The Legends Series: Interview with Robin Mapp (Originally Posted 6/21/2009)

Within the pages of SurfWatch is the rich history of Second Life (SL) surfing from the mouths of the surfers that created or developed or promoted or excelled in this virtual sport over the years.  Enjoy these interviews and the perspective from these surf legends as SurfWatch completes "The Legends Series".

Photo courtesy Monq Pinklady

SurfWatch recently caught up with Robin Mapp, a name most SL surfers will recognize as the former owner of Surf City, current surfboard designer, and proponent of realism in SL surfing, to discuss his surfing background and current views on SL surfing.

SurfWatch: How did you get started in SL surfing? Who taught you, what waves did you ride, and what board did you ride?

Robin Mapp: SL surfing is actually what brought me to SL in the first place - well, kept me here, anyways (smiles). I started out with what was available - fluffs. I have always been a hack, so when I saw guys out surfing, never thinking it looked real enough to me, I said to myself, "Wonder if I could build something more real?" Thru some experimentation and lots of trial and error, I came up with my first line of boards. They were completely different than the SSI's available at the time, but had one drawback - they wouldn't work on the fluffies. So in need of a wave, I started messing with some ideas and finally came up with a wave that worked with my boards but, as luck would have it, wouldn't work with the SSI boards. So again, not where I was hoping to be. As time progressed and I started hanging with guys like Flynn Sheridan and Thor Bishop, I gained a new appreciation of SL surfing and their dream of making a very realistic experience, sharing their passion and their commitment to surfing as a whole.

SW: You had the Surf City sim for a long time. What made you start that and why did it go away?

RM: Surf City was a dream of mine. Growing up and living in Huntington Beach, California, aka "Surf City", I was part of the iconic surf scene since the 70s. I wanted to bring that to SL. I wanted to build an actual surf legend and not your typical tropical beach surf venue. Lack of funds and assistance, Surf City was just more than I could handle. The dream still lives and maybe one day, the rebirth of Surf City will happen.

SW: How long have you been competing and what made you want to start?

RM: I have competed off and on for around 2 years now. Why? I'm a surfer. I love the environment and the people. The competitions were just plain fun!

SW: What advice would you give new surfers today?

RM: Decide: Do you wanna surf or do ya wanna play games? And have fun with whichever you decide (smiles).

SW: What's your favorite wave?

RM: I love pipes. To me, they offer the most realistic experience.

SW: What board to you use now and why?

RM: I use an RJ board, of course. Mainly because I have tailored them around my style of surfing - fast, clean and realistic.

SW: Do you have a favorite or trademark maneuver?

RM: I love snap turns and reverse rollovers. Once I figured these maneuvers out, I was like, "That seems like RL surfing."

SW: How would you like to see SL surfing evolve?

RM: I would really like to see SL surfing become more realistic. I know many think that is nuts, but to me, SL is more than a game, it's a virtual environment. We want real looking waves, real looking and performing boards, but yet, many of us are okay with totally non real surfing.

SW: Tell us about the Da Hui Team: the members, how you guys train, your philosophy, etc.

RM: Da Hui (The Group or Team in Hawaiian) was founded on the premise of enjoying SL surfing and trying to bring a bit of RL surfing attitude to SL. The members of Da Hui are all either past or present RL surfers or those that have at least been surfing. With that under our belts, we try to demonstrate the RL philosophies of surfing such as camaraderie, a deep sense of the connection to the sea and, of course, all the terrific sarcasm (smiles).

SW: Talk about your current sim.

RM: Current sim is just a homestead Monq (Monq Pinklady) and I have. We have it set up for a place to play and practice. It's pretty much your tropical island with tons of waves.

SW: What other projects are you currently involved in?

RM: Currently I am just making new boards and being a surf bum. I have no immediate plans to do more than have fun.

You can find Rob John's boards at your favorite beach.

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