Catch a Wave
The Surfers
Most pro surfers aren’t household names yet, so here’s a rundown of the ones available in the game, as well as tips for playing them.
Kelly Slater
He’s the guy who took surfing to the next level, much as Tony Hawk did in the world of skateboarding (both of them are available as hidden players in each other’s games). The winner of six world championships — he set the record for youngest champ ever when he won at the age of 20, his rookie year — Slater retired in 1998 but recently started surfing professionally again.
Slater’s strengths are in the balance and speed departments. His best tricks are in the aerial category, where he can pull off nifty grabs while airborne.
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Donavon Frankenreiter
He’s a pro, but he doesn’t compete. Instead, he takes his collection of vintage surfboards on the road and earns a living through the media sponsorship that his unique surfing style brings. He views his surfing as art that can’t be judged, and when he’s not in the water he’s on stage with his rock band, Sunchild.
Frankenreiter’s strong suit is balance, something that’s important no matter what type of trick he’s trying to pull off, so use him however you want.
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Lisa Anderson
Her drive to turn pro was so great that she ran away from home for a year after her sophomore year of high school, but her mother eventually tracked her down. Her amateur career consisted of 30 trophies in less than a year before she won the U.S. championship in 1987. She later gave birth to a daughter, Erica, and returned to the pro circuit, winning four world championships since then. Anderson gave birth to a son, Mason, in 2001 but may still return to surf professionally.
Anderson’s key strength is balance. She excels at pulling off tricks while in the barrel.
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Bruce Irons
He’s a young surfer who grew up among the waves of Hawaii with his brother Andy, who’s also a talented surfer. Irons has yet to qualify for the pro circuit, but he’s expected to do so soon.
Irons is an all-around solid surfer, so try out a variety of tricks with him.
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Tom Carroll
He’s a native of Australia who turned pro in 1979 and paved the way for Slater’s generation of surfers. He won back-to-back world championships in 1983 and 1984 but boycotted the contest in South Africa in 1985 for political reasons. He signed surfing’s first million-dollar contract in 1988 but now enjoys the retired life with his wife and two children.
Carroll excels in the speed and balance areas. His best tricks are pulled off either in the barrel or while airborne.
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Rob Machado
He’s been on the pro tour for eight straight years, coming close to winning it all the last time he went out. He’s best known for his clean, effortless style.
Machado is strong in the speed and balance areas, so keep that in mind when trying to pull off one of his face tricks.
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Tom Curren
California-born Tom inherited his skills from his father, Pat, who had him surfing from a very early age. He won back-to-back world championships in 1985 and 1986, stealing some of the thunder from the Australians who dominated the sport at the time. He quit surfing professionally in the late 1980s but returned in 1990 to win one more world championship. Curren now lives in seclusion with his wife and two children.
Speed and balance are Curren’s strong suits. Pay attention to his arsenal of face tricks.
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Kalani Robb
He’s been a pro since 1993 but has yet to win a world championship, probably because he has a penchant for taking risks in competition if he thinks he can rack up some big points.
Robb is another surfer who’s pretty solid all-around, but he does have a slight edge when going for aerial tricks.
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Nathan Fletcher
This guy was born to surf. His grandfather and great-uncle made names for themselves in the waves of Hawaii during the 1950s, his father did the same in the 1970s, his aunt was a four-time women’s champ in the 1960s, and his older brother pioneered a lot of the tricks in aerial surfing. He actually spent five years skateboarding and snowboarding after deciding to leave surfing at the age of 15, and when he returned to the sport, he brought with him a bag of tricks that he had picked up from his landlocked counterparts. He’s only just started his pro career.
Unsurprisingly, Fletcher’s really skilled in aerial tricks. Keep him above the waves, where you’ll rack up big points.
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