etnies

What's your name?
Mark Mathews.

How old are you?
23.

Where are you originally from?
Maroubra, Sydney.

Where do you live now?
Maroubra.

How and when did you start surfing?
Started when I was about eight or nine. My old man got me into it, think he wanted some time out of the house so he bought me a board for Xmas one year then he got to surf all the time too.

Who were you surfing with at first?
Dad and a couple mates from school.

Who were some early influences on your surfing?
Abberton brothers did my school Work Experience with Kobys older-older brother Sunny. Waves were pumping and we spent the week surfing these crazy reefs around home. Ended up being pretty valuable experience for my current profession not that my mum thought so at the time.

Who do you usually surf with now (and where)?
I do lots of trips with Koby Abbs, Dan Ross, Kai Otton been up the coast last week couple secret reefs and fun beaches.

Do you enjoy surfing in contests?
Nah not much.

How could contests be improved?
Some heavier waves, bigger barrels.

What is good about being a pro surfer?
Travel, surfing all day, partying all around the world.

What is bad about being a pro surfer?
Nothing.

Name your favorite surf movies.
A Day In The Life by Matt Gye and Shagga.

What kind of board do you ride?
Been riding Dylan Longbottoms boards, he's shaping with JS now. His boards are nuts!

How long is it?
6 2

How did you get on etnies?
Told em I'd burn down their factory if they didn't give me some free shoes. Try it, works a treat!

What do you like about etnies?
They give me free stuff. Oh...and their shoes are nuts.

What is good about surfing in general?
Everything.

What is bad about surfing in general?
When there's no surf.

Have you ever been bit or stung in the water?
Yeah saw my mate all tangled up in a bluey, he was yelling at me to get it off I was in hysterics going fuck stop being such a bitch then duckdived the next wave and had one lasso around my neck right in front of him. We were both in so much pain but we still managed to laugh at each other.

Talk about if you have ever been the subject (or perpetrator) of
localism.
I surfed Shark Island the other day with about 50 lids, anyway one of the older local ones decided to take it upon himself to fade me on a bomb in front of his mates, unfortunately for him I made the barrel and came out on top of him. One thing led to another, now he and his buddies don't fade me anymore.

Where is a good place to eat?
Sagana Resort, Phillipines.

Where on Earth are the best waves?
Tahiti, Australia, Mentawai's.

Who are your favorite surfers of all time?
Slater, Curren, Koby, Parko.

What have been the highlights of your surfing career?
Beating Derek Ho at perfect Pipe he's getting a bit older these days but he's still the king out there. Also surfing Shipsterns in Tassie for the first time.

What do you enjoy besides surfing?
Partying with my mates at home.

What are your future goals in surfing, and in general?
Get barreled out Jaws, qualify for the CT and have shitloads of fun doing it.