Maurice Cole Speaks » The man himself

Maurice Cole, with loads to be smiling about.© 2009 - TransworldSurf/Steindler

MAURICE Cole has to be one of the most interesting people on the planet. The famous Australian shaper could tell stories for days, weeks and years. From pioneering surfing in France in the early 70s, to making boards for Tom Curren (one in particular which Curren was riding in the famous Backdoor cutback shot, one of the most iconic surf images ever captured), to playing golf with Miki Dora, and on and on and on. Each story sounds like a chapter from a book, and there’s little doubt there will be a book someday.

The latest chapter and part of the reason he was in Southern California a few months back was to get treated for prostate cancer. He was diagnosed about six months ago and came to California to receive cutting edge treatment from one of the best doctors in the country. But it’s not all bad news. Cole’s also seizing the opportunity of being over this way to unveil some new and extremely interesting designs which he’s been working on in relative obscurity for the last five years at home.

Though he’s shaped boards for a number of world champs, he’s more than a shaper — he’s been an innovator, pioneer, designer, madman, charger, and entrepreneur, among other things. He founded BASE Surfboards, the all-star shaping co-op in Australia and then suddenly exited. Since then, he and mate Ross Clarke-Jones have been towing large surf and working on Maurice’s next design advancements.

He’s opinionated, controversial and tack-sharp. This is his first U.S. interview in a long while. Enjoy, discuss, and wish him the best on his fight. And look for an update soon, the last time I spoke to him he’d indicated there was a lot of news on both the design and health fronts.

Rate this article: 1 2 3 4 5