Introducing the one, the only Cliff Kapono.
Three, or such, months ago, I had the honor of heading up to Laguna Beach, California, in order to catch the premier of “The Smartest Surfer in the World: Cliff Kapono” which just so happened to be an episode in Vice’s Let it Kill You series.
Now, like you, I was only vaguely aware of the film’s subject and mostly through his appearances during World Surf League broadcasts wherein he would come into the booth and talk about intelligent business. Kapono, as you maybe know, is a native Hawaiian and very talented surfer who went on to get his PhD in chemistry, or some such, from the University of California, San Diego.
In the booth he seemed wise and adroitly managed the jibber-jabber shooting forth from Turpel and co’s gurgling lips but it was difficult to get a sense of who he really was and what he was really about.
Enter Vice.
The Let it Kill You series began exclusively featuring skateboarders as “a potent cluster-bomb of epiphanies, inspiration, freedom, poignancy, paint and shredding.” Kapono, though, a unique enough figure to require his own chapter.
I went, as stated, and learned much about the thoughtful and humble man and strongly recommend watching in its entirety.
Enjoy.
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I watched it. A solid effort.
Would love to get some funding for the ocean scientists here in the Caribbean fully chart our dying reefs. They’re truly in trouble.
vice still exists. i did not know this.
He wasn’t that smart the time I saw him running past me at the bottom of the cove because he lost his leashless twin fin. On a solid swell. On high tide. And getting dark.
That’s because of his time spent in San Diego. Standard SD things.
big island is amazing but surf not the best..
Pretty sure Kelly is the smartest, with his knowledge surpassing that of Doctors.
Spelt with a silent P
Skimming headlines I read this as “Worlds smallest surfer”
maybe an idea for a future piece ?
He’s one of the more educated surfers…but smart…that would have to be a tossup between Mitchell Salazar and Kaipo Guerrero😜
Kaipo for sure. Climbing that ladder of success.
Hey I thought I was the smartest suurfer ! because I don’t know any suurfers any more
“Oh Cliff / Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if / You really are a cliff / When fascists keep trying to push you over it! / Are they the lemmings / Or are you, Cliff?”
Unless Derek says ‘essential’ it’s not worth watching
He’s got nice tits lol
he is always great when they get him on the mic.
will check this out. thought vice had folded.
Its founder stil kickin it
https://youtu.be/H0_aovRF-RY?si=d6J4BUefH9h-5wO8
Smarter than Com Turren?
Being the smartest surfer in the world is akin to being the most progressive christian fundamentalist
Did they think that the title was a compliment?
The fattest skateboarder that can kickflip.
Xox
The man bun is his only glitch I guess… what a shame, could have reached perfection.
And all this time I was operating under the belief that the person with the advanced degree in Linguistics was the smartest person in surfing.
Me too. Tear eye emoji.