McCoy Overview
Honolulu upbringing, best friend Randy Rarick, first visited Aust-1970 World Titles, renowned film maker, image builder, forward thinker.

Prime surfing memory: June 1974 Uluwatu cliffs.
(Note: pre legrope era...and a none too rare occurence) 'Uluwatu was a heavy place early on. Just getting through the cave could be a mission in itself. Losing a board down to Padang was always possible on a big high tide swell. Surfing had its challenges before the legrope. On this day it was 6 to 10 feet and Outside Corner was breaking through the tide. I had the board of my dreams, a Lopez Bolt pintail 9 footer that had taken about a year to get - burgundy purple deck with a white bolt. I was there with a friend Roy Mesker, and Gerry, and maybe Yuri (Farrant). Well, I lost my board. Wiped out. I got carried way past The Cave. I ended up a fair way down. Paddling back through the lineup wasn't an option. It was pouring through and the tide was right up. I saw a track through a little vee of vegetation and up I went. I dont know...100, 200 feet maybe. I got 8 feet from the top barely hanging on when I hit a deadend under an overhang. I needed two hands. I was stuck. I couldn't turn around. Just having the board under my arm with its few shatters was so special...I couldn't drop it. But I thought about it. And as I thought about it I made the mistake of looking down. I went through 10 minutes where I was shit scared, knees knocking, palms sweating, and the sun beating down. All of a sudden the beetle-nut head of a farmer was looking over the ledge at me, laughing and giving me the signal to pass up the board. For several years I returned and we'd meet and start laughing. I left the board in Pak Windrow's Ulu village. Last time I went there it was a coffee table'.

*Easter 1973 Summerhouse restaurant Torquay
'I'd moved to Torquay Victoria in '73...started a restaurant in cahoots with two New Zealand guys - next to the laundromat in Geelong Road. Our little dream was to surf all day and make money at night, but once we got it running it was such a full time job. We held the Bells Eating Contest - four contestants. Maurice Cole had enchiladas, Ian Cairns had meat, George Simpson had fish, and Ray Thomas had vegetables. We weighed everything on scales. It was what you could eat in 30 minutes. Greeny (Alan Green) ran a book. It was nuts. Hakman, the Neilsons, Drouyn, most of the surfers. I think _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was smoking big hash bombers before, and we had to make sure no one threw up. Rabbit was really pissed that he arrived late - reckoned he'd have eaten everyone under the table...I think he won when another was held up in Sydney by eating grapes. We had the Clubbie Boat Races(relay drinking). Then P.T. got the Purple Flyers(flaming Galliano) going. We judged the lot. Style points, the works. Soon they were pouring these drinks into their throats from great heights with pit crews at the ready with wet sponges to douse the face fires. Next day I went to clean up at noon. (Phil)Jarratt was still asleep under one of the tables.

*Winter '67-'68, the McTavish impact.
'I was living in Honolulu working with Randy at Weber Hawaii. Randy had the Australian mags. Alot of us were curious to see McTavish's Sunset modification. We got him from the airport and raced out to Sunset for a surf check. We didn't think The Duke meet would be on, but sure enough it was. He had to get back to the airport to grab his boards. He got back just before his heat and pulled out a huge Keyo vee bottom around 8' 6". He paddled out with no preparation. Three waves. Three wipeouts. Three swims. He'd get to the bottom, turn, and slide. The board seemed to rocket straight up the face - that was a positive amongst the negatives. Randy was later telling George(Downing) about the freehand templates of McTavish. George didn't believe it. So he outlined a blank for George...did the one side really well. George put the tape on it when the other side was done, and it was perfect. George and McTavish shaped it - needle nose, tiny tail block with one of those cut offs, and alot more mellow vee, around 9' 2''. It had a big black rakey 14" fin, Australian influenced, tall, really tall; Randy got hold of the board and rode it for a while, then I took it as a hand me down and it just was a rocket, the fastest board I'd ever had'.

*2000 Tahiti - Laird Sessions
'I phoned Laird after the session and said 'If I dont ever do anything more, that moment validates everything I've ever done'. Over the years I'd placed myself in some very heavy situations. I was momentarily overwhelmed by what was going on in one of Laird's two major rides. After having camera problems, and toying with average conditions elsewhere, it all came together with> something I'd never seen before. I couldn't help thinking how Laird had incredible company - Poto, Raimana, Arsene, Darrick. Every time Laird got in, the ocean raised its level. Fuck, he went out and caught two within five minutes. The second was...the FIRST was more difficult to ride. I was trying to evaluate the reality of it...whether it was really happening. When I was filming the first wave I actually took my eye away for one second and and at 200 frames per second you can see the momentary lapse. I lost perfect framing; I try to focus one eye on the wave and one on the subject, but I was so concerned for him that I broke concentration. In that second my whole face twisted in realization; and amongst everything else going on, Laird focused on my changing facial expression. He was into the intense unknown. I was the horrified accomplice'.

*1986 - Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau
'I was included in the first meetings, with Bruce(Raymond), George(Downing), and the Aikau Family. It was agreed that I'd make a film. The budget was shoestring. I was really into the big wave thing that year. It seemed at a lowpoint. Alot of people would flee the North Shore for Maui, but the core guys Owl(Chapman), Roger(Erickson), (Ken)Bradshaw, Charlie(Walker), (Darrick)Doerner, and (Mark)Foo, plus a couple of others, would always be set for The Day. One morning it was huge. I interviewed them all pre to paddle out. Those guys lived for it. I'd be there in the darkness and there'd all be there - coffee, donuts, cigarettes. Owl, Roger and Darrick would be in the bushes for long periods smoking, checking every wave, every set, mentally surfing, wiping out, figuring the currents, all the angles, always with this little humorous undertone. I had such respect for all of them. One day it was gonna happen and it got too wild and that's when I interviewed Mark(Foo) with the 'What do you think? It's huge, closing out..' question, and he said, 'They should Go. Eddie Would Go'. When it did Go, and so many other great riders came out of the woodwork, I could see that big wave surfing was very much alive. I'm very very proud of my association with the first Eddie. It was a big effort just to finish it off. As an artist, it was nothing about money or kudos, just the soul of the exercise. It still is'