Will the Worlds Greatest Surfer Please Lie Down?
By Bruce Jenkins
He appeared from the mist of a raging Hawaiian swell, paddling in from the horizon at Sunset Beach. Hed thought nothing of swimming into the distant maelstrom to find his lost board, drifting to the outer reefs of Rocky Point, and then heading straight out to bypass the brutal current. Surfers braving the 18-foot seas could hardly fathom his arrival, but that was Mike Stewart, defining himself: a man from somewhere else.This happened years ago, although it could have been yesterday or well into the futureany time during one of the most remarkable careers in surfing history. Argue the terminology if youd like; make that bodyboard distinction for Stewart and separate him from those who stand. Just include him in your conversation about the greatest and most influential wave riders. Otherwise, you are gravely mistaken.
Stewarts story is one of loyalty and humility. Its about a revolution at Pipeline and a christening of Teahupoo. It chronicles the most innovative bodysurfer who ever lived, and a man paddling to outer reefs through 30-foot sets with nobody in sight. Its about originality, competitive dominance, and independent thought, earning legitimate comparisons to Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater, and George Greenough. Its about a comeback from financial ruin, with a strong and beautiful family at his side. More than anything, its about a true Hawaiian: gentle, soft-spoken, and kind until certain lines are crossed, at which point a fury is unleashed.
Such a simple man. So many layers. Mike Stewart is a person met in stages, for you couldnt possibly digest him all at once. At first glance, he might have been a scruffy haole kid cruising Ke Nui Road on a bicycle, or a complete goofball with hilariously choreographed gestures and facial expressions. He might have been hunkered down for hours at a computer, a mad scientist at work. Then again, he might have surfed into daylight from a Pipeline tube he did not makea notion that bends the mind a little.
One of the most respected men on the North Shore, longtime Pipeline lifeguard and ethereal bodysurfer Mark Cunningham, played an intriguing numbers game. Take all the Pipeline titles won by Slater, Lopez, Rory Russell, Tom Carroll, Derek Ho, and Andy Irons, Cunningham said last winter. Then add up Stewarts titles.
The totals: 22 for Stewart11 on a bodyboard, 11 more as a bodysurferand 20 for the others. We get jaded around the North Shore, but think about what that means, said Cunningham. Heat after heat, final after final, win after win. Thats just phenomenal. Deadliest surf spot in the world, and hes been dancing with it for 25 years. I dont ever recall him, knock on wood, being carried out of there or even being in dry dock, and thats just fucking crazy, too. I mean no disrespect to anyone, but Mikes the most committed guy Ive ever seen.
We find Stewart today, as always, just slightly beyond the mainstream. At 43, he lives on the Hamakua coast of the Big Island with his wife, Lisa, and two children. Thats home for Stewart, who spent his formative years in Kona and lived down the road from the creative mastermind of bodyboards, Tom Morey. Together, in that little corner of the world, they shaped a sportMorey the inventor and Stewart the purveyor, unveiling its potential to the world. Such a person may not exist, for Stewart didnt just legitimize the sport in the minds of skeptical surfers, he transcended it.
Ive never heard anyone dog Mike for riding a Boogie board, said Mark Healey, one of the best young watermen in Hawaii and a regular in the Pipeline lineup. Its obvious that hes an alien, compared to everyone else, so no one can say a thing. Ive heard people say hes the Laird Hamilton of bodyboarding, which is heavy, but forget that. Hes the Mike Stewart of wave riding, and nobody will ever catch up to him. I think hes the best all-around wave rider in the world.
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