What was it about the description of the character that fit you so well?
I'm territorial but I'm fair. I protect our waves. I don't like to see people exploit our waves. It's dangerous out there. You've got a place like Pipeline, realistically it's good for about 20 surfers out there. But you've got 60 or 70, and maybe 20 of them don't know what the hell they're doing, right? I'll tell them, “Maybe you guys should go surf somewhere else.” I'm a hard-ass but you need people like me or it would just be even more crazy. I'm fair and I've been doing it for so long. I know how dangerous it can be.

What about the beginners hitting the waves?
If they're just learning, they aren't going to be out at Pipeline first of all. If you're first learning, you should be at Waikiki or somewhere else where the waves are half as big as you are. If you're learning, you don't want to be in any surf that's bigger than half as big as you are. It's easier to learn how to surf than it is to snowboard.

It is?
Oh yeah, definitely. Your wave is this big [indicating waist high] and it just gently rolls in to the shoreline whereas coming down on a snowboard on a pike, you really don't have any fins - you have to be rail to rail. Whereas on a surfboard, you can just stand there and ride it in, no problem.

Do you think this film realistically portrays the surf scene?
I think it's about as realistic as you can get. The only thing that is not realistic is that as of yet we don't have an all-girl contest at Pipeline. I don't know if we ever will. Maybe one day but they've got to step it up. They're hard enough on the guys that are out there in the guys contest. You've got to understand that in a guys contest in a heat there are only two guys out there so all of these other guys that don't enter contests, who love to surf Pipeline, are pissed off because they don't get to surf it. If women are going to do it - you know how men and their egos are…

Oh yeah.
You got to make sure it's worth it. You've got to make sure [women surfers] do it and do it well or it's not going to be worth it.

Do you believe this film will get more women interested in the sport of surfing?
I hope so. In Hawaii, there are more and more women surfers all the time. There are just as many women surfers in Hawaii as there are guy surfers. My daughter surfs. She's six years old and she's been surfing for four years. The first wave I pushed her on, she rode it all the way to the beach - no problem.

Are you going to do any more acting?
I hope so. I just tried out for “The Fast and the Furious 2.” If I get the part I'd be portraying the biggest drug runner in Miami. I'd get to be intimidating and really evil - a cold heartless guy.

That would be a stretch for you.
I have a heart!

How soon will you find out?
I don't know. Hopefully soon. I'm my own worst critic. If you ask me how I did, I don't think I did that good but we'll see.