The
OCEAN WARRIOR From taking on Hawaii’s mega breaks and mentoring champion rider Kelly Slater to training Navy SEALs and SAS soldiers, Australian big wave surfer MARK VISSER talks his coaching techniques, special online program and catching the next big one… I N T E R V I E W B Y R E I L LY S U L L I V A N
B
orn on a farm in rural Victoria, Mark Visser wasn’t raised near the ocean. In fact, a near-drowning experience at an early age left him with a deadly fear of the water. It was only through learning to swim, and later by surfing as a teenager, that Mark was able to overcome these early reservations, kick starting a lifelong passion that has seen him achieve the unachievable. This meant setting out to do something previously considered impossible — surfing Maui’s legendary Jaws break at night, which he tells us “started as a dream.” The breaks at Jaws, situated roughly four kilometres off the coast of Northern Maui, hold an iconic, almost biblical position in big wave surfing lore. Jaws is frequently ranked among the biggest waves surfed by pro-surfers each year and was even etched into cinematic
history when it was ‘surfed’ by 007 in the 2001 Bond film Die Another Day. A challenge to expert surfers during daytime, to surf Jaws in pitch black was once considered out of the question. “Back then it was considered a non-achievable task and everyone was saying it wasn’t possible” Mark recalls. At 28 years old, following extensive training and mental preparation, Mark achieved this feat in 2011, making international headlines and earning a place in the big wave surfing legends book. Armed with customdesigned LED lights built into his board and solar-powered vest, he successfully surfed 30-40 foot waves in pitch black conditions. A chopper hovering precariously above helped film the action and the efforts were later marvelled at in the documentary Operation Night Rider.
CLOCKWISE (FROM TOP): Big wave rider Mark Visser captured by photographer Ryan Robson; Working hard on the ropes in the UFC high performance centre; Visser somersaults after bailing from a big wave in Tahiti
8 4
MAXI M.COM.AU
Now 36, and based on the Sunshine Coast, Mark balances surfing with family, coaching, work as keynote speaker and life as a self-described ocean adventurer. He’s done TED events, spoken in front of a slew of corporate clients, coached Navy SEALs and SAS soldiers and for the past two years he has helped Kelly Slater prepare for the Billabong Pipeline Masters. When it comes to training, Coach Visser expects openness from the teams and individuals he works with. “When you’re working for the likes of Kelly Slater and elite military groups, if they’re OK to be open and
