"Conversations: on the Line with Drew Kampion and Michael Ho," ran in the June 1981 issue of Surfing, when Ho was 23. This version has been slightly edited.

How many years have you been in contests, Michael?

It's been awhile; I'd say since I was about nine years old, eight years old. 

I remember you ripped in San Diego in ’72 [Ho took 5th in that year's World Surfing Championships, in San Diego]. How old were you then? 

I think I was fifteen. Gee, it's so far back I gotta break out the books here!

And then I remember you won the Duke one year. Was that '78? 

Uh-huh. That was '78 . . . How's the surf over there? Is the weather onshore and stuff?

Yeah, it's been pretty poor for the wintertime here. Gets big when it's stormy, then when the wind cleans up, the swells are gone!

Yeah, it's raining here on the coast but there's twelve feet of snow on the mountains.

Oh, wow! When I was there I went skiing for five days and there wasn't too much snow, so we had to go all the way up to Idaho! That was kinda neat. 

Well, I try, y'know. I just go up there and really like it a lot, but I still like surfing a lot more. Y'know, I feel a lot more together in the water. With skiing, it's l like I can't seem to progress past a certain point. I've gotten to one stage and I'm just kinda stuck there.

You'd probably have to stay all winter to break through that. 

Yeah, work into it, huh? Not ready for that quite yet!

Yeah, in fact I worked on it all day today. We're gonna enter a race next Sunday. A hare and hound race; it's like a cross-country thing where you get all these checks, and if you do everything right it still takes about five hours. If you get in trouble, it'll take you anywhere from five to eight hours. Larry [Bertlemann] is in it, we're all in it next week, so everybody is in the garage getting their bike together.

How many pro surfing contests have you won?

Just one. Or one big one, anyway. The Duke. Then I've also won the Katin, the Sutherland, and Dane and I won that team thing twice. But I guess that doesn't really count.

But you've been a finalist a lot! You got second in the World Cup this year. 

Yeah, I get close; that's about it. You know how contests can go: up or down or all kinds of ways.

Are you gonna go on the full circuit this year?

Yeah, for sure. I'm leaving for Australia on March 3rd, for the Stubbies. Then fly back here because it's a long span in between the Stubbies and  Bells. Like, a month! I figure flying home, I gotta buy the ticket but I'll save lots of money by not having to be in Australia that extra month, with all the expenses. After Bells, we go to Bali, there's a contest there. Then Japan, I'm probably gonna do that, too, 'cause that's where some of my sponsors are. I'm not really that interested in going to Japan for the fifth or sixth time, but I got to, right?

But I like it, y'know? They're really nice people down there.

Oh, yeah. Back home after Japan, they fly to Durban in July, I think it is. And then on to Brazil. 

Sounds like you're doing the whole thing?

Yeah, most likely I'm doing the whole thing because there really aren't that many contests this year. 

Are contests an important part of your surfing?

Yeah, I think they've got me to a place where sponsors don't mind promoting me. They get their money's worth, I hope. I travel around and promote their products. And I think it's kind of good for me, just to be out there because I'm not the kind of guy that when I go places I talk to everyone, y'know? There are things I can improve on. I feel like I'm, I don't know, maybe self-conscious about a lot of things. Y'know, I learned a lot the hard way. Just living over here, I guess, you learn the hard way, y'know? I've done a lot of things I'm not really stoked about, when I've been traveling. Things happen, and that's just what happens, y'know? Competing with everyone is one thing. But then it's like you're living with them too. You're traveling with them. And then sometimes things go a little too far. But contests—I don't know. I like contests, but my goal isn't to keep competing forever. I want to get a little piece of land, a house, and just surf! I really like surfing! More than anything!

What do you think separates your surfing from the pack? What are your strong points?

Everybody's kind of in the same category right now, I guess; it's all rip and tear! And I guess I'm just kind of hangin' in there with the rest of them. But maybe not. I still like single-fins for one thing. Twin-fins, it looks like they work pretty good for a lot of guys in certain type of waves, but I have a hard time with them. 

I'd say that I'm not a big wave rider, but I surf big waves because they're here, y'know? And I like surfing 'em. But I really like hotdog surfing; if I had to categorize myself, I'd say I like little waves better. 

I've watched you surf a lot though, and one thing I've noticed is your positioning. I think you're the best position surfer there is; you have a way of making even mediocre waves look good. For a long time, I thought you were somehow just always getting the best waves, then I realized it was your positioning that made the wave look as good as it did.

Well, that's a big part of surfing, for sure: the right positioning.

Who were some of the people who have helped your surfing career?

Gerry Lopez did at lot when I was just a little guy in Town. I always listened to him because I really respected him, and I picked up a lot of little tips that way. Ben Aipa and George Downing, same thing. Tom Stone, too. And my parents! My father and mother, for sure, because they took me to the beach ever since I was three. I've been surfing since I was three or something. My dad was a surfer from way back, in California and over here, both, and he was the first guy to help me out before any of the others, for sure. 

I was born in California, in San Mateo. I'm the only one in my family! Everybody else was born here. But my dad was going to college in California and my mom got pregnant, and I just so happened to pop out there! We lived in California for three years, though, and moved here. 

Oh man, that's so hard—have you ever asked anyone and they actually 

Really? Because I can't even imagine. There are so many good spots! Like I said, I really love hot little waves, y'know? I've had Velzyland excellent. I've had Backdoor excellent. I've had Kirra excellent. Burleigh. Rocky Point excellent. Y'know, between all of those, I couldn't pick. Gee, I've had Rincon excellent, just lately.

That big swell, right after the Katin, maybe two weeks after? It was when I came back from skiing and it was — 

 — excellent! Those were the longest waves I've had in California, for sure! It was huge! 

Do you ride lefts much? Pipeline, for instance?

Yeah, I rode Pipeline for the last two weeks, every day, just about. Even with the onshores, we still surfed it. It's been unreal. Last year I surfed it maybe twice. 

What's the most fearful experience you've had surfing?

It's gotta be getting held down at Sunset. For sure. Being held under at Sunset, or trying to paddle around the west bowl, trying to get around the left. It's heavy! It's got the most water rushing around of any place.

Yeah, I learned how to swim when I was really young. I guess that's pretty normal when you live over here. But, y'know, I know what to do; I kinda know what to do; I think I know what to do, anyway, with certain currents. I try my best not to fight the currents; sometimes you gotta, though, if you have a surfboard and you gotta get out of there! But yeah, I can take care of myself if I'm in a predicament. Hopefully!

Have you been out on really big days with guys like George Downing, and have they shown you how to deal with the situation?

When I was younger for sure. Downing showed me Haleiwa and Tom Stone showed me Sunset and Gerry showed me Pipeline. It's like, you know, all the little secrets. And those things never, ever slipped my mind, where my lineup should be. For example, Tom Stone showed me the lineup for Ala Moana, when it gets really big.

And if you tell everybody else, there's gonna be a big crowd sitting on it.

[Photos: Steve Wilkings, Larry Marshall, Art Brewer, Dan Merkel]

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