This Chappy Jennings interview, written by Shane Peel, ran in a 1994 issue of Queensland Waverider magazine. Jennings was 29 at the time, semi-retired from pro surfing, living on the Gold Coast and working as drywall-hanger.

Not likely. But who know, the north of Western Australia is pretty nice and the waves are good up there. The Gold Coast is changing, it’s a bit like the North Shore, it’s been given so much publicity that the crowds are just getting insane. I’m not whinging.The contests we have here, and the media, have given me lots of things—travel, waves, the chance to meet new people—but publicity in general has changed the Gold Coast.

Well, young guys these days seem to be making it without having to prove themselves in big waves. When I was a grommet, I remember Mickey Neilsen dragging me out to surf Waimea. I didn't have a choice. Some of those days in Hawaii were heavy.

You had a good result in the Pro Class Trials your very first year out there, when you were still a grom. Was Elko (Gary Elkerton) there with you that time?

No, but the next year he was. His first year on the North Shore was my second year. I remember we were paddling out at Sunset together, and I was laughing, looking at Gary, thinking ... Try this for size!

It’s a great achievement, really, to be called the King at Sunset. To me it’s probably more important than the world title, just because of all the tradition there in Hawaii.


 with Jack McCoy around that time. What was that like?

We had so much fun making that movie, and it was all done really, really quickly. Maybe 12 days, start to finish, all filmed in the local area. We just got so much pumping surf. It was bizarre.

Early in your pro years you went over to France and won a bunch of contests there.

Quiksilver was in the process of setting up operations in Europe and sent me over to compete on the European Pro-Am Circuit, which turned out to be insane. I was winning $2,000 per contest and there was one every other weekend, and between events I got to surf unreal beachbreaks in France. That went on for a couple of years, actually.

In 1981 you scored big at G-land, before any of us really knew about the place.

At the time, yeah it was still pretty well secret, and the guy who set up the first camp, Mike Boyum, had paid all the right people in Java so no one could get into the place. The guy I went with, Made Kasim, was friends with the Governor's son, so we were fully looked after. We surfed G-land for two weeks and it pumped the whole time. It was insane.

Tom Carroll, no doubt. He never pulls back. Even when it’s huge, he'll just pick up a board and say "Let’s go!" No hesitation whatsoever.

It's 1994. How do you think surfing has changed since your were a grommet?

Mate, all the fun seems to be going out of it. What’s going on when surfers are getting tattoos? I mean, what direction is it headed? What are we breeding these days?!

Do you think surfing is ever going to be like golf or football, in terms of being a professional sport?

No, I don't. Surfers are different, and it's very hard for a normal person to relate to our lifestyle. But who knows. I could be wrong. Maybe that’s why it’s getting so crowded on the Goldie.


[Photos: Jeff Divine, Erik Aeder, John Jones]

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