Surf Splendor

Paul Strauch passed away this past weekend, at peace, at home with loved ones, comfortable and with his beloved Hawaiian music playing by his bedside. His daughter Summer said, “I asked my dad recently what he would want to say to everyone when he stepped into eternal life. He smiled and said, ‘ALOHA’.” Today we’re sharing an interview with Paul, recorded in 2019, where he reflects on his early life in Hawaii discovering surfing, Duke Kahanamoku’s mentorship and influence in his life, lessons from George Downing, the inception of the bottom turn, and how “Aloha” became the principal that defined his life and relationships. Enjoy. And aloha, Paul.
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In today’s show board builder Eden Saul explains his shifting manufacturing practices in response to erratic US tariffs, injury’s endless travails on a shaper’s livelihood, the blessed gift of finding a committed apprentice, the scary first step of scaling and delegation, how to create a brand aesthetic while still letting you lam team go nuts, and a patriotic fervor for the new crop of CT shredders. Enjoy!
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Legendary pro surfer Rob Machado is widely regarded as one of the most influential and stylish surfers of all time. But Rob’s relationship with and impact on surfing and the ocean run much deeper than his professional career. 

In this episode, Rob shares about his deep family roots in Southern California and traces his personal journey as an ocean advocate —  from taking water samples for Surfrider's Blue Water Task Force as a high school student in Cardiff to founding the Rob Machado Foundation, which has installed water refill stations across San Diego County schools and eliminated millions of single-use plastic bottles. In this wide-ranging conversation, he opens up about the competitive mindset that took him to the pinnacle of the world tour, why that famous high-five with Kelly Slater at Pipeline actually deepened his connection to what surfing should be, and how becoming a father shifted his priorities from tour life to environmental stewardship.
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Today’s episode features a conversation between Gerry Lopez and early Hawaiian surf pioneer Paul Strauch. Strauch thanks Lopez for preventing crowds at Sunset, discuss the virtues of surfing pre-leash, reflect on the deeply integrated influence of Duke’s spirit still in their lives and the special bond of communicating with him in native Hawaiian, growing up in Hawaii before statehood, surfing through the vast surfboard design evolution, and the essential role of mindfulness in the act of surfing. PodAloha originally aired in 2019 and is being made available to you today through the Strauch family. Enjoy!
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Today’s episode features a conversation between Greg Noll and early Hawaiian surf pioneer Paul Strauch. Noll and Strauch reflect on early lessons hard earned on North Shore in the 1960s, regale with stories of larger than life friends and waves, chart the path of how big wave surfing has developed from their early exploits, and recognize the tremendous gift that surfing was in their lives. PodAloha originally aired in 2019 and is being made available to you today through the Strauch family. Enjoy!

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