Occ-Cast Episode 29 featuring Tom Curren | Billabong

[@chriscoralAloha]

Tom Current was my neighbor in Hossogeor during the early 90s. A true gentleman respected by the community. If you saw him on the streets you would think he was a native Frenchman.

[@billabong]

Rad to hear 🙌

[@niniksulikah8861]

2 absolute legends

[@jimbruce9744]

Mr. Curren always so serious, watching his eyes light up when Occy asked him if he wanted to roller skate. Priceless, and really put a smile on my face. I’ll always be a fan of both of them and so many more from the 80’s, Brad Gerlach, Shaun Tomson , Martin Potter, the Fletchers, Richie Collins, the Ho Brothers, Tom Carroll, Rabbit, Snips, Mark Foo, Laird, Sunny Garcia, Barton Lynch, Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Johnny Boy, Wave Warriors and Runman videos. I wish I could go back.

[@keithhutchins8803]

Buttons!

[@denisrogers4358]

Amen.. Oh and Kong

[@killereverb3928]

Soul to soul - just beautiful to see these two mates connect. Easily, my favorite episode - don't know why I'm crying.

[@clintjones9848]

Emo times

[@theAussie01]

Brotherly love brother 💗

[@michaelmetzler3372]

Class act gentlemen right there blessings to you great men.

[@trippcox2641]

because you’re a good person. 👏👏

[@provotoprevo2609]

First time seeing Mr Curran chuckle, he's different you can tell.. a certain type of genius. Different brainwaves... his own

[@amwinters]

Two of THE MOST EPIC guys in surfing! HUMBLE CHAMPS. Tom, sounds the same as ever. Occ, a gem of a character. Thank you for this very much.

[@bertedmund67]

Yeah....met them a while back in 2006, a punch of them toured my island, Pohnpei, Micronesia and gigantic swell.

[@amwinters]

@@grandmalseashore I wouldnt get in the way of a running bull

[@WantonMyth]

Tom Curren: most graceful surfer ever

[@BROKENTEETH-rc6bf]

Absolutely brodda!

[@tommythompsonsurfer]

MORE OF HUNDRED!!! MANY GREAT SURFERS....NON BETTER....... MANY GREAT SURFERS.

[@belletollz]

occ did a great job on drawing tom out-the smiles and laughter were nice between them. and loved tom's reaction to occ's skates.

[@richardduncan709]

So mellow, Tom is the best surfer I have ever seen.

[@someblokecalleddave1]

Used to see these blokes competing back in the 80's, don't really keep up with them and then came across this. Weird seeing them so old, yet I'm same age. You don't notice it in yourself so much, but when you see it in others it brings it home.

[@garynash6724]

Occy to Curren... "Its funny Tom, You've got two Goof'ies and I've got two naturals",,,, LEGENDS!!!!!

[@motoz30]

"I don't want to say too much, because I don't have much to say." Curren is god.

[@rocklobster70]

How can you not love both of those guys?

[@mattdavidson3651]

Best Occ-Cast ever. Great interview, letting Tom be Tom, and what an excellent ending.

[@LizFarrow]

Two legends!!! Loved watching every minute of this, but especially the end, couldn't stop smiling!

[@mnegline1971]

first 10 seconds is peak Occy ha ha

[@edwinstevens5098]

Two super influential characters for me... Absolutely my junior high grommet idols. Tom's first wave at J-Bay, and Occy ripping St. Liu Reunion Island with Ronnie Burns stand out as key moments in my surfing development.

[@quintbromley2112]

That was just legendary. Greatest rivalry ever. Two of the best ever. I wish Andy was still around so that he and Kelly could sit down like this, after so many years, reflecting on the past. Not to be. The roller skating at the end was funny as hell, and yet, somehow poignant. Best Occ-Cast ever.

[@timblizzard4226]

There was so much more bad blood between Andy and Kelly - I just wish Andy was around full stop.

[@quintbromley2112]

Tim Blizzard The heats between Andy and Kelly were so intense. A lot of animosity, but they did end up reconciling in the end. I loved Andy's surfing and attitude. He was one of a kind.

[@dennisrahilly863]

Occy is a natural born talk show host, very enjoyable ! !

[@creeksidechris3384]

Thanks for the blast from our past. I started surfing Encinitas in 86 and the articles and photos in surfer and surfing magazine inspired my inner soul to the core and beyond. The times were unreal and u gave us dreams to travel..experience new culture and music! Sincere gratitude for your efforts and substantial contributions to so many lives..the search will never end!!

[@dmccork]

so cool to see the two together at their age now, I was lucky to be hangin with Tom that day at the house when Occy came over. it was such a great moment in surfing history to be able to watch the two in person bond with each other over the years that has past. two great legends that have changed the world of surfing by feeding off of each other, and pushing each other to their highest level. thanks Tommy and Occy.

[@6nosis]

dmccork my favorite occ cast ever!! Especially the roller skating at the end! These two heroes of my life I cannot explain to you how I tried to emulate them both; still to this day 30 years later!!! Bless you both Tom & Occ let’s surf forever!!!

[@sv8]

two living legends, just amazing!

[@tylergooden2183]

I was in France, surfing. .. oh yea, and visiting my kids. - spoken like a true surfer 😂

[@daveanderson1862]

Such respect Occy. Great interview. Such a legend in my eyes and the surfing world. I remember in the mid 90's Curren, Franky, Sunny and the Ripcurl crew stayed at Injidup in WA on the hill with us for 2 weeks!I will never forget what an absolute legend he was to surf with and hang out! RIP Sunny

[@JR-oy4mo]

So cool to see the admiration Occy has for Curren. I don't think Curren would of done the interview if it wasn't Occy. I wanted to see Occy on the ramp behind them...

[@craigpopplewell8112]

Did you see the death coping....probably best he didn't ;)

[@dogworldonline1189]

Curren the Enigma. Quiet. Reclusive. But zero problem in high pressure situations in front of large crowds. What about the hype surrounding him before he even turned pro? Talented son of a legendary big wave surfer. He was the American Hope when he was 16-17. The Aussies, Hawaiians and South Africans owned pro surfing back then. He seemed unaffected by the media circus surrounding him and all the national rivalries, when he turned pro at 18. The laser focus he could sustain for long periods of time even as a teenager was impressive. He could block out everything and concentrate on performance. Extraordinary athlete. Regarding his personality, you get the sense he doesn't try to shape himself to fit the mold someone else has made for him. He doesn't try to be what you expect. He's just himself without dissimulation. In his era, guys from Santa Barbara were black wetsuits, clear boards, straight lines, and NO CONTESTS. Surfing was too pure for competition. That was for sellouts and Orange County wannabes. Curren made contests cool. He sparked a revival in California. His fluid but radical style shifted the landscape from the agrro twin fin era to a cleaner, smoother approach. e got the purists to rethink contest and high performance surfing. He got the twin fin spastic crowd to rethink style. And he did it without apparently trying. His surfing was the perfect synthesis of those worlds. A quiet, humble guy who loves surfing and music.

[@richardmyburgh9849]

Best Occ-Cast sofar! Two Giants that set the tone for the rest to follow! Stoked Occ with this interview mate, well done cool to see you guys together - next match up Jbay 2018!

[@ProSurfCoaches]

Ummm... errrrr.... uhhhh... Classic Curren. Not much to say but speaks volumes.

[@keithdalpozzo9845]

Being from SB always looked up to Tom. Great Grandparents lived on Padaro Lane near his family at one point. Saw him surf at Rincon and Devereaux several times and he was always kool to then a grom. One of smoothest styles ever.

[@perefectflow]

My two biggest idols! Thanks Occ!

[@nickshow6876]

miss watching them surf absolutely legends i grew up with there posters on my wall bunked school to go surf the coast good memories

[@timblizzard4226]

In 2018, i still look up to Tom the most. I guess when I watch Jon Jon, Gabbie or Julian, I just cant connect their surfing with mine. Its like watching aliens - there's no point even trying to learn from them. Even Kelly is a bit like that. But Tom just has this effortless flow is his surfing, its just so beautiful the way he connects his turns. It's just effortless. The dude is in his 50s and it hasn't dated. That is something I can aspire to.

[@SlickRick4EVER]

Tim Blizzard - Agreed!

[@tripp8833]

I think Jon Jon has a pretty good flow to his surfing

[@JustSwell]

Totally agree.

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

yup. Timeless Tom.

[@gregstarr2878]

Well done Occy! Tom thank you for making a groms day, mine, at the OP Pro back in 85. You came out of the water to ask Dave Stanfield "isn't the contest area meant to be closed for an hour after the event every day"? Dave went to get the answer and you and i had a 15 min convo. My mind was blown how down to earth you are. I was 16 at the time. Thank you! Keep up the great work Occ! Greg⭐

[@MrSharkphoto]

The rivalry melted when you put on the skates. Epic

[@H2oBr0]

Tommy Curren, my all time favorite surfer. Who knew he liked roller skating?!

[@likeitornotbut616]

Tom has lived his life in front of the camera so I think he's constantly sub-consciously calculating what he can actually divulge and what he should hide.

[@peterandlesleyvl]

Love watching legends like these guys having a chat in the back yard.

[@MoustacheCloud]

Tom Curren's laugh is legendary haha love it

[@SlackHoffman]

I’ve met Tom several times since the early eighties when I emulated all of his surfing style and even bought the same boards . Tom is utterly SoCal old Skool from his head to his toes, hence his cruise control tempo and natural flow only interrupted by an innate ability to stall, ponder 🤔,and bottom turn, mid wave 🌊 and mid sentence, without taking a breath 🤙😎

[@BangTaoBeach]

Awesome! I loved how you ended it. So much fun for the two of you roller skating together. Two kids having fun in school on skates!

[@lowryshank94]

Remember like yesterday out in the water at Hammonds reef with Tom when he was like 10 years old. I surfed there allot watching him grow up. Funny, I got a DUI driving home from FUBAR by campus and somehow the not only found out I surfed but surfed Hammonds mostly. He sentenced me to no surfing for 30 days

[@patrickjaroch5084]

I liv ed in so cal back in the early 80s , was in high school and we were always torn between cheering for curren or occy , occy was such a class act we all wanted to surf like them . I remember buying a springsuit because it looked just like the one i saw curren wearing one day while he surfed Huntington beach on the north side of the pier a few days before the OP pro

[@silver1surfer69]

intro is one of the funniest tings ive seen. watch it every now and then and break down laughing!

[@natural_law]

OG troll

[@SlickRick4EVER]

@@natural_law = touchy Snowflake millennial....

[@erndog1971]

I love how Tom is nerding out on Occy’s roller skates. This is the coolest episode. 2 of my icons just roller skating at the end. Way cool 😎

[@confoocious]

The Occy impression @20:00 was spot on lmao

[@jonnyh7936]

Occy youre such a humble legend !!

[@Strawman333]

Been waiting on this one. Thx Occ and Tom!

[@paulhunter8486]

Classic beginning and sick ending! both of my all time hero's roller skating. Keep it rockin' Occy.

[@AnonYmous-be9vw]

I hope someone recognized Curren and Occy on those roller skates. Epic!

[@AnonYmous-be9vw]

Occy is SO NICE. Good on him

[@entubaotraducciones272]

What a nice document you guys did just before it is too late. A piece of history. Thank you very much for sharing. Well done. What two legends and what a cool vibe. That's surfing at its best

[@patrickjaroch5084]

love curren,he was always the reluctant rockstar. his surfing did the talking and he was always humble in front ofd the camera. i dont think he ever saw himself as a big deal. maybe thats why hes still pursuing things, music family surfing all important and all uber succesful things for him.

[@sV3Z1]

Occy is such a naturally funny guy, always mocks himself, sometimes he's funny without even trying!

[@natural_law]

Occy is not one to take himself seriously.

[@dancellos]

Pure gold! Thank you so much Occy!

[@alsaldana696]

The Best 2!!!!!! Curren and Occy are legends!!!!!

[@TheArts19]

I have always loved Occy and have applied his style to Skateboarding. As I have grown older I keep learning how amazing Curren is... complete master of surfing. That's what the Pinnacle of surfling looks like.

[@donavanheidinger9619]

Very insightful! Thanks for putting this one out.

[@troyortego4655]

polar opposites yet brotherly love and respect... fun to check...

[@brentparks3669]

For me the 80’s were the height of surfing with greats like these two, Carrol, Horan, a young Slater who was surfing up the coast from where I surfed in Jupiter. We all thought it would be Kelly’s older brother who made it big, boy were we wrong.

[@KevinHallSurfing]

Have to give it to Dane Reynolds and his 'Sampler' got me out of a massive rut. Kudos. 👍🇭🇲

[@mikewalker3007]

I forgot about that ass scratch interview. Hilarious. 2 legends. So many classic battles! Many rivals in surfing history but this was the one.

[@phillipnoetzel8846]

Legends with personality. Mahalo nui boys

[@JAVI3R1980]

I wish the interview would have gone just a bit longer. But it was awesome and the ending is gold

[@a.garcia7127]

Back in my native Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 we were such fans of those two and T. Carroll. I wish them the best.

[@bestoftimes80s]

I love you guys .You both were my hero's when ,I was a kid.Stay young and never forget your past life. I was fifteen years old, when you guys were battling it out.Miss those days. What about you?

[@hannotn]

These are great. And they show just as much about Occy as they show about his interview subjects. I'd always thought he was kind of a doofus..... incredible surfer, but not too bright. But watching these Occ Casts shows why he's always been loved so much by everyone on the tour. He's a great interviewer, because he's genuinely interested in people and shows such warmth and encouragement. Tom Curren would have been hard work for most interviewers... he's halting and surprisingly inarticulate (must have been a thousand "you knows" in there) but Occy really brought him out and got him to show something of himself. Interesting seeing how differently they've aged.... Occy's two years younger, but it looks like ten or more. Great that a friendship can arise between two so incredibly different human beings, brought together by the love of the ocean.

[@creature_of_the_undergroun261]

Occy nails it with these interviews. All.of em. Epic.

[@bc2924]

Legends on skates....love it. Keep up the content Occy...soooo good!

[@ronhadley7113]

Great stuff. I got to meet Tom in San Luis Obispo Ca. Years ago. Classic. Watched him surf some semi secret spots up here and he charged. Thanks.

[@thecitizenjoan]

Love Curren so much.

[@mallorymcguire833]

I'll never forget when I saw the original Rip Curl 'The Search' showing TC surfing Backdoor among other locations. I watched that movie a dozen times. Couldn't believe his style.

[@dmcc8620]

Homie is soooooo introverted. Listening to him you'd never guess he is one of the best of all time.

[@nerigarcia7116]

Two surf legends roller skating is classic!

[@Jamietaylor_14]

This is rad!! Can't wait for Gerry and machados!

[@billybees3796]

Has machado done one yet? Christian Fletcher and Bruce irons is my favorite so far

[@2020visual]

Both total legends. Best surf contests against each other ever. To this day. E

[@truelifebodywork4990]

Occ you're an awesome interviewer these days man!!

[@fedvoxavoxa]

That was bloody awesome!!!

[@glennsak]

This is actually a great interview. Thank you, Occy!

[@breakerbros]

So sick I love these. Occy and TC. All time 👍👍👍👍

[@scottwest3218]

Best. Ever.

[@billabong]

legendary

[@tim250exc]

Brilliant. Two fantastic characters, completely contrasting yet full of respect for each other. Awesome ending, v simple v funny v cool.

[@jamesrichard6458]

Mark your a good dude, I can tell you are a true friend to Tom. God Bless

[@fernandomaron87]

The rollerskates part was amazing! They should make a heat on skateboards using Tom's mini ramp next.

[@canyonhaverfield2201]

Two great friends sharing amazing mem's...big thanks..you both teach me alot about how I want to come across

[@mostrask8art4life83]

TWO living legends.

[@bonefishboards]

This is great.

[@mikemeal355]

Two absolute legends right there!

[@djizzah]

currens style is timeless, would still do okay on the CT today

[@antonioantonioli5146]

Best Occ Cast ever!!! The other episodes were pretty good too but this one took it to the next level. A guy I would love to see on Occ Cast is Noa Deane. Please make it happen!

[@mrshizart]

Good to see what Tom Curren and Occy are doing. Nice lads!

[@alexandreverdan1324]

Tom looks so much older than Occy, but they are almost the same age. 54 and 52. Great video by the way

[@AUClay]

Occi and Tom Curren! 2 absolute legends! I love OCC in North Shore from 1987 and have always wondered why Tom Curren wasn’t in that movie with Occ and Laird Hamilton! Laird and Tom Curren are arguably the best surfers ever! Gerry Lopez has to be included in that statement as well! There wouldn’t be a Kelly Slater if there wasn’t a Tommy Curren!

[@nayr497]

No matter how many times I've watched North Shore, still hard to believe Occy's 80s voice. (from the opening archival footage) Amazing! Looks like you could fit about 2.5 of Tom's torso/arms/shoulders in Occy's! Definitely built like a bull.

[@kevinanderson705]

Occy!!!! These are so rad!!!! Please keep these coming!!

[@fboness368]

That was worth waiting for! Thanks!

[@thomaswaldron3865]

the end is solid gold! ledg!!!!! 🤙

[@paulosergioschlogl9550]

My two heroes

[@duncanmcewan839]

It's a wonderful life! Rest in peace Damien Lovelock

[@ronross6]

Idol. Tom had it. I wanted it..Rip Curl, Al Merrick, Bucci sun glasses. Didn't matter..Loved the Rincon rights bitd.

[@kitesurfinggaberodd]

That was pretty epic then to see you guys put on skate?!?! So good!!! 🤙🏼