// Mitch Surman

Mitch Surman
- Tomorrow Today -
From strength to strength. These would be the best words to describe Mitch Surman’s surfing life in 2010. The East Coast has witnessed Mitch’s prowess in competition for several years as he has moved up through age divisions and through the ranks of Australia’s finest. But this year, the young Maroochydore ripper has stamped his mark and booked his ticket on the bus to the Next Big Thing.
Lip-whacking quad assault – home break session, Mitch-style
They may seem a dime a dozen, grommets that is, especially during the summer holidays when thousands of the little buggers surf circles around you, making you feel every bit of your age and more. But it was clear in those formative years that there was something a might bit different about Mitch.
Starting off on the front of his old man’s longboard, he soon wanted to take his own steps at about the age of nine.
“I started out on my mum’s hibiscus eight-footer. It looked pretty gay! Then dad bought me a shortboard but I really didn’t like it much, so he got me a mal.”
Despite these questionable craft that challenged his sexuality, Mitch knew where he wanted to go from the outset, always erring on the side of performance.
“I always got the lightest I could get, and in a thruster or two-plus-one set up [but] I’ve always liked seeing a big board doing a big turn. A shortboard looks more explosive – I really like that, so I’ve always wanted to do that on my longboard. I try to keep the same length, but narrower and thinner and as high performance as I can.”
In this pursuit of maximum responsiveness, Mitch has continually developed his board design, with the omnipresent collaboration and expertise of Peter White.
Whilst Mitch’s surfing is definitely in a highly distinct and unique vein, following much more the shortboard route in manoeuvres and yet still holding on to the traditional styling of noseriding and plus-nine boards, there is another thing that sets him apart and it lies beneath the water’s surface…
Mitch’s boards, almost exclusively, are quad fins. With the vast majority, if not all, of his peers riding thrusters or a two-plus-one setup, this may seem like a strange choice, but he has proved time and again that four fins are every bit as good as three.
“One day I just thought I’d have a go [on a quad]. I got on it and it went quicker than ever, so I quickly got Pete to shape me one up and I haven’t ever really gone back to a thruster.”
Citing speed as the major drawcard to his four-finned quiver, it has definitely been proven to be the most suitable board for his style. The only drawback he can see is that on larger waves the boards can slide out a little. But a larger set of fins soon rectifies the problem and Mitch is back on top.
2010 has given Mitch a nudge into the big leagues. Having been a good friend of Bryce Young for several years, a few subtle hints to Bryce’s dad, Nat, a major ambassador of surf label, Oxbow, in Australia soon found Mitch a new sponsor.
Proving himself though ’09, Mitch was granted a wildcard slot into the world title event held in the Maldives last October. This year is giving him another chance at the worlds, a wildcard berth granted at the 2010 Hawaii event. This is an exciting prospect multifold for him, obviously as a great step in the progression of his career but also as his first venture to the Islands.
A swathe of solid results across the last few years have opened eyes to Mitch’s surfing and with Californian, Japanese and Australian events, as well as the Hawaiian contest will hopefully take him the final step into realm of professionalism.
But one foot remains firmly on the ground.
“I’m a third year apprentice carpenter. This year I really just want to finish my trade. I’ve only got another year and a half, two years max, so I’m going to try and get that out of the way so that I can do what I want to do. I’ve always wanted to have something behind me because surfing’ not going to be there forever.”
So take note, that name is Mitch Surman, not Sir-Nam – you heard it here first, and he’s on the up and up.