AN INTERVIEW WITH HENRY HESTER 
“The Taxi-Cab Confessions”

In a Taxi Cab, San Diego, SoCal, November 2014

Interview by Ken McKnight

If you surfed or skateboarded in San Diego since the late 60’s then you should know who Henry Hester is. If you didn’t then the following look at him is a fun expose’ on Beach Americana California Style.   Hester’s credentials are impressive, including seven times World Champion Slalom Skater, Rusty Team surfer, Windansea Surf Club Junior Member, 70’s 80’s professional surfer on the California Tour, Father and now Mat fiend of the highest caliber.

After matting and watching Henry pick-up and progress on the bag of air so splendidly I decided to talk with him on what’s happening, Here and Now. For your reading and dining pleasure here’s a slice of Henry’s pie from inside his metered ride on the street next to Swamis with the “Taxi-Cab Confessions.”

UKMS – Henry, you have jumped into the mat world with both feet. You must like riding mats a lot!

Henry - You know, I’ve been into mats from the early Greenough years.  We followed the Aussies pretty closely in the late 60’s as the v-bottoms were coming through and mat riding was on the peripheral of that scene.  From my recollections, Carl Ekstrom and I made the first v-bottom (8’11”) ever in San Diego.  We didn’t know, at the time if it got a fin or not!  Later, I bought and rode a canvas mat at Rincon de Baja in 1970 for a Windansea Surf Club trip.  Fun high tide rock rides on that thing!

It’s not like I really am but it’s true, you really get the Zen feeling of “being the wave.” Being inside that wave, doing the Dolphin/porpoise thing, doing the Pelican thing. None of that has ever been part of my M.O. when it came to surfing. I’m the wrong guy to be a mat rider. I was always a rip, shred, slash guy (laughs).

UKMS – But here you are taking to it like a duck to water or a pig in shit! (Laughs)

UKMS – Do you want big ass chewing waves as your medium, or are you the Zen’d out, like Mickey Dora once said, “I’m a four foot and under guy?

Henry - Surfing, I’m a four foot and under guy. Mat riding I like a six foot face.

UKMS – When did you turn to the Mat-side?

Henry - 2012?

UKMS – You really have become dedicated to mat surfing. So when you went to the Boardroom Show and originally talked to Mark Thomson, what did he say to you to get you so excited about trying it?

Henry - Well, it wasn’t what he said so much as it was that video he had. He has the “Go-To” video when it comes to mat riding. That “Turbo Time” is the end all video, the definitive video of how mats can look really good. If I feel like I haven’t had a few waves in a while, I’ll re-watch it over and over again.

Mark is a good salesman and he was able to articulate what’s going on with mat riding and how to grip it.

UKMS – You have some serious history with the surf world, Mr. Hester. Tell us a bit about where you grew up and learned to surf. And then your competitive career. I believe you were a Rusty guy?  Didn’t you surf a few Pro contests?

My high school bud, Rusty Priesendorfer, started shaping and I was getting good enough to require his pro shaped boards.  At that point, I started my skate career. I did two years on the California Pro Surf Tour (the Stubbies/Trestles era) and placed top ten every meet.  Couldn’t beat those Wave Tools kids from Newport (somebody with a funny name like Kwock (as in Danny and his friends).

I also won a downhill event in what we called Skatecars, 59mph, Guinness World Record. [Ed: Prone and going faster than everyone else? No wonder Henry became a mat surfer!] My most recent slalom event was in Texas called the Texas Sizzler in which I placed 8th at 59 years old in 2010. These days I really can’t skate with a well-deserved hip replacement coming up.

UKMS – Do you surf on anything else currently? Regular surfboards, Kneeboards, Standup Paddle boards?

Henry - No. I just mat surf.  When I get back to a healthy hip, I may take up boarding again, possibly not.  I’m not sure. I could easily go on a world class trip and only take mats.

UKMS – What is this thing with the air valve on the bottom of the mat that you came up with, I think it’s called a “Hestered Valve?” Seems a few folks are up in arms about it, me being one!

Henry - Well they aren’t up in arms, yet (laughs). Graeme [Webster] came up with the name. I actually came up with the idea of it thru Paul Gross. I asked him to put the valve on the bottom of the mat instead of the top. That way, the valve, wouldn’t rear back and hit me in the teeth. The valves, especially the metal ones, are nasty when they hit you. For me it’s much better, I just don’t want to get banged on my chin or teeth by that thing, especially when you’re running a 180 degree fold on the mat. 

UKMS – Paul made the first one?

Henry - Yeah, he made the original one, an XL. Everyone seems to be worried about drag on the front edge and the thing isn’t even in the water when you’re riding on it.

UKMS – For me it just looks like a hand brake.    [Henry smiles at me....]

UKMS – I find a lot of people saying things like, “Oh, I use to that when I was a kid.

Henry - Yeah! I get the same thing or, “What is that?” When I first started surfing I got that vibe but since hanging at Swamis with Dave and you and Peter it isn’t new any longer for the local surfers and it seems to be accepted.

UKMS – You have been trying a lot of mats the last two years. My personal G-Mats (a Glider and a Flying Carpet), and all the 4GF's you can try. What are you looking for?

Henry - I’ve been a mat experimentation guy. However, in the past 6 months, I’ve settled on two mats. Both are round tails which I vastly prefer over a squaretail.  I ride my G-Mat Glider XR most of the time, maybe 95%.  Named “Stinkles” after a beach buddy, it seems to do everything I want.  Lightweight holds on super shallow reef breaks and flies on flat, lined up waves.  It’s the best G-Mat I’ve ridden.  

UKMS – Graeme Webster has a project with a 200/70 denier G-Mat called Phileas, which he has sent around the world for various riders to have a go on. Does this interest you? Have you heard about it?

Henry - Of course!  Everybody has heard of Phileas. (Enter Kendog jab here: Everybody on the internet that is.)  Looks like a great mat. I like the white on white look. I’ll get a few waves when it comes around but to be honest, I’m happy with what I have right now.  It’s a cool project to get multiple feedbacks on one mat in waves all over the world. 

UKMS – So what constitutes a Good mat versus a Great mat?

UKMS – Have you seen any mats that you haven’t tried but want to?

Henry - Yeah, every Neumatic ever made. Neumatics are the gold bar of all mats. I rode one for only a few waves and loved it right away. And you really can’t tell much about a mat till you have ridden it for a couple days in my opinion. It takes a while to get the feeling of a mat, to sort it out. As I get better at riding mats I’m able to sort them out much faster then I use to. When I rode the Neumatic it was smooth, it was quiet, and it was fast right away. It was like driving a Honda Accord, where you get behind the wheel and you don’t really feel the car. I got on it and it hauled ass on the first wave. And therein lies the problem, as I like mats, or even surfboards to give me a little bit of a challenge. The Neumatic was just too easy!

UKMS – Can you noticeably feel the difference of mat designs, outlines, widths, pontoon placement, etc?

Henry - Probably to within a quarter of an inch. Half an inch is absolutely noticeable to me.

UKMS – Do you lose your mat much?

Henry - Good question for Dave (the movie guy who just lost a 4GF in large surf in Indo). For me? No. I lost Stinkles over a hectic rock point in PB last summer and retrieval was super tough, especially with the 8-10 local toads watching.  Once I got my mat I hobbled over to them and they were totally impressed with my speed runs.  One guy even said he had a 4GF!  Who knew?  But there have been a few times I should have let go and yet held on with one hand. Rag dolled holding on like a scared little schoolboy! No, I hold on. My fingers now have a little arthritis from gripping so hard.

 UKMS – What is normal and comfortable to you in regards to inflations and how often do you adjust?

Henry - Any mat rider who’s ridden awhile will end up at a 180 fold.  If I’m at a super heavy reef, something with a heavy bottom turn I may blow up 120 degrees but it doesn’t last long. I find I can’t maintain a higher inflation and usually ride a 180 hard to soft if you know what I mean.  It’s a super fine line. Maybe one light breathe if I’m too soft.  This doesn’t mean I’m not grabbing the mat corner bigtime on a heavy pocket turn though. 

UKMS – Do you think lighter is better on mats?

Henry - It depends on where you're riding, the spot. I mean if you are surfing a place like Big Rock, where you’re riding across 8 inches of water, above the reef, you can’t afford to have the mat fold up on you at the bottom of the wave. So you’ll need a heavier mat. Maybe a canvas top mat might be better. Or if you’re in Indo with big wind and massive reefs you will really need something definitive to keep you alive.

UKMS – So you don’t necessarily need the thinnest, lightest, narrowest mat to get the feeling out of it. And that leads me to this question, how do you approach and define speed in mats?

Henry - I feel the same way about surfboards as I do mats. Short and wide equals’ faster, long and narrow equals slower. When you want to get speed, which is, sometimes, not there on a wave, you are going to need a wider mat. In my opinion speed comes with width.

UKMS – Aren’t you an active member on line with “In Greenough We Trust.” What is that about?

UKMS – Have you hit the 4th Gear much?

Henry - Oh yeah! I’ve hit 4th Gear at a place we surf near Swamis called “Boneyards.” That left at Boneyards is so fast well; you’re going to scare yourself.  And not only are you going to scare yourself but your scaring others in the water cause you’re coming at them so fast.

I’ve also hit 4th Gear at Big Rock and some of the bigger beach breaks we surf.

UKMS – Do “You” go to 4th Gear, or does the wave do it?

Henry - The wave, if it’s good and hollow. When you get going real fast you’re skidding and go a little sideways. You’re holding on for all you’ve got. In 3rd Gear, your feeling all cool and maintaining your posture, but 4th Gear well, you’re pretty much hanging on for dear life. Both legs are up out of the water and you don’t have that kite-tail thing behind you. It’s a bit sketchier, but that’s the fun of it, just being a little out of control.

UKMS - So is the mat alive and controlling you at top end speeds?
 
Henry - You can direct it and do bottom turns, but (in 4th Gear) it is like a rider on an inner tube going down a snowfield without style.  All that goodness and style, goes out the window when you hit 4th Gear. That is how much I value 4th Gear speed.

UKMS – What do you think of this new era in mats and riders, say in the last ten years?

Henry - I’ve only ridden about three years.  Since then I’ve seen very little in new riders.  I see interest but no commitment. I truly believe you have to be a well-seasoned speedster or fish savvy type surfer to even understand what we’re doing.  Most people would never get it. We have a few kids learning to surf at Swamis and they have fun on our mats, long rides, no fins and a decent glide every once in a while.  I’m going to get a mini mat someday. Just for kids. 

You’re lying there on a pool toy and all the 4 foot Zen stuff is all in your head, anyway, and you feel it when you ride. You aren’t bashing off the lip and that stuff people are noticing. Most short board surfers look at you as some old guy on this mat thing while they are doing air reverses and crazy stuff on their little boards and they perceive mats as being boring!  [Laughs and shakes his head]

UKMS – How has the mat world changed for you over the last few years with the push of Social Networking? Do you find it beneficial or too trendy?

Henry - Beneficial. I like reading about other riders, what they’re doing, riding and fins.  I think social media is good, good for me.

UKMS – And if you had a crystal ball what would the Future of mat riding look like?

Henry - Well, I haven’t missed too many times with 20-30 year predictions.  Asymmetric, square nose boards, surfboards like wakeboards…  I AM a surfing futurist at heart.  I’d say wetsuits designed with air bladders for a bodysurfing-matting experience on top and inside the wave.  Maybe something like the rocky flying squirrel sky diving suits designed to turn you into the mat, anything to increase the cerebral feeling once we are on to the next level. 

UKMS – Anywhere else you really want to ride your mat? If so, why?

Henry - Yes. I love Cabo but my last trip there (on a mat) was a bust.  Bad surf, lumpy waves. I got a few ok beach break rides.  

All said and done, if I could just sit down to a big greasy meal with Da Bolt, my life would be complete! 

UKMS – Henry this has been great. Thanks for taking time out of your working day to talk mats.

The "Taxi Cab Confessions" Movie

On to the next Here & Now...