Rider Profile – Tyler Payne

After both Keith and Tyler got knocked out the first day of the Vans Pier Classic in Huntington Beach, they had a long drive home up Hwy 101 together so to pass the time Keith grilled Tyler with a few questions about his travels, the future of surfing, and his accomplishments.
NCS: What is your Name, age, & where do you reside?
TP: Tyler Payne, 22 years old, from Pacifica, CA.

NCS: Whats your favorite thing about girls?
TP: They smell good.

NCS: What is your greatest accomplishment in life so far?
TP: Building my mySpace profile.

NCS: If you didn’t surf what would you do?
TP: Definitely skate.. I’d be a hesher.

NCS: What is an average day like for you?
TP: If there’s going to be waves in the morning I’ll get up and try and surf early. If not, I’ll probably be sleeping in cause I work late a lot, and it’s usually not good in the morning anyway. If there’s no waves I’ll probably be at the skate park, it’s in skating distance from my house, and it’s so much fun. San Francisco is right there too so we have been going out a lot, seems like each week it’s another friends birthday or something.

NCS: Who’s your real life hero? Why?
TP: Can’t really pick one, but anyone who is doing what they want to do in life. If I had to, I’d say Brett Michaels, because he can still somehow pull girls while wearing a leopard printed cowboy hat.

NCS: What boards do you have in your quiver?
TP: I usually have about 4 to 6 boards in my quiver at all times, all of them by Sharp Eye. I have two of the same 6′1” i usually ride, they are my magic boards for the surf here. i also have a 5′7” x 20” swallow tail that’s so much fun when it is small. I rode it as a twin fin the other day and it worked insane! I also have a 6′2” and a 6′5” i haven’t even got to ride yet.

NCS:Describe your magic surfboard?
TP: 6′1′” SB-2 from Sharp Eye, ran someone over the other day, so I am fixing it right now.

NCS: What would be your ideal surf trip?
TP: Good waves and warm uncrowded surf of course! Pretty much, if you get good waves anywhere though you should be stoked, whether it be cold and crowded or not. I like going to places that have really consistent waves though, like Mainland Mexico. Waves that are so good and consistent and there’s no reef to cut you up either. Throw in a few good friends and that’s my ideal surf trip

NCS: Where have traveled to surf?
TP: Mexico, Indo, New Zealand, & Hawaii.

NCS: With big wave surfers such as Shawn Rhodes, Matt Ambrose, & Colin Dwyer coming out of your hometown do you feel any pressure to be out at Mavericks with them?
TP: No, it’s just not my thing. I don’t really feel the need to be out there, I’m more of a turn guy. It just gets so crowded nowadays and just seems like such a hassle to wait out there for one drop. For the people that are really charging it like Shawn, Ambrose, Colin, and a lot of other guys it’s pretty sick some of the drops they make out there. I would just rather go down to Santa Cruz and get some pretty close to perfect waves on those swells.

NCS: Where do you see the future of surfing going?
TP: Everything’s just going to keep getting faster and more powerful, definitely more weird rotating airs too.
I really hope that retro boards, SUPs, and quads aren’t the future though.

NCS: What are your plans for 2009?
TP: Plans for 09′ Do the rest of the QS contests I can. Go to Puerto this summer, and just keep filming a lot.

NCS: Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
TP: Still surfing of course. I’d like to figure out contests a bit more and hopefully have some good results by then. I really suck at contests though, it’ll be pretty close to the end by then anyway. I hope that in five years I will have been able to travel a lot more, and getting on some good photo and video trips. I’m way better at sticking airs than I am winning heats.

NCS: Who are your Sponsors?
TP: Hurley, Gorilla grip, FCS, Dragon, Sharp Eye Surfboards, & Nor Cal Surf Shop

NCS: Any shout outs?
TP: My whole family, the Nor Cal crew, and all my friends.