What does FAFO Surf represent to you?

FAFO Surf was inspired by the slogan, “Fuck Around, Find Out”.  But it’s not in an aggressive or violent way that I see FAFO Surf representing this slogan.  FAFO to me is like a law of nature. You never know until you go. But if you’re not ready, or if you approach with disrespect for the place, or people that occupy that space then it probably won’t end well for you.  Regulation is natural and it will happen whether its mother nature or a pissed of local. I see this daily as a Fire Fighter on Maui. Tourists come here and do ill advised things like hiking in the mountains during flash floods and sometimes they pay with their lives. On the other hand if you are ready, you’ve put in the work, you’ve shown respect to those that came before you then you will be rewarded.

Why did you start the brand?

Surfing has become so mainstream, everyone with a soft top board calls themselves a surfer. This is awesome that more people are learning about our culture and enjoying the ocean but with this critical mass comes a loss of core values.  My generation grew up respecting the older guys, learning about surf etiquette, lineups, and hierarchy.  FAFO Surf was created to bring back these core values.

Where did you grow up and learn about core surf culture?

I was born on the Big Island of Hawaii and learned to  surf at Kalapana, an ancient surfing spot that was revered by native Hawaiians.  Kalapana was a surfers dream with multiple waves that were good for all levels of surfers, Rubber Duckies for the kids and Drain Pipes for the older guys.  Kalapana was sadly covered by lava in the late 80’s. In 1993 I moved to Maui, and was introduced to Ho‘okipa by my family friend Morgan Mullen.  Ho‘okipa had a hard core reputation in the 90’s and the guys there held it down and were the top surfers on the island.  I got to learn from and become friends with legendary surfers like Eric Diaz and Steve Cooney who both passed away but left their mark on the collective surf consciousness.  Later I lived on Oahu when I was in the Coast Guard and got to surf the North Shore and Pipeline with my friends Shaun Lopez and Tom Dosland who taught me about heavy water surfing and the hierarchy that comes in that environment.

How does FAFO Surf and Jaws relate to each other?

Living on Maui for the last 30+ years, of course JAWS is the pinnacle of surfing on Maui and the world.  I was fortunate to witness Laird Hamilton and the Strapped crew pioneer JAWS, and I was there documenting it when the paddle in revolution happened.  The innovation of the inflatable vest has brought a higher level of safety but also makes the impossible possible to those that shouldn’t be out there.  You get surfers from all around there world coming here, with no connections, no water safety and they expect to paddle out, catch a bomb and get rescued if they need it.  Of course the Maui water safety operators are going to go, because they love to do it, but these random surfers are putting our friends at risk and if they lose their jet ski rescuing someone they don’t know, chances are they won’t see a penny in compensation.  FAFO Surf recognizes that JAWS isn’t for everyone and if you come out here with no plan, no assistance, no water safety, than you really shouldn’t be out here, and you will get regulated.

Where do you see the brand going?

Of course I would love the FAFO Surf brand to become global and have representations in all of the core surf communities around the world. Until then I’m happy just designing cool clothing and creating a community of like minded surfers who want to wear something authentic and from here, Hawaii.