Right now, Mark Healey is The New Red. In the last 2 years he has been on 4-5 covers and caught some of the biggest waves in the world, from the Bay to Mexico. He shined so bright in the 2010 Eddie, took down a heavy field of Big Wave Giants at the Todos contest, just got invited to the Mavericks Contest, and still finds time to have a 3 day hold down in Vegas for his brothers birthday. He is one of my favorite guys to party with, a whiskey only man. But one thing is for sure, he is On Fire! If there is a big swell somewhere on the planet, Healey is guaranteed to be there. When I think of Chasing Monsters, I think of Mark. I don't know where he lives, maybe at the airport, because he is always on some mission. He is doing what every surfer wishes they could, maxing out his credit cards traveling around the world, scoring massive swells. If anyone took advantage of El Nino, it's this guy. Oh, did I mention how nice he is? What's not to love. He is very humble, yet very confident. He is a world class free diver as well and can hold his breath for something like 10 minutes. Maybe not 10 minutes, but way longer than you and I. Twiggy claims that's cheating. We, at Chasing Monsters, claim he is a legend. There is no doubt that if he keeps this up he'll be the big wave world tour champion. Now that he just picked up a couple of new sponsors and a bad ass travel budget, shit is definitely going to go down. Let's catch up with the Healey Monster and see what his plans are for the next year.
1. You have had a hot streak going for the last couple of years. Share with us all the big waves you have scored from the beginning of El Nino to present.
It's definitely been a crazy 2010. I ended up spending seven and a half months on the road chasing waves through Australia, Indo, Chile, Mexico, Peru and the West Coast. I think what most people don't realize is that for every crazy session that went down, there were probably two that we spent an obscene amount of money on and got skunked. Besides actually surfing big waves, I think you have to enjoy living out of a bag as well to pull this lifestyle off.
2. In this run, how many boards have you broken.
I only broke 3 guns (one with my head) and lost one tow board.
3. Who shapes them and what is your go to big wave gun?
I get my guns from Chris Christenson, Jon Pyzel, Gary Linden, Jeff Clarke and Kirk Bierke. At the moment, my 9'8" Pyzel is my favorite but I have two brand new 10'2"s that I haven't used yet.
4. You just got yourself an energy drink sponsor, ya buddy! What does your sponsor list look like these days?
Quiksilver, Electric, Monster, DC, Wave Riding Vehicles, Waterman Sunscreen, Riffe, High Surf Accessories, Lei Lei's Bar and Grill, and XM.
5. Now that you have funds, what is your schedule looking like for 2011-12?
Same madness! I'd like to be where the proverbial 'shit is hitting the fan' at all times. I want to focus more on documenting it properly this year.
6. Who are your favorite travel buds, and why?
Greg, Rusty and Twiggy. Can't really beat that crew. They want to be where the waves are giant and won't take "no" for an answer. And they're fun guys, so we can go tear up the city afterwords.
7. Last year you had an all yellow suit and this year it is all red. What is next year looking like?
It's going to look like a dog ate a bunch of skittles and then threw up.
8. What is your goal in life?
My goal in life is to appreciate it and never forget that it is a gift.
9. When are you going to pack the left at Mavericks?
Hopefully soon! Damn, it's taking me way too long!
10. When is the Healey Monster movie coming out? Can't wait.
Actually, working on a segment for the next couple of months. Should be weird.....
