I remember Bobby’s exit from professional surfing like it was yesterday. “I don’t want to be a part of this dumb fucking wannabe tennis tour,” he bellowed. “I ain’t going to these stupid contests no more.” These are the words that will forever be engraved in the minds of surfers everywhere. I mean, how could they not? Many people were quick to call his post-heat interview with Todd Kline “career suicide” or “the end of the road” for Bobby, but I like to think of it as the greatest exit from a job since Scarface quit the burger joint in Half Baked. And it’s perhaps the greatest decision Bobby Martinez ever made.
Following his brutally honest rant, many people were swift to render Bobby as some batty lunatic who lost his shit and would suffer dearly for it. But he didn’t. He did quite the opposite, actually.
Recently, Surfline put together this awesome edit/interview with Bobby, which paints a very clear picture of his life after his little episode.
“My life is barely beginning,” Bobby told Surfline. “I have a family. I have a wife. That’s my number one priority. I have all the time in the world to focus on them now and that’s what’s most important in life to me.”
Quitting the tour is perhaps the best decision Bobby’s ever made. First, speaking his mind has given him the ability to do what matters most to him: being a father and a husband. Still, he’s able to travel the world and surf perfect waves without the stress associated with wearing a jersey, not to mention the guy’s ripping harder than he ever was. Furthermore, his life beyond professional surfing should ease the fears of all those CT competitors on the bubble and in danger of falling off tour. Bobby teaches us to keep family and friends close, never let the love of surfing wane, and life will be alright. In my opinion, he’s more relevant today than he ever was. But at the end of the day, Bobby doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.
