Watch: Derek Ho // The final five years

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Reels

Big Pipe, familial crossovers, and Hendrix jams, a celebration of a life well-lived, as remembered by his nephew Mason.

Comments

Troppo's picture
Troppo's picture
Troppo Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 10:17am

What a Legend!!

Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 10:20am

Aloha, to the eternal blue sky, Uncle Derek sure knew how to get barreled!

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 10:41am

fcuk, those tippy toe drops at Pipe.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 10:52am

Too young.

RIP.

radiationrules's picture
radiationrules's picture
radiationrules Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 11:01am

amazing edit, what a surfer, what a wave, what an array of wave riding craft. thanks

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 11:06am

Made me smile and clearly it's making others feel the same way.

It's how an obituary should be done.

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 3:20pm

10:55 - what a wave, amazing outside roll in through the crowd and then going square on the inside.

SI's picture
SI's picture
SI Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 3:37pm

Loved the double barrel at 3.20!

ringmaster's picture
ringmaster's picture
ringmaster Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 4:25pm

Everything that's been said above. That was sen-fucking-sational!

R.I.P Uncle D

Seymour Scagnetti's picture
Seymour Scagnetti's picture
Seymour Scagnetti Wednesday, 5 Aug 2020 at 9:58pm

Cheers to that !, and Cheers to Derek Ho for being a fucken legend ! Total Class.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Thursday, 6 Aug 2020 at 1:17pm

So much of what surfing is all about right there...RIP Uncle D

spenderggg's picture
spenderggg's picture
spenderggg Thursday, 6 Aug 2020 at 1:34pm

A funny thing just happened watching this.

You know when you get stoned and watch a movie, sometimes out of nowhere the fictional veil of the movie is lifted, and instead of seeing characters you see a bunch of actors pretending to be characters and you can imagine the bloke behind the camera and the director and the whole crew off to the side of the shoot. Like a full perspective shift and a new way of seeing something you'd only ever seen through one lens.

Watching Uncle Derek playing in the waves - an old bloke with his family and friends - especially at heaving pipe! I was struck by how leisurely and unproductive it all is.
Surfing is so fuckin consequential these days. Crazy death barrels, instagram all day, breath control workshops, incredible HD clips with insane tech edits, board design in the fifth dimension, Mick and Parko getting fucking loaded off beer and caravans and shit, Nathan Florence guzzling protein powder and urging me to do the same.

All it comes down to is splashing about in that liminal space between the shore and the still water.

Thanks for the refresher Derek Ho. What a cool dude and a great life. RIP.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Thursday, 6 Aug 2020 at 1:37pm

And thankyou for an awesome post.

I couldn't agree more.

NDC's picture
NDC's picture
NDC Thursday, 6 Aug 2020 at 2:50pm

Inspo! fun, family, friends, twin share barrels, world title, pipe master, fit and happy into later years, and still threading some big drainers - a life very fucken well lived I would say - just cut to short by 25 years. Vale DH and thanks for the good vibes, throughts to his loved ones

Kham's picture
Kham's picture
Kham Thursday, 6 Aug 2020 at 8:13pm

A life lived well. Imagine growing up on that stretch of beach.
DH's positioning at heavy pipe and his belief in his ability was sensational to watch. Some of those tubes at Backdoor would get him through a Pipe heat today.
His last wave where he took off way outside the pack and split the crowd was beautiful to watch.
RIP.

shanos.redgum's picture
shanos.redgum's picture
shanos.redgum Friday, 7 Aug 2020 at 8:41am

That was thoroughly enjoyable. Was the middle section Ala moana?
It was also nice watching a chilled, close family living in the moment.

Thanks Stu

35_degrees's picture
35_degrees's picture
35_degrees Friday, 7 Aug 2020 at 3:32pm

true legend

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Friday, 7 Aug 2020 at 5:24pm

That last wave, still king of the hill. Great tribute.

GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Saturday, 8 Aug 2020 at 12:02am

Absolutely loved that, great stoke, a life well lived.

t-diddy's picture
t-diddy's picture
t-diddy Saturday, 8 Aug 2020 at 4:49pm

so sic!! Amazing guy! Amazing family. RIP Uncle D

fad's picture
fad's picture
fad Saturday, 8 Aug 2020 at 4:54pm

Brilliant outro for an icon. Nicely done nephew! Making that Jimi track span the whole sequence was terrific. Thanks for the thoughtful stuff this week Stunet. Needed a bit of virtual water time.

bluediamond's picture
bluediamond's picture
bluediamond Saturday, 8 Aug 2020 at 8:38pm

Style and poise in the face of extreme danger. I always thought he was the best ever at Pipe from the vids. Can't put it in words, but there was this...thing....he did through the drop and pulling up into the barrel....that low crouch.....stylish Hawaiian thing. Its immortal to the one and only Derek Ho.
An epic tribute and great to see this legend and icon remembered and embraced by the surf community.