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Hey Creed, where were you when…
You first got a chance to surf with your hero? I’d say Ozzie Wright is one of my biggest heroes. As a grom I was in love with Volcom movies and Ozzie and Gav Beschen were my two favourite surfers in them. Ozzie was so raw and spontaneous, rad style and super fast. He was inspiring in and out of the water. So when we made the N’sheto movie last year and we got to hang out with him I was tripping. I was like “No way, he’s way taller in real life!” Haha. We were all fanning out a bit but he was so cool, just really fun and super good energy and everyone was so psyched on his surfing, especially me.
You landed your first air? I was at the rivermouth which we call it the Riverdog which is dominated by the River Rats. It’s basically the little beachie where Margaret River flows into the sea. I was surfing it with my brother and I landed a little straighty right in front of him. He saw it and I was like “Take that!” cause he was older and we were a bit competitive and he was always trying them. I got barreled the same day. My Dad was there. yeah I thought I was rippin’.
Music first melted your brain? When I was a grom my dad had two tapes in the car Queen and Bob Marley. I hated Bob Marley. I was like “Fuck reggae”. So I’d put on Queen, listen to “We are the Champions” then go out all psyched up and tear in. Freddie Mercury was badass.
Andy Irons died? I was 15 and staying at the Billabong House in Hawaii and it was so gnarly. I’d only met Andy once and it was a month or two before he died. We were on a surf trip and he thought my name was Chip. He kept saying “Oi, Chip!” and I didn’t know he was talking to me so I’d just ignore him and I heard he was going around to a few of the boys saying ‘Hey what’s Chip’s problem?” But I was just so stoked to even be in the same room with him and we ended up getting on really good. He was such a legend. When we got the news he’d died everyone was so shocked and sad because we were with a lot of his friends and family. It was a weird day. It was super overcast and the surf was about 120 foot and someone made the call that we should all go surf Waimea. So we went and pulled these 12 foot boards out of a back shed and paddled out at the Bay. I’d never surfed it before but we all sat in the channel and caught a few waves and just kinda soaked it all in. It was pretty surreal.
The Volcom Fiji Pro turned into the greatest day of big wave surfing in history? I dunno where I was. I have no idea what I was doing but I do remember seeing a photo of that day in a mag months later and thinking… “That is PSYCHO!” I guess webcasts of the comps are something I don’t take much of an interest in although when Jeffreys was on I was hanging with Mitch Coleborn who is right into it and when I watched Tom Curren surf against Occy I was standing on the couch and screaming at the TV because that shit was crazy. I was pretty boozy but that surfing Curren was doing was freaking me right out.