The Global Paddling Community

Interview with surf kayaker James Hawker.

This interview was originally produced for the Portuguese web site 'kayaksurf.net' and is published exclusively on Playak in english to make it available to a wider audience. The portuguese version of the interview is available here.

Name: James Hawker
Age: 24
Nationality: British
Occupation: Engineer
Competition records: Current British Champion International Class, Silver Medallist IC 2005 Worlds Costa Rica, Fourth Place HP Worlds Costa Rica, First Placed Paddler IC&HP British Ranking List 2005.
Sponsors: Mega, Reed Chillcheater.

Hi James, congratulations for your first victory this year in Bigbury. How long have you been surf kayaking?
I first started kayaking about 16 years ago, when I was eight years old. My father (Andrew Hawker) bought me a Rotobat and took me out on Poole harbour. I started surfkayaking a few years later in an old P&H Surf Shoe. I got my first "Jester" when I was about 12, and entered my first surf comp when I was about 13.

What's your experience with other paddling disciplines?
I go playboating a lot, especially now that I live in Plymouth. I would like to start competing in freestyle as well, but the dates have clashed with surf comps in the last couple of years, and surfing will always be my priority.

James Hawker on the River Dart.

In Costa Rica you were World silver Medalist in IC and finalist in HP. I suppose you had a great heat with Darren?
I was really pleased with making both finals, and had a good run of luck for the whole event to get there. Unfortunately I got ill the evening before, and I felt really weak and tired during the finals; I'd been awake all night, had a high temperature and was shivering and aching. I took advantage of the free Red Bull, and some ibuprofen, but realistically I stood no chance of paddling at my best ability. The results might not have been any different, but it would have been good to at least feel that I had paddled my best. That was a massive disappointment for me.

And last year's British Surfkayak Championships?
I was pleased to win the International Class and to make the final in the HP Class.

This year I will be paddling an IC boat in preparation for the Worlds, where I will be entering both classes.

Ireland was a great trip; we (My Father - Andrew Hawker, and I) had a couple of days after the comp in Bundoran. We met up with Dessie McGlinchey who took us to his local break called Tullen Strand (Some of the Ireland Worlds was held there), which was a good size and really punchy. It is one of the best waves I've ever surfed and I think that has to be one of the best sessions of 2006 for me.

Now, about the contest in Portugal… satisfied with your results?
I enjoyed Portugal and thought the format worked well. Rusty put a lot of work into getting the idea of a World Cup off the ground, and hopefully it will continue to become a regular event. I was happy with my result- Dave Johnston beat me pretty conclusively in my last heat with a nice outside wave. The conditions were a bit fickle and it was one of those heats that forces you to make a decision to stay inside and surf smaller waves or nervously wait outside for the heat winning wave that may or may not turn up. Dave was on form for the whole competition and kept finding winning waves.

Peniche Beach

What did you think about Peniche beach?
Peniche Beach was good, and there are some fantastic waves in the area, but some were just too crowded - the day we arrived we heard that a longboarder had jumped onto a bodyboarder and started hitting him, so we tried to be careful. Dad and I got out early one morning at a beach north of the site called Ferral, and had some amazing waves with only two other people out. It was good to have options facing in different directions so even with the strong winds there were quality offshore waves available.

Peniche Beach

It was the first time I'd surfed in Portugal. The waves were really good and powerful, as I'd expected. I like the country as well.

How many people of your team will be at the world championships in Mundaka?
Hopefully we'll get a full team together for Mundaka. It is pretty easy to get to there from the UK, so I expect there'll be a few paddlers trying to qualify this year.

I read an interesting article you wrote for BCU about surfkayak manoeuvres. What are your activities with the BCU Surf Committee at this moment?
I can't claim credit for the content on the site - I think Robbie Lines wrote the original information on there, but I could be wrong. Chris Harvey maintains the information on the BCU site. I don't do very much with the committee, but my father Andrew Hawker used to do a lot, and is still a part of the Worlds Committee.

Last year, in Mundaka, the juries were surf boarders. What do you think of this idea – also defended by Darren Bason – of surfers to judging kayaksurf manoeuvres?
It's better than other options, and it's worth the expense. I really like the way the Mundaka competition is organised and I'll be returning in April for the third time. I think the most important thing is consistency, which you do get from using the same team of surfing judges for an entire competition.

Bundoran

Tell us something about 'Future Kayaks'...
I used to make all of my own boats, under the name "Future kayaks". In Costa Rica I paddled my own HP and International boat and had great success with the designs. Since May 2006, I've been sponsored by Mega and am assisting in developing new designs and ideas, some of which are using boats that I shaped. I miss shaping, but it was too expensive and time-consuming. I'm really happy with my arrangement with Mega, who have done a fantastic job with the latest design that I produced and have been very open and receptive to ideas. My design should be tweaked and into production soon, and hopefully it will be favourably received.

Was this new Resurrection designed by you or what was your contribution with this new model?
I designed it about a year ago, shortly prior to joining Mega. Recently I've decided that I want a boat that is more comfortable and forgiving to allow me to adopt a stronger posture and to improve the chances of landing critical manoeuvres. It is currently being modified slightly prior to production, I was really pleased with the first prototype that Mega made, but I'd thought of some changes since initially shaping it. The tail will have a bit more volume, the cockpit will be lowered slightly at the back, and it will have a bit chopped out of the seam all round.

The Resurrection

What is the current state of surf kayak design? Are things innovating?
The last few years have seen a lot of progression, but I think there is plenty left to explore in surf kayak design. I think it will be interesting to see how small surfkayaks become, which seems to be the direction of experimentation at the moment.

Which class do you feel more comfortable for surfing?
I paddle my HP kayak most regularly, but I also really enjoy paddling International Class kayaks. The two are quite different and it can be hard to switch during a competition.

Do you have some surf kayaker in particular you admire?
There are several, but if I had to choose one paddler who stands out the most, it would be Edu Etxeberria from the Basque Country, who has the most individual style I've seen, which combines freestyle moves with surfing and is particularly impressive.

Your scariest moment at sea?
I've been quite lucky and have never really scared myself too badly in a kayak.

Where do you usually surf?
I regularly surf near Plymouth (Wembury, Bovisand or Bigbury) and also on the North Coast near Newquay, where my favourite break is Mawgan Porth. In recent years we have been to Northern Spain fairly regularly, both to the Mundaka comps and also further down the coast nearer Santander.

Which was the best spot you ever surfed?
It's difficult to say, because it depends on the conditions so much, and you rarely get to see a spot at its full potential, unless it's your local break. I would have to say that the recent session at Tullen rates highly in my memory though. The West Coast of Ireland is a great surf destination with a variety of breaks facing different directions, plenty of regular groundswell and a lot of quality reefs.

Your favorite move?
I really like big tail slashes in an International boat. I also like the feeling of finally perfecting a move - I have a couple of new ones that I'm hoping to learn in time for the Worlds in Mundaka.

Thanks a lot for your contribution James. See you in Mundaka!

Text - Luis Pedro Abreu
Photos - Andrew Hawker + Malcolm Pearcey + fotoreportagem.com + Jason Birt + Jim Ottaway ( www.3rider.blogspot.com and www.aswatersports.com )
Video - Simon Hawker