Mikey “Redd” O’Shaughnessy
In Search of One Perfect Wave By Stefan Verbano
KeOlaMagazine.com | September-October 2021
“One wave will change your life.”
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This is the motto of big wave surfer Mikey “Redd” O’Shaughnessy, who throughout his 29 years of life in Hawai‘i has seen those words play out in the best and worst possible ways. The towering cliffs of crashing blue ocean that several years ago propelled him to international fame and growing fortune in the competitive surfing world are the same ones that other times have flailed his limp body to and fro like a rag doll, filled his lungs full of seawater, and mercilessly catapulted him head-first into the reefʻs jagged, rocky jaws. These waves have given great purpose and meaning to his life, but in a handful of brief, unlucky moments out there among the breaks, they’ve also nearly taken it away from him altogether. So, he has come to know both extremes: the potential and the peril; the glossy surf magazine covers emblazoned with his confident smile as he rides a sparkling, perfectly shaped barrel, as well as the painful days spent in hospital beds hooked up to lifesaving machines after wiping out and being dragged unconscious back to shore by fellow surfers. To cope with the emotional roller coaster, Mikey has adopted what he calls a “warrior mentality.” It is this mindset, he says, that gives him the confidence to stare down some of the worldʻs most dangerous waves. “Iʻm a daredevil, a warrior,” Mikey says. “Iʻve had that mentality since I was a kid—since I was just learning to ride. I knew that Iʻve always wanted it…from a very young age I knew I couldn’t let anything get in the way. Going out there is like going into battle.” The word “dangerous” does not seem to have a place in the big wave surfer lexicon, so Mikey instead describes his three favorite “waves of consequence” that have had the most profound effect on his career: Pipeline on O‘ahuʻs North Shore, Jaws (also known as Pe‘ahi) on Mauiʻs North Shore, and Teahupo‘o—a world-renowned surf spot named after its nearby village on the southwestern coast of Tahiti. “Those are the waves with the most consequence,” Mikey says. “Those are the waves that every surfer is drawn to when they see a photo of them, the most rewarding waves. The rush, the high that you get from surfing them you canʻt really compare with anything else— maybe snowboarding down an avalanche.” Wipeouts! In early 2021, Mikey had the misfortune of suffering backto-back wipeouts and their corresponding concussions at two Mikey O´Shaughnessy´s flawless ride at Off The Wall on Oÿahu that won him the grand prize during the 2016 O´Neill Wave of the Winter at North Shore competition. After this big win, Mikey says, he was "no longer an underdog," and sponsors began to seek him out. Images from this ride were reprinted in many different surfing magazines. photo courtesy of Thiago Okazuya
