Wrightsville Beach NC’s Rob Brown sits down with fellow Tarheeler Joey Crum for the first installment of “A Round with Rob Brown”

Continue reading for Joey’s thoughts on the Canaries, growing up in Hatteras, and what it’s like dropping in on Tamayo Perry at Pipe…

Photos: Daniel Pullen

Rob/ Coming from Buxton NC who and what has inspired you to push yourself in bigger waves?

Joey/ People that inspired me – Welp, My uncle Brian for starters. He was the first person I surfed the outer bar here with, and he was the first person I knew that had traveled to surf. He is a legend. Freddy James always pushed me. He was the first guy I knew personally that surfed Teahupoo. Will Skudin has probably been the most inspirational person for me as far as big waves are concerned. He has become one of my best friends. He moved here when we were both around seventeen. He was always there to paddle out with when no one else was. He had already been to Hawaii and Mavericks before we met. He made surfing big waves more accessible for me. I never truly considered going to Hawaii until I became friends with him. He wouldn’t shut up about the place – I had to go.

RB/ So seeing someone (Will Skudin) your own age traveling to these crazy places kind of clicked that you could do it too?

JC/ Well ya, I already loved surfing and had traveled a bit, just to surf. And I had already wanted bigger and better waves. But When Will came to Hatteras and had already done so much that I had just started to dream about, it made me think, “What am I waiting for.” I was young and ready to go. I still am. I don’t want life to just pass me by. I want to experience. I want to surf big barrels, what surfer doesn’t????? Will is just that kind of catalyst guy. He is always got some kind of big thing going on. He is really exciting to be around. God bless him.

RB/ You don’t have any sponsors and you don’t care. So are you happy with that type of “underground charger” label?

JC/ Uhhh… I guess? Living here in Hatteras, I mean, you got to realize that it’s a small, tight nit, and somewhat sheltered community. This is where I was raised; I am a product of it. I have pride in this place and how it works. I just didn’t, and don’t, care much about sponsorship. Why should I? I like having to work for what I get or accomplish. I guess I believe it makes it more satisfying. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think there is anything wrong with sponsorship. It allows surfers to become more focused on just surfing. However, surfing can so easily be such a self-centered thing. Especially for me, and I don’t want to be self-centered. I am a Christian and I want to strive to be selfless and humble. Still, I can’t lie and say that part of me doesn’t want to travel and surf all the time and get paid for doing it. But, I like to think that deep down I am striving for a much higher goal than just surfing.

Canaries traffic. Photo: Pullen

RB/ You used to go to Hawaii in the winter, what made you start going to the Canaries instead?

JC/ I loved Hawaii, buts it’s crowded. I wanted to find a Hawaii without the crowds. It’s out there. It’s a big world. The Canaries are awesome. They get tons of swell and there is some amazing set ups that can hold big waves. Probably my favorite wave there so far is El Quemao. It is a little like pipeline. I can’t wait to go back. I know there is more to that place than I have experienced so far.

RB/ Are you sure you didn’t quit going to Hawaii because you burned Tamayo Perry on a second reef wave and he told you to never come back?

JC/ Hahaha, I am getting the impression you want me to talk story. —- I did burn Tamayo. It was sooooo scary. The wind was howling side-shore and pipe was barely overhead. I waited for over an hour to catch a wave; I just wanted to go in. I went in on a full closeout – thinking that there was no way anyone was behind me. When I got to the bottom, I heard someone yelling. I turned around and there he was. I must have looked like a dear in headlights. I bottom turned and tried to get as far away from him as I could. After the wave closed out – I got held under for a bit and then came up – Tamayo was glaring and shouting at me and pointing for the beach. Luckily, the wind was blowing hard enough that I couldn’t here a word he was saying, or I probably would have crapped myself. I just paddled in as quickly as I could. -Time marches on- I few days later pipe got really good. I assumed my regular position at pipe, which is too deep, and to far out, for me at least, to make any waves. I always sit deep and out back to get away from the crowd. I hate crowds. I started talking to Jamie O’Brien, who sits deep and actually his makes waves. He was being really cool to me, so I was kind of stoked and all. Tamayo paddled out. I decided to tell Jamie about what had happened. He just kind of stared at me with a stone cold face for a little while. I started to paddle away and he said, “You need to go tell him your sorry.” I said, “Well… uhhh… what do you mean.” He said, “You need to paddle up to him, tell him your sorry, or paddle in.” So, needless to say, I was petrified. I paddled up to him and told him what I had done. He was kind of pissed at first. He gave me the run down of how dangerous pipe is and how a friend of his had just died there. And, he told me how he had just got a bunch of stitches in his head a little while back in a similar incident. I just kept nodding my head and saying “ya… ya… definitely… so sorry man.” Eventually, we just started talking, and I came to find out that he is a really nice guy. We were sitting second reef talking for a while. When a set finally came, he was in position for the wave and he let me have it. Got a good one, I was stoked!!!!!

RB/ After seeing the photos its obvious you caught some big surf while in the Canaries,

JC/ I got beat up by those waves! The reef is shallow and jagged at all the good spots. As far as injuries go, El Quemao was the worst. Mainly because I got comfortable enough to really try and surf there. The best waves I got were before dawn one morning. I was so excited about the swell that I couldn’t sleep the night before. I got up around 3:30 to eat breakfast – stretched – and waited for it to get light. I paddled out when it was still pitch black outside and sat in the channel. The first wave I took off on, I was way far off to the shoulder. I still couldn’t see much. I airdropped bad, barely stuck it, and bottom turned out of it as quick as I could. It was kind of stupid of me, because I should have just kept waiting, but I was so excited. El Quemao is a short wave, and if you don’t kick out in time you’ll end up on some nasty dry reef. Especially at low tide – It was low tide. Anyway, I decide to just sit way out the back and wait a little while. It was one of those spiritual kinds of experiences – I get into that stuff. The second wave I caught was definitely the best wave of my life – so far. I fell into the barrel. The thing was just massive and way lined up. I thought it might closeout, but I was happy to be in it anyways. I stood up straight for moment and reached for the ceiling. There had to have been another three feet from the top of my hand to the lip. I drove and got spit hard out of it. So yea, it was heavy and I was stoked!

RB/ Sounds like it was an insane trip. When are you going back?

JC/ Hopefully next year!

Photo: Daniel Pullen

You might like these posts too:

1. A Round with Rob Brown and Brendan Buckley
2. Dave Wassel on Brett Barley
3. A Round With Matt Pruett
4. Dove-loving charger Rob Brown gets interviewed over at EXPN.com
5. Atlantic Assault with Ben and Ross