INTERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION BY DIBI FLETCHER
PHOTOS BY HERBIE FLETCHER AND HANK FOTO
“I like Tahiti and South Africa.”
Hey, Ivan. How’s it going?
Good.
What grade are you in?
Sixth.
How are you doing in school?
Good.
How do you like the teachers?
Good.
That’s good. When did you start surfing?
When I was about two.
When did you start skating?
I don’t know.
What’s your scariest surf experience?
I was at Pipe and I got stuck inside by a humongous set.
You couldn’t get out and you couldn’t get in?
Yeah.
But here you are. Where are the biggest waves you’ve been surfing?
It was eight foot at this place over by Haleiwa.
Do you drop in on your mom?
No.
Do you drop in on your brothers?
Yeah.
Do they drop in on you?
Yeah.
[Laughs] I heard you gave your brother John John a black eye.
Yeah.
Why?
He was doing mean stuff.
So you took care of it?
Yeah.
What happens when a kook drops in on somebody at Pipe?
That kook gets really hurt.
[Laughs] What’s the best part about surfing with your brothers?
It’s really fun. I like having brothers. If I didn’t have brothers, it wouldn’t be as fun out in the water.
What’s the worst part about surfing with them?
They gang up on me and push me off the wave, so I can’t get a good wave for a long time.
You’re a really good paddler, huh?
Yeah.
What do you see inside the tube?
I see the wave throwing over me and I see the rocks and stuff at the end of the tunnel.
What do you hear?
It’s the sound of the wave, like “whoosh.”
What’s the most magic place you’ve ever been?
I like Tahiti and South Africa.
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