Join the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience at Turtle Bay Resort
Words Roxanne Andrews
Join the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience at Turtle Bay Resort
Words Roxanne Andrews
Who is JOB? Aside from being a certified Pipe Master, this Hawaiian local's (see living legend) enthusiasm, aka stoke, for the sport of surfing is immense.
A popular YouTube/Vlog sensation, he has millions tune in to watch watch him tear apart barrels, and even more for his funny anecdotes—including crushing the famous Banzai Pipeline (literally his front yard) on a fun-sized foamie.
I’m on Hawaii’s North Shore (colloquially known to surfers as the 7 Mile Miracle) to learn to surf. I know I’ve no business at notorious breaks that expert surfers make a pilgrimage to, like Off-The-Wall and Sunset Point.
Instead, I’m venturing to the calm waters of Kawela Bay to find my feet on the waves as a guest of the world-famous Turtle Bay Resort. I’ve chosen to participate in the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience and with the tutelage of surf coaches (yes, both are genuinely psyched) it’s not long until I'm officially up and riding.
"Sup bruh?" is what we're pretty sure he's saying. If turtles could shaka, you just know this one would.
"Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. When all the elements come together, the weather, the waves—it’s just beautiful."
- Jamie O'Brien
The reef glimmers underneath me as I glide across the bay and the instructor who’s on the same wave says, ‘You’re almost always guaranteed to see honu (turtles in the Hawaiian language) out here’ and right on cue, a huge Loggerhead appears, gently carving in and out of the currents before resting on the ocean floor. I’m pretty sure there’s a metaphor here…
Post-surf in my tropical sarong and thongs, I pull up a stool at the iconic Ray’s and order a Mai Tai. I deserve it since I can walk on water, right? The Aloha vibe is a way of life at Turtle Bay Resort. The Hawaiian culture is so free and easy, I like it, nope I love it!
Turtle Bay Resort.
Surf checks are easy at Turtle—done from the comfort of a deck lounge.
Now back to the JOB Q&A. This is a man whose appreciation of the ocean knows no bounds. His surf psyche is real so I’m not remotely surprised when my teenage groms (aka young surfers) drop in (pun intended) to the interview. Nobody wants to miss a Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience.
Have you ever named a surf break?
JOB: No, I don't think I have. I've tried to re-nickname a few, but yeah, that's like an honour in itself to be able to name a wave. I guess I'm probably too weirdly young to be able to name one. I wasn't around in the '60s and '70s when there were the opportunities to name waves and go exploring. Maybe I’m still searching to name my first wave…
The coaches at the Jamie O'Brien Surf Experience are awesome. Do you pick them and do you ever take guests out?
JOB: I'm a big part of figuring out who we're going to hire and making sure they're up to scale and standards for teaching surf lessons. I do go down to Turtle Bay once or twice a week. Sometimes I do surprise lessons with fans. People will write in emails, or when they're booking and they’ll say, "Hey, by any chance if Jamie's around in town, we'd love to meet him." So usually, my goal when those requests come through, if I have the time, is to go hang out, meet them, jump in the water and go for a surf with them.
If I'm not there, I’ll get them a signed poster and we always try our best to give an authentic surf experience. Now we’re offering a new thing where I can talk to guests on FaceTime. Our team might call me anytime, I’ll answer, talk for a bit, keep the guests psyched and hyped up. We also send a video to them later in the day, and be like, "Hey, I hope you had a great time surfing with this. Stay psyched. See you in the water."
A crucial part of surf coaching is yelling "PADDLE PADDLE PADDLE,"—here you can see mentor and mentee practising this sacred act on land.
What's the oldest person that you've ever got up and riding?
JOB: I would say like 80 years old. Super cool.
What makes a Hawaiian surf experience so special?
JOB: Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. When all the elements come together, the weather, the waves—it’s just beautiful. You’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with the salt air, clean water and good vibes. All around it’s a great place to learn to surf and you get bragging rights. I mean if someone asks you, "Hey, where'd you learn how to surf?" and you’re like "I learned to surf in Hawaii”, that's so sick. There are not many, if any places in the world where you can connect with nature like you do here.
I saw a monk seal at Turtle Bay, at a small cove near the golf course. So that was really… (Jamie interrupts)
JOB: Woah. That's awesome and super rare. That's super cool.
Yeah, I saw one over at the beach in Ko Olina too…
JOB: I think they're following you around. They're finding you, you're not finding them.
Kayaking is neat here too.
What are some of your favourite surf travel destinations?
JOB: I love Fiji. It's great. It's beautiful. It just has a real Hawaii vibe to it, you know? The people are super nice and the food is incredible. I love Mexico too, it’s amazing and I spend a lot of time there. I go to Southern California a bit and love surfing The Wedge and other places like that. I love Australia, I'm a dual citizen, so I have an Australian passport.
Oh, you do? I live in Yamba near Angourie. Do you know where that is?
JOB: I know where Yamba is. It's like two and a half hours south of the Gold Coast. You guys got all the big sharks over there. Good waves though.
Who inspired you to start surfing?
JOB: My father inspired me to get into the ocean. It was a place where I could hang out with my friends, get away from all my problems and just feel good. There’s nothing purer than surfing with your friends, getting away from your phone…
What should you eat after a surf lesson?
JOB: An acai bowl. Not a poke bowl.
Fair call. My teenage son Miles has just chimed in with a question for you. What's it like to get spit out a pipe?
JOB: Only a surfer knows the feeling.
Victoria Feige, 5x World Para Surfing Champion, runs the adaptive surfing lessons.
The ocean is for everyone.
One more thing. I loved Victoria Feige’s (surf school instructor) personal adaptive surfing journey story.
She was recently in Byron Bay for the Adaptive World Surfing Championship event—inspiring stuff!
JOB: Yeah, she's great and she's doing amazing things with us, particularly in the adaptive space. Ocean and/or surfing experiences are available for everyone—regardless of physical limitations.
get in the know Blake Johnston, a former pro surfer and all 'round top Aussie bloke, holds the world record for the world's longest surfing session, clocking up an impressive 40+ hours to help raise money for several mental health charities. And we can't even manage 10 seconds on a board. *Shakes head*.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
DON'T MISS DRINK