Photo: Ryan Chachi Craig
5 am. The alarm cuts through the morning silence. The snooze button would be tempting to hit any other day, but not on this morning. Off in the distance, mountains are rising out of the ocean’s depths, barreling over in an explosion of whitewater. The anticipation of this day has been building like one of those swells from across the ocean, so lying in bed is the last place you want to be. Mavericks is firing and for big wave surfer Colin Dwyer that means it time to go to work.
The 26-year-old is no stranger to this wave. It’s practically a part of his DNA. He grew up in Half Moon Bay, the son of Steve Dwyer, one of the original surfers to compete at Mavs in the 90s. “I live really close to Mavericks, so I get the luxury of sleeping in my own bed before every swell,” says Dwyer. To say his family had an influence on his surfing career would be an understatement. According to Colin, “(they) had me in the ocean and on a surfboard before I could walk.”So call it influence, indoctrination, or whatever you want – the dude was born to surf.
“My dad told me growing up, the day I could handle anything that Ocean Beach could dish out, I could surf Mavericks,” recalls Dwyer. Along with Ocean Beach, spots like Rockaway and the reefs around Santa Cruz were the training grounds for the young surfer. Before he could drive a car though, the second generation surfer was paddling out into one of the heaviest waves on the planet. “My dad took me out there for my first time when I was 15. I knew right away that it was something I wanted to keep doing; the power and the energy of the wave is incredible.”
Most days, when the sun rises over Half Moon Bay, Colin heads out the door dressed in medical scrubs. “I gotta make money somehow,” says Dwyer. Working in a level two trauma center emergency department is draining work, but in a symbiotic way, surfing has prepared him for this work, and you don’t need to look closely to see the parallels. “You have to be able to think critically under pressure, same in surfing big waves. A lot of decisions get made in rapid sequence,” he explains. “Surfing (Mavericks) is downright dangerous and knowing what to do if things go south is crucial.” But don’t just think surfing only translates to the professional work. It goes both ways. “My ER tech skills make me a good travel buddy if anyone wants to take me on a surfing trip,” laugh’s Colin. Between sponsorship and competition earnings, being able to sustain a lifestyle of surfing professionally full time is obviously the goal for many. For Colin, balancing his surfing pursuits with work is a necessity for now.
Photo: Tony Canadas
Surfing, like many action sports disciplines, is a tough world to find success even with the talent needed to do so. “The grind of surfing looks like long drives all night, plane flights, hauling around heavy luggage, board bag fees, navigating the fickle surf industry, dealing with injury, lots of sacrifices,” say’s Colin. He competed on the ASP/WSL Big Wave World Tour for multiple seasons and was even the youngest invitee ever for the now defunct Titans of Mavericks. Exposure is key to staying relevant enough to get a shot. “There are so many incredible surfers that just don’t have the resources to properly showcase their talent,” add’s Dwyer.
“If I work on a day that’s forecasted to be all time, I have to find someone to cover the shift,” say’s Dwyer. On this day, he’s covered. There are two ways to paddle out at Mavericks: south side – which is long but relatively safe – and the north side – which is much shorter but involves a few sketchy rock jumps plus a sprint paddle through solid waves breaking onto dry reef. “I almost always paddle out on the north side,” he says. “It’s sort of the local’s way out.” Only a handful of surfers are skilled enough to handle this wave, with some traveling from all over the world to ride it. For Colin Dwyer, it’s home.
Note: 10% of any product purchased fromThe Frynge supports Colin Dwyer right now. Funding doesn’t always come easy in the big wave world, and elite athletes often times have to incur large personal costs to compete at a high level. The Frynge is proud to provide a platform that allows readers and customers like yourself, to have a direct impact in supporting athletes like Colin.
