Advertise on podcast: Surf Stories

Kevin Miller sat down with Cape Town filmmaker Alan Van Gysen @alanvangysen in person during a trip to South Africa, so John Brooks sits this one out. Alan traces his path from a waterproof Minolta and selling prints to bodyboarding friends, through 20 years shooting stills for Zigzag, to co-founding Now Now Media @nownowmedia with Will Bendix @will.bendix. They discuss Chasing the Unicorn and the power of film to lift communities, close encounters with great whites, and Alan free-diving under a drifting charter boat in the Mentawais to cut a fouled propeller free. Plus: bringing aloha back to crowded lineups.

Mike Ruthnum is Jeffreys Bay's resident surf photographer and filmmaker, the eye behind @jbaytv. Raised in Isipingo Beach south of Durban, he took up kneeboarding at 13 and first made the pilgrimage to J-Bay at 16, settling there for good in 2007. After a near-fatal illness kept him in hospital for eight months, Mike picked up a camera during his recovery and turned pro in 2021. His work has since appeared in The Surfer's Journal, Zigzag, Pacific Longboarder and Surfline, and on most days he's on the beach at Supertubes from first light to dark.  Enjoy this chat with Kevin Miller while he was on location in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa.

In this episode of Surf Stories, John Brooks and Kevin Miller talk with professional big-wave surfer Torrey Meister about his path from childhood at Banyans on Hawaii's Big Island, shaped early by Shane Dorian's grom contests, through a decade chasing the Qualifying Series in California. Torrey shares his breakthrough 2013 Cold Water Classic win, his long-standing O'Neill partnership, and the Jaws session during the 2015–16 El Niño swell that turned him into a dedicated big-wave rider. He also opens up on injuries, resilience, and gratitude for a life built around the ocean.  Florida Surf Film Festival was the gracious host of the world premiere of Tucker Wooding and Torrey's new film, Unmakeable.

Nate Zoller, a professional surfer, photographer, and writer based in Southern California, has spent over a decade with Roark as a Brand Ambassador and storyteller. He produces branded content and narrative campaigns from surf and adventure trips around the globe — from Iceland and Japan to the Falkland Islands and Mexico — while contributing to acclaimed Roark films like "The Forgotten Archipelago" and "Dear Mexico." On this episode, hosts John Brooks and Kevin Miller sit down with Zoller to talk about his Laguna Beach roots and what it takes to turn a life of travel into compelling marketing.

Aaron "Gorkin" Cormican, New Smyrna Beach's own aerial pioneer and two-time Quiksilver King of the Peak champion, joins John Brooks and Kevin Miller for this homegrown NSB chat. Known equally for his high-flying competitive career and for shaping boards under his own Gorkin Surfboards label, Cormican has spent decades as one of the Inlet's most recognizable and respected talents. In this conversation, he digs into how he found surfing and competition, kill or be killed attitude, his journey from competitor to shaper, and the local characters and culture that influenced his journey - a true homegrown story, straight from the source.  Now, Aaron lives and makes surfboards in Nicaragua.

Jeff Easson is a retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief with 30 years of service — an achievement earned by less than 1% of enlisted sailors. Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he moved to Ormond Beach, Florida at age 11, where he traded hockey for surfing and competed in the ESA and SSA through high school. After a run-in with the law led him to enlist, he built a career in Navy finance and HR, rising to senior enlisted leadership. He's now retired back home in Daytona. Enjoy this chat with John Brooks and Kevin Miller.

Eric Geiselman @ericgeiselman , the third Geiselman to join us after Father Greg and Brother Evan, brings a New Smyrna Beach pedigree built on a run of competitive surfing and a 2007 Surfer Poll Award for Most Radical Maneuver. Known as "Lark," he's built a reputation as one of freesurfing's most versatile talents—airs, barrels, and progressive rail work across every wave type. A musician and multi-sport athlete off the water, Eric has more recently become a standout foiler, further expanding the family's surf legacy. Enjoy this chat with John and Kevin.

Morgan Maassen grew up in Santa Barbara chasing waves at Rincon, but it was an injury that got him behind a camera instead of on a board — and the rest is history. He's since become one of surf's most recognizable visual storytellers, known for that dreamy, slow-shutter style that's landed his work in National Geographic, The New York Times, and Surfer Magazine, plus campaigns for Apple, Red Bull, and Patagonia. Morgan is a veteran of Florida Surf Film Festival, having conducted a photography workshop in 2015 and has won multiple awards for his short films around the world.  Enjoy.

Luca Merli is a Milan-based filmmaker, photographer, and surf culture champion who has spent more than two decades documenting the soul of Italian surfing. A Goldsmiths College graduate, he founded Block10 and the Onde Nostre collective, producing five award-winning feature films — including Peninsula and Nausicaa — distributed globally on Netflix and major platforms. In 2016, he co-founded the Skate & Surf Film Festival (SSFF) in Milan, now in its tenth edition and recognized as Italy's premier celebration of surf and skate cinema. Enjoy our chat with Luca.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Derek Hoffmann @derekhoffmann808 fell in love with the ocean and still photography at his home break, Sandy Beach, before moving to the North Shore and picking up a movie camera. His in-water 16mm work on the 1989 theatrical release Rolling Thunder set the course for a life behind the lens.  He went on to travel the world filming Rip Curl's legendary Search program alongside director Sonny Miller, contributing to iconic films like Searching for Tom Curren. Today, Derek is the founder of naluTV and Nalu Film Foundation, and has made it his mission to preserve and digitize surf cinema's most treasured archives — ensuring the history of the sport is never lost to time.

Cameron Kirkconnell @camkirkconnell sheds skin to scales when the moon is full or as soon as his toe touches saltwater.  He holds his breath for three-times longer than a normal joe, and finds the biggest, and of course, tastiest of fish.  He began his career as a merchant marine, achieving the rank of Unlimited Tonnage Captain, and with six month breaks between ships, he surfed, dove, studied, and fine-tuned his skills into the ultimate guide service for high-end spearfishing charters.  Keeping dry now means equipping multi-million dollar yachts with special tools, helipads, runabouts... Finding buyers and sellers all over the globe.  Based out of south Florida, Cameron still gets in the water plenty while raising little water people.  Enjoy these stories from the deep with John Brooks and Kevin Miller.

Pat O'Connell didn't touch saltwater until he was twelve and somehow became one of surfing's most beloved figures. A natural competitor, he represented the U.S. at the 1990 World Amateur Championships before landing a starring role in Bruce Brown's Endless Summer II — a film that introduced surfing's joy to a whole new generation. He went on to compete on the ASP World Tour for over a decade, peaking at 11th in the world, before transitioning into the surf industry with Hurley, the WSL, and Florence Marine X.  John Brooks and Kevin Miller lock Pat in the hot seat for some quality stories.  Enjoy.

Born and raised in Punta Hermosa, Peru, José Plaza grew up steeped in surf culture — his father Miguel was a pioneer wave rider in Peru and Hawaii during the 1960s, befriending legends like Eddie Aikau and Greg Noll.  That legacy pushed José into the water early and eventually behind the camera. After a chance encounter with filmmaker Wes Brown deep in the Peruvian jungle, José transitioned into filmmaking, starting with surf films featuring top Peruvian athletes.  Today, he documents the raw beauty of Peruvian surfing, blending insider knowledge with a filmmaker's eye.  And he share some incredible stories with Kevin Miller and John Brooks.  Enjoy.

Miguel Tudela is one of Peru's top professional surfers, known for his powerful style and consistency on the world stage. A standout in international competitions, he represented Peru in Olympic surfing, showcasing the country's deep surf heritage. Raised on Lima's coastline, Tudela has built a career marked by discipline, resilience, and pride in his roots. He continues to inspire the next generation while competing globally and elevating Peru's presence in the sport. Enjoy this chat with John Brooks and Kevin Miller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Otto Flores is a Puerto Rican surfer, ocean safety advocate, and environmental activist whose life has been shaped by the OCEAN. After beginning his career as a professional surfer, Flores traveled the world chasing waves and appearing on the covers of major surf publications. One such cover has a story to it, which he shared with us today. Over time, his focus expanded beyond performance to protecting the ocean and the communities that depend on it. He co-founded the nonprofit Granito de Arena, which used surfing to educate youth about ocean conservation and plastic pollution. Today, Flores continues to blend surf culture, environmental activism, and ocean safety training, using his platform to inspire stewardship of coastlines and communities worldwide.  Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices