokai 2 Oahu event see their website at http://www.molokai2oahu.com/. You can also find fun stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.