Bodyboarder Stewart Saves All of His Energy for the Big Waves

Mike Stewart is one calm dude. When he talks, you can’t help but notice his laid-back demeanor or the matter-of-fact way he talks about bodyboarding. But when the subject of big waves comes up, there’s no mistaking the excitement and respect in Stewart’s voice. Stewart, perhaps the best bodyboarder in the history of the sport, was in Orange County recently before taking off to Reunion Island in St. Leu, France, for a bodyboard contest. His company, Mike Stewart Ltd., which designs bodyboards and leashes, is based in Anaheim, where his mother lives.

“When my bodyboarding career starts to slow down and I’m not obligated to surf so many contests, I want to devote all my time to riding the big waves,” Stewart said. “There’s nothing like it. The feeling of fear and excitement is beyond belief. And the rush you get riding some 20- or 25-foot wave . . . it’s unbelievable.”

At 34, Stewart, the oldest competitor on the World Bodyboard Tour, says he has no plans to slow down. Ranked fifth on the tour, Stewart spends most of his time traveling between contest sites. And while he likes to compete, he said he wishes more of the contests were held at big-wave locations.

“You have to be focused on the task at hand,” said Stewart about riding big waves. “You have to be completely absorbed into what you are doing. There’s a lot of fear involved, but you have to keep it in hand. It’s a very primal thing to ride the big wave. But when you’re on it, there’s nothing like it in the world.”

Stewart, who has won the world championships nine times and the national title eight, is perhaps the most respected bodyboarder in the world, even earning it from surfers.

Ian Cairns, a former world champion surfer who is executive director of U.S. Surfing, said he had little time for bodyboarders before watching Stewart at Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu.

“I’ll never forget watching Mike from the shore,” Cairns said. “Here was Pipe, which is maybe one of the best places in the world to catch the barrel, and Mike is doing El Rolo’s in the tube. It was unbelievable. For that moment on, I had a newfound respect for those guys.”

Last winter, Stewart made an appearance as a stuntman in a yet-to-be-released surf film. The film, “In God’s Hands,” was written by former professional surfer Matt George. Stewart’s part called for him to be towed by a rope from a Jetski into the huge Maui break known as Jaws.

“I used to ride Pipe and Waimea, but it’s so crowded these days. So I had this opportunity to tow into massive Jaws. I think I’m the first bodyboarder to tow in there, when it was of any size, anyway,” said Stewart, who was raised on the big waves of Hawaii, where he grew up. “It changed my perception on wave riding, that one session, just how huge and awesome it is. It puts things in perspective.”

Stewart has designed a bodyboard, which is now the signature model of Morey Bodyboards, Stewart’s main sponsor. Called the Morey Launch Vehicle, the board is made of state-of-the-art materials like Fybercel and fiber-reinforced Surlyn, which is practically crease resistant. In addition, the board has a soft, comfortable riding surface that helps to absorb the impact from aerial maneuvers and big rolls.

Last year, Stewart made headlines worldwide by following an ocean swell for 7,000 miles. He started the trip in Tahiti, then went to Hawaii, California and, finally, Alaska, where he rode waves as high as 30 feet. The trip took eight days, and included very little sleep, exhaustion, icy waters and a brush with sharks.

Stewart said it was, perhaps, his most gratifying experience, and made him even more respectful of the ocean.

“There have been a few times that I’ve thought I was going to die while riding the waves,” he said. “But that’s part of the lure. Being in front of a huge wave, it’s sheer terror. But, oh, what a rush it can be.”

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Orange Coast College is offering two sailing classes and a boat and marine gear auction in the coming weeks.

An offshore cruising class for women who have intermediate or higher sailing skills begins June 14. The class is on four Saturdays, including June 21, 28 and July 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Orange Coast’s Sailing Center in Newport Beach.

The bareboat chartering course features a four-day cruise, from June 17-20. The class begins June 17 at noon and students return June 20 at 5 p.m.

The auctions will be held Saturday at the Coast Community College District Office at 1370 Adams Ave., Costa Mesa, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, call (714) 645-9412.

Notes

San Clemente surfers Shane Beschen (fifth) and Shea Lopez (seventh) remain among the top 10 on the World Championship Tour. . . . The U.S. Open of Women Surfing, which will take place Aug. 4-10 in Huntington Beach, has been upgraded to WCT status. It will feature the top 11 women surfers in the world. On the men’s side, the U.S. Open of men’s surfing, which is not a WCT event, still is expected to attract some of the world’s best surfers. In addition, men’s and women’s bodyboarding and longboarding will be contested. . . . Preceding the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach will be the Katin Team Challenge, July 24-27. The Katin event was recently sanctioned by the Assn. of Surfing Professionals, which makes it a one-star World Qualifying Series event.

Graham Stapelberg, executive director of the ASP, said his organization and the ASP International and ASP North America, have agreed in principal to a multi-year plan that will return the World Championship Tour to the U.S. mainland in 1998, with Huntington Beach as the probable host.

On the Beach runs twice a month during the summer. Hamilton and Itagaki may be reached at (714) 966-5904 or by fax at (714) 966-5663. Readers are encouraged to suggest items.