Jamie Mitchell: Waterman Extraordinaire on Training, Nutrition, and Conquering the World's Biggest Waves | Exclusive Interview

Introduction to Jamie Mitchell

There are currently more elite athletes across the globe who can legitimately claim to be “big-wave riders” than at any time in the history of the sport of surfing. Very few, however, can make this claim of having surfed all of the Earth’s oceans and having experience at virtually every big-wave spot on the planet. Most big-wave riders are specialists, in that they have found or otherwise carved out a place and name for themselves at a specific surf spot or 2 relatively close to home.

 There are plenty of guys recognized at Waimea (on Oahu’s North Shore) or Mavericks (in Northern California). Others are celebrated as chargers at Peahi-Jaws (on Maui), Puerto Escondido (Mexico), Todos Santos (Baja, Mexico), or Dungeons (South Africa). At this stage, these are all relatively “established,” otherwise well-known big-wave surf spots.

More heavy water spots are coming into the limelight and along with them new names, some being Nazare in Portugal, Shipsterns in Tasmania, Belharra in France, and the elusive Cow Bommie in western Australia.

As far as common knowledge goes, the only person to charge all of these spots — often in the same year — is Australia’s Jamie Mitchell. Always a standout wherever and whenever he paddles out on 1 of his prized Pearson-Arrow guns, Mitchell is truly a global big-wave rider.

Surfing the World's Biggest Waves

Mitchell is in an exclusive league of big-wave chargers who closely monitor global weather and swell forecasts, ready, willing, and more than able to drop everything and go wherever necessary to catch and ride the largest, most powerful, majestic and dangerous waves in the world. This select club includes Grant “Twiggy” Baker from South Africa; Hawaii’s Shane Dorian, Kai Lenny, Koa Rothman and Billy Kemper; and California’s Long brothers, Greg and Rusty. Although few others are included in the club, Mitchell is unique even among this rare group of athletes in that his surfing career comes on the heels of an otherwise unparalleled paddleboarding career.

Mitchell was the most dominant professional paddle boarder of an entire generation. He won the prestigious and grueling Molokai Challenge World Championship an unprecedented (and unrepeated) 10 times. The 32-mile channel crossing from the Hawaiian island of Molokai to Oahu arguably represents the most physically and mentally challenging athletic event in any of the world’s oceans. After years of paddle racing between islands, riding a few big waves relatively close to shore is a walk in the proverbial park for this waterman extraordinaire.

Last year’s exceptional El Nino winter surf season saw some of the largest and most consistent surf in decades, including a giant day for the Quiksilver Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau at massive Waimea Bay, an event Mitchell competed in and in which he was bested by world champion John John Florence. This surf season (2016-2017) has been relatively mild by comparison, but there have been moments of spectacle and glory, particularly at Europe’s newest and most fearsome big-wave spot: Nazare, Portugal. In December Mitchell was crowned champion of the Nazare Challenge, besting a crew of the world’s top paddle surfers in extremely challenging, life-threatening conditions. The 25-to 30-foot borderline closed-out, double-up beach-break at the now infamous Praia do Norte became Mitchell’s first ever win on the WSL Big Wave Tour. 

Interview with Jamie Mitchell 

After the event, I caught up with Mitchell back in Hawaii. In the following interview, we discuss his training routine and how he mentally prepares for each competition.

Surf Fitness: How’s the surf season been so far? Highlights?

Mitchell: There have been lots of waves, but if you’re a big-wave surfer chasing really big swells, well, obviously, after last year’s historic El Nino … even if this year was an above-average year, last year was [by comparison] such a phenomenon. This year has been somewhat of a letdown for some guys. Still, there have been windows. Mavericks had that run in California back in November with high-pressure conditions, super clean. There was a run there when we surfed Mavericks maybe 5 or 6 days in a row. And I was in Europe, in Portugal, and I surfed Nazare in October. Got a beautiful run of swell there. From 3 feet, like Stradbroke Island [famous tube-riding spot in Australia], beach-break barrels, down the beach there. The place is truly amazing, it’s a chameleon; it changes with the surf conditions. The next day was a left-hand point break, off the rocks. 12 feet and pumping. Another day was 15 to 18 feet in the middle, a left and right A-frame peak. Then there was this giant day, like you see in the photos with massive 25-foot-plus waves. I literally got to see Nazare at every size and condition.

Surf Fitness: On those really big days, are you paddling out from the beach?

Mitchell: No, you can’t. We paddled out from around the other side of the point of rocks. Once it’s about 8 to 10 feet on the beach it gets impossible to get out. Maybe not impossible, but very, very hard to get out. Once it’s over 10 feet, you’re not getting out. So, it’s a really interesting place because you need to be flexible. You can paddle out from around the rocks with your hair dry. But you have to pick the right wave. If you don’t, you’re on the beach. That’s a 1-wave session. There are always skis out there [for support and safety]. You get pushed to the beach it takes 45 minutes to get back out there. It’s a really hard place to surf.

Surf Fitness: Whereas Mavericks has a pretty defined lineup, yeah? As challenging as the wave is, getting to where you need to be to catch those waves is pretty straightforward.

Mitchell: Yeah. I tell people that to surf Mavericks, well it’s a little like Jaws [Peahi on Maui], in that here’s the airport, you fly into San Francisco, a major hub, you rent a car, you’re at Half Moon Bay in 30 minutes. You’re in the carpark, you put your wetsuit on. You walk out and there are 2 spots you can paddle out. You can try and sneak around the left, which is a short paddle. Or you take the long route that everyone usually takes, which is a little longer out into the bay. Only the real gnarly locals like Grant Washburn paddle out around the left, straight off the rocks and around the peak into the lineup. At Mavs, you can just turn up. You don’t need anyone. You really don’t need any help like you do at Nazare and some other places. I could tell anyone to fly into San Francisco — there’s Pillar Point. You walk out and, guaranteed, you’re going to see people walking down the path to the waves. And you just paddle out and around and you’re in the lineup. With Jaws, you can fly into Maui, obviously; you can get the car and drive in and jump off the rocks. But jumping off the rocks there, well, there’s a lot more consequences. So, there are certain spots. That’s the beauty of places like Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach. You can just literally pull up to the beach and paddle out, if you want it bad enough. But, for me this season, the highlight was Nazare.

Surf Fitness: That you won, in very challenging conditions against many of the best big-wave riders in the world. The competitors themselves described the conditions as “horrifying.”

Mitchell: Yeah, I won. And it was pretty heavy out there. That was in December, right before Christmas. But I’m not a contest surfer. I’ve never really been a contest surfer. My competitive sporting career was always long-distance paddle boarding, Ironman Triathlon, swimming or running. The Ironman Triathlon in Australia is all in the ocean, like lifeguard racing: swimming, paddle board, and surf ski.

Surf Fitness: How much of that competitive experience translates into surfing heats?

Mitchell: I don’t think it really translates into being a good heat. I very rarely get nervous anymore before a contest or a big swell. I’m actually just really excited. From the moment I commit to the moment I get there and set my eyes on the water, there’s really not anything I can do to change my decision. The only thing I can do is just relax, eat well, hydrate, stretch and be ready, ready for whatever is in front of me. And — I don’t have to surf if I don’t want to. If it’s too big, I don’t have to surf. Nobody is making me surf. I don’t have to do anything that I don’t want to do. I’m a big boy, you know.

Surf Fitness: Have you always been so nonchalant when it comes to riding giant waves?

Mitchell: No, not always. There were moments when I wasn’t like that. There were times when I was trying to prove myself, to make a point. I totally went through that stage.

Surf Fitness: What’s the benefit of that? That striving? The doubt, the nerves, all that.

Mitchell: Yeah, well, for me, I’ve always been confident in my abilities in the ocean. I don’t need anyone. Barring something catastrophic happening, I can swim. If I need to swim to Haleiwa from Waimea, I’ll make it. If I need to paddle, I’ll make it. So, that confidence in my ability gives me a really good sense of orientation, especially when the conditions get crazy, like when it’s heavy. I’m confident, and that confidence is a good thing to have in the back of your mind. For me, that was always really nice. The thing for me was just trying to get out of this … well, when I started coming to Hawaii, surfing Sunset, Waimea and the Outer Reefs, I’d have these guys go, “Oh, I didn’t know that you surfed, you’re the paddle board guy.” So, for me, there was this feeling of trying to get out from that, the box that others had kind of relegated me. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to be “that paddle board guy;” it was more like I was trying to transition to surfing, especially big waves. I had surfed my whole life, but in Hawaii, I was known as a paddle board guy. I was just trying to make a name for myself.

Surf Fitness: Did you have some kind of vision of yourself for the future?

Mitchell: I had a vision of just trying to perpetuate my career, you know. My job with Quiksilver has been on the waterman side of things, back in the day when it was Quiksilver Edition, so I wanted to expand. I wanted to test myself. I think that I’ve been lucky. I’ve been super passionate about both paddling and surfing — it wasn’t just 1 or the other. I never really thought about big-wave riding in terms of “I’ve got to do this to keep my job or get another living.” It was more that I just really love it. I truly do. The whole waterman ethos.

Surf Fitness: What does being a “waterman” have to do with bigwave riding?

Mitchell: You have to be well-rounded, confident, really good in the water to paddle out to Waimea or any big wave spot. I’m talking about the guys — like Charlie Walker and Brock Little, for example, back in the day at the Bay — who paddle out and line up the good waves. The watermen — those are the ones getting the best waves, making waves. They can do that all day long. They can save themselves and save others if necessary. It takes a good guy to do that, and you know who those people are.

Surf Fitness: What about all the people out at Waimea and Mavericks these days who aren’t as well prepared, experienced or capable? A lot of these people don’t know what they’re doing, they’re dangerous and they get in the way.

Mitchell: Of course, there are a million reckless people that shouldn’t be out there, but can get out there and get in the way. … That’s fine, too, I guess. I’ve come to recognize that that’s the world we live in now. If you can’t get your head around it, you’re going to be grumpy; it’s not changing. Things are only getting …well, sometimes I feel a little guilty because I’ve had a big part to do with that [hype] with Quiksliver, and the [flotation] vests, you know. But, what do you do? I sometimes wish it was just bare skin again. No skis, no vests. The crowds would be less, but would we be pushing the limits of where we are now? Probably not. More people would have died, for sure.

Surf Fitness: A fine line?

Mitchell: Yeah, there’s a fine line. Everyone is going to have their opinions. For me, I’ve just tried to evolve as a waterman, for lack of a better term, to surf big waves and just become a better all-around surfer. You know, I just turned 40 and I feel like I’ve surfed the best I ever have. It’d be like if Shane Dorian came across trying to compete with me at paddle boarding. I guarantee you he’s not going to beat me. Now, it’s like me trying to come across into their world and trying to compete with them. I might not be as talented a natural surfer as those guys, but what’s fun for me right now is that I’m still improving. I’m a late bloomer!

Surf Fitness: What other sports did you play growing up?

Mitchell: I was a full jock. Football [soccer], swimming, cardio, running, paddling … everything. Loved it! Anything I could play. Cricket, you name it.

Surf Fitness: It seems that the Australian experience for an adolescent, with the surf clubs and all that, is different, more social and socially acceptable than it is for most American surfers. With the exception of the NSSA and all that, surfing is more rebellious, socially unacceptable, even antisocial, than it seems to be in Australia, where everything is more “team” oriented as a part of the community. Surfing is legitimate in Australia, whereas in America it is still on the margins.

Mitchell: In Australia we have this professional beach culture —lifesaving, lifeguards, surfing, body surfing and paddling — it’s all connected. I’ve been doing that since I was 5 years old, always in and around the water. Australia has a real rich history of ocean sports, and surfing is a mainstream sport, for sure. Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore are among the highest-paid athletes in Australia, even more so than the rugby players. Everybody in Australia knows who they are; it’s on the news every night. If the pros are in town, it’s front-page news in the paper. Millions of people see that every day.

Surf Fitness: There’s interest and support.

Mitchell: In Australia, society is really interested and supportive. It’s not this “anti” thing like [here in America]. I mean, I trip out that here when the surf is big at Waimea, that it’s not all over the news here in Hawaii. It’s crazy to me that there isn’t more interest and support.

Surf Fitness: Describe your daily routine here in on the North Shore during the winter.

Mitchell: Well, it’s changed now with my baby daughter and family, and my little, niggling injuries that I’m dealing with. Anyway, surfing for me comes first now, surf dependent. Being in the water and surfing is the best training for me now. Usually, it’s all about Sunset. I’ll go down and check Sunset first light and try to be out there if it looks good. If there are no waves, I’m either doing yoga or trying to do some rehab and physical therapy, maybe mountain bike more. I was in a good routine before I hurt my leg [surfing Sunset a few weeks ago]. The board hit me in the femur and nearly broke my leg, so that slowed me down a little, but I’m fine now.

Surf Fitness: Taking any supplements for that?

Mitchell: Arnica, some comfrey root, bromelain. Castor oil, I was massaging that into my leg and saran-wrapping it. We need to be always taking stuff that’s lubricating the joints and cartilage. I’m a believer in prevention, taking supplements before you get injured or sick, so that stuff is constantly in your system. Your body is just more prepared to fight, heal and be strong.

Surf Fitness: What about training with weights, kettlebells, bands and all that?

Mitchell: I’ve been training my whole life, over 20 years of hard training. Swimming, paddling, weights, running every day. I used to be a lot bigger, heavier, thicker. For me now, as a big-wave surfer, if I’m mentally strong, in a good place, that’s what I need. Like, my wife, she supports me 110 percent. There’s nothing but positive energy. I eat well. I don’t drink [alcohol] anymore. I just turned 40 and my plan was to stop drinking. Just phase it out of my life. I got my daughter now and we’re going to have another kid at some stage. It’s not something I want to have in my life anymore. Anyway, I’ll always have a good foundation of cardio fitness, and I still like to swim. Summertime I feel like I train a bit more. Going down to the Bay [Waimea], running and swimming laps, even stand-up paddle down the coast.

Surf Fitness: But it sounds like you’re not working with weights anymore, is that right?

Mitchell: I’ve stepped back from the heavy stuff. Training for the Molokai [Channel crossing] my whole life … since I was 10 years old, up at 4 in the morning to go swim 3 or 4 miles. I’d swim next to Olympians, go to school, and then after school train some more. I’d go to the weight room, then surf. So, I’ve actually taken a step away from heavy training. I plan to incorporate more of the [mountain] biking, which is low impact, good cardio, strong for the legs. I look forward to that. I love it. You get away up in the mountains; it’s like being in the water. For me, sometimes getting a good workout is better than an average surf. An hour and a half of yoga, and I’m feeling a lot better and relaxed than fighting it out in junky surf. I realize that I only have so many paddle strokes and so many beatings in me. You want to save yourself for the best days.

Surf Fitness: What about the injuries?

Mitchell: My shoulders are still an issue. I was so focused and committed to training [for so long], but now I’ve been rehabbing, and I’ve never really had to [do that] before. It’s weird. Anyway, I need to be working with my bands and physical therapy exercises more regularly. My injuries didn’t come from paddling though; they came from surfing, from bad wipeouts. So, I have some rotator cuff [issues], but they are not enough to slow me down too much. I’ve also got some bones floating in my elbow, which is something I’m going to have operated on, cleaned out. The shoulders are functioning. I’ll just keep going until something happens and I don’t have a choice. In the meantime, I’m in a constant routine, getting up early, doing my exercises for 15 minutes, just getting it done. I’m going to really focus on that and I think that I can really get my shoulders back to where I won’t need any surgery.

Surf Fitness: As we get older, it seems that we get injured more often — and it takes longer to recover.

Mitchell: It’s funny. People say, “you’re getting old.” For me, it was about 37 when the injuries started to happen. Surfing the waves that we surf, you’re going to get hurt. But as time goes on, you get older, the injuries begin to linger. You don’t heal as fast. I definitely felt that around 37 was when things started to change. Injuries were happening more and they were, and are, taking longer to heal. It’s all a part of the time creeping up on you. Now, I really feel like I’ve got to take care of myself a little bit more.

Surf Fitness: How do you take care of yourself?

Mitchell: If I can have a couple of yoga sessions a week, and couple of [mountain bike] rides, a swim here and there, in with surfing, I’m good. I don’t need to do weights or anything like that. I do love challenging myself cardio-wise, so some small kettlebell stuff, some push-ups and agility skills — I think that would help with the surfing side of things. But being ready for a big swell, it’s more mental.

Surf Fitness: You said that you don’t get nervous, but what about fear? You look at some of the waves you’ve confronted at Nazare, Jaws, Waimea, the Cow Bommie, Mavericks, Belharra, and beyond on the Outer Reefs - those are some giant waves. Are you afraid?

Mitchell: The most nervous I have ever been is at Nazare. I think, for me, I wouldn’t say that I’m “afraid.” I think when I’m a little nervous and cautious, it means that I understand the consequences. I’m alert. If I was afraid, I probably wouldn’t be out there. I think if you’re afraid, you shouldn’t be out there; maybe you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. I think that being nervous and anxious means that you’re smart. That you are aware and understand what’s happening, what’s at stake; you’re going to try to make the right decisions. There’s really a big difference between fear and being a little nervous or anxious.

Surf Fitness: And what is that difference? Is there a “too much” when it comes to heavy-water situations?

Mitchell: I believe that if there’s a time when if I think “I’m going to die” or I’m super afraid, well, that’s not for me. I’m not out there to catch the biggest wave in the world. That’s not a goal of mine. I don’t need to be that guy.

Surf Fitness: Sounds like your head is in a good place, in that you know or understand both what you want and what you don’t.

Mitchell: Well, yeah, for me, in the moment when I’m committed and into a [big] wave, everything just stops and slows down. It’s nearly like you don’t really “know” what you’re getting yourself into, in a way. You might see it and think, “Oh! This is a big set.” It’s that initial judgment. You’ve got to make a split-second decision. Your mind either goes, “I want it!” or “I don’t.” If I hesitate, I’m not swinging and going. That’s when I know I’m not going. Funny enough, the biggest waves I’ve ever caught are usually the first one, the first wave of my session. I don’t know how or why it works out like that, but that’s how it’s been for me, like that wave at Belharra (France). I just paddle out, maybe I didn’t have time to overanalyze the conditions and what’s going on. I just go out and charge.

Jamie Mitchell charging down a massive wave at the legendary Jaws surf break in Maui, showcasing his fearless mastery of big wave surfing.