The Santa Cruz legend on how to keep audiences entertained, the infamous shark incident, Kelly Slater’s wave pool and everything in between
By Ben Marcus
Peter Mel is waiting for his food at Heavenly Waikiki, an über-healthy Japanese/surf restaurant in Waikiki—the kind of place Laird and Kelly would eat, if Laird and Kelly were in the neighborhood. It’s Sunday, Dec. 20, and Peter and his wife, Tara, are hungry.
Considering the year they’ve had, they don’t look as tired as they should. Peter, the Santa Cruz-based World Surf League commentator and former Mavericks champ, has just put a long Triple Crown season behind him and has a lot more to come with the Big Wave Tour.
Three days earlier, the Pipe Masters ended on a somewhat lackluster note. The swell dropped, the wind was wrong, and conditions weren’t that great on a day that decided a Brazilian World Champion, a Brazilian Triple Crown Champion and a Brazilian 2015 Pipe Masters champion.
The penultimate day of the contest had been epic—about as mean and challenging as Pipeline gets, and Peter was there as a commentator: In the water and on the beach for Pipe Masters, but dry with Ross Williams, Chris Cote and Dave Stanfield for the Triple Crown, and also doing the 7:30 a.m. Dawn Patrol for contest updates.
In the water, Peter was like a sitting duck with a microphone in his hand, giving color commentary, dodging bombs, and doing his best not to end up like competitor Owen Wright, who had suffered a concussion after getting caught inside at Pipeline a few days earlier.
Before that, there was the Pe’ahi Challenge, the first WSL Big Wave Tour paddle event held at Jaws, which went off on Dec. 6. Peter did some of the commentary for that event, but as World Surf League Big Wave Tour commissioner, his responsibilities that day were mostly bigger picture.
Peter’s job as commentator is fun but demanding, both physically and emotionally. There are now millions of eyeballs watching these WSL contests in webcasts and TV broadcasts around the world—and Peter is one of the conduits to what is happening on the beach, in the water and behind the scenes.
Soon after fueling up on breakfast, the Mels will fly home to Santa Cruz County. But home is a temporary concept with them. When they are in Santa Cruz County, they stay at Tara’s mom’s house—a beautiful 4.5-acre estate brimming with cacti and succulents—in the room that was Tara’s growing up. But they aren’t home much. The long WSL season may be over, but Peter has more big-wave events around the corner.
As the food arrives—kale with omelets and an order of Eggs Benedict almost too pretty to eat—there is plenty to talk about.
A lot has happened in the WSL and Pe’ahi and everything else, but the really big news right now is Slaterstein’s monster. Did you know what he was up to?
I think the world knew what Kelly was up to, but it had been quiet until his launch. He started this concept of the Kelly Slater wave pool 10 years ago. He’s been working very hard to make this a reality. I’m really happy for him and feel it will have a dramatic impact on the future of surfing, especially when it comes to competitive surfing.
On the Job: Peter Mel with Ventura superstar Dane Reynolds. Photo: Courtesy of Peter Mel
That wave looks like those little perfect spinners along the inner sandbar at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, back in the day, except they are repeatable, scalable and moveable. It’s really something. Just as shock and aweing as the Pe’ahi Challenge, but in a different way.
Agreed and it’s really exciting. Hope I get an invite to surf it real soon.
I know a lot of people who have tried to make that perfect wave but failed. And now they have done it and in the words of Joe Biden, “This is a big f*cking deal.” Do you see any immediate implications for the WSL?
I think it’s a great platform for competitive surfing in conjunction with the WSL Championship Tour. My opinion is that I see it as another venue. It provides great opportunities to create new types of events and formats.
Now getting down to business: You’re the busiest man in the surf business. I think the WSL broadcasts are first rate. I mean, some of those Aussie guys sound like the Outback Steakhouse guy and that’s annoying, but I consider your commentary to be Krukow class. And by that I mean Mike Krukow, who announces for the San Francisco Giants: He is credible, he knows his stuff, he explains it with insight, and he colors what’s going on.
Thank you. I really look up to Krukow and what he’s done for the San Francisco Giants and color commentary. My favorite duo in all of sports is Kruk and Kuip [Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper]. They are really good at telling the story of baseball in a fun and compelling way. It was a blast listening to them during the championship years. You could tell they were having a lot of fun.
I think you and Ross and Strider are great, and I thought Dave Kalama was really good at the Pe’ahi Challenge. That day was nuts and TV kind of diminishes the impact. Dave was there to let the world know just how serious that day was. Even with all he has seen, I don’t think he could believe what he was seeing. That wind on Maui sucks. And it sucks harder when it’s 40 feet.
Photo: NELLY
It was exciting to have Dave, especially with his local knowledge of the break. His added color was amazing. He certainly brought to life the experience and energy of the day. He was a great addition and I hope I get to work with him more in the future. I love how he can compare a wipeout or amazing ride to something a normal person could experience. That’s an art and he does it brilliantly.
If this is possible, what are the five best things you saw during the Triple Crown and Pe’ahi Challenge?
In no order of preference:
One: Dorian’s airdrop before the start of the Pe’ahi Challenge was incredible. He started the day and got the ball rolling. We didn’t know until then it was possible to ride the big ones.
Two: Conner Coffin’s qualification for the WSL CT at the Vans World Cup. It’s cool having two new young up-and-coming Americans on the tour with Conner and Kanoa Igarashi.
Three: Greg Long’s big wave to pull in the barrel at Pe’ahi Challenge. It was a perfectly executed ride in huge conditions.
Four: Mason Ho’s semifinal performance at Pipeline. I’ve watched him grow and fulfill his dreams while having the best time doing it.
Five: The win by Wade Carmichael at the Hawaiian Pro. I always love a good underdog story.
Shane Dorian’s warm up wave at Pe’ahi looked a lot like your friend Richard Schmidt at the 1990 Eddie—sideways down the face, shouldn’t have made it, but a damn good thing he did. That wave of Richard’s doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s a “Ride of the Century” contender, for sure.
Yeah, that was impressive especially since no waves had been ridden that morning and to push it to the limits and pull it off was truly an amazing feat. It really set the rest of the gang on fire for the rest of the day. Shane has been one of the top big-wave riders in the world for a long time. His countless BWA [Big Wave Award] titles attest to how well he surfs in the big stuff. The guy loves it.
I don’t know if you can answer this, but if you had to choose between Shane’s sideslip and Greg Long pulling into the barrel on that closeout for BWA Ride of the Year, which would it be?
I can’t choose. Both were amazing rides. I’ll leave that up to the judges at the WSL Big Wave Awards. This year will be some of the toughest competition ever for the BWA.
Get us up to speed: How long have you been commissioner of the World Surf League Big Wave Tour, and how long have you been commentating for the WSL 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour?
I’m going into my third season as WSL broadcast talent. I was interim commissioner for the first six months and committed myself to the WSL Big Wave Tour the last year and a half as commissioner. It’s been a great experience full of challenges and accomplishment. I’m learning a lot and feel there’s always room to improve myself in both roles.
Do you do every WSL event as you did Pipeline: From the booth, on the beach, and in the water?
It depends, but for the most part yes. I enjoy trying all the roles, [including] play by play, color and roving [interviews]. They are all challenging in different ways, which keeps it exciting and new. The biggest challenge for me is to keep bringing in fresh new content for the audience. I want each and every viewer to learn something when they watch. It’s tough because there are fans out there that watch every heat. If you can keep them entertained, you’re doing your job.
How did you get that gig, and what inspired them to hire you?
I received a call to come into WSL headquarters for a casting interview. I guess someone liked me enough to recommend me and then to be placed on the team was really a surprise. One of my first experiences in broadcast came from Jay Johnson who hired me as talent for my first surfing event as a commentator. I work with him now on the BWT and it’s a great relationship. I also owe a lot to Mark Warren who was producer of all the Quiksilver Pro events. His mentorship and guidance helped me to get into the position I’m in now.
Beast Mode: Mel taking time to “catch a wave” at his home away from home, Mavericks. Photo: NELLY
I already know the answer to the question, “What’s the heaviest thing you saw all year?” That would have to have been Mick Fanning getting sucker-punched by a white shark at J Bay. What was going on behind the scenes?
Yeah, it was heavy. I surfed in between the semis and the final in flawless J Bay. There wasn’t one moment in my mind that I thought of sharks—no vibes like that whatsoever. It was a sunny, pristine day. A few minutes into the final, I had just done a cross speaking on the conditions. Julian [Wilson] had just caught a wave and that’s when “it” happened. My sights were on Mick when all of a sudden there was boiling water around him. We were about 200 yards away, [and it] felt like minutes trying to get to them. We grabbed Julian out of the water and proceeded to look at Mick for any signs of trauma. We got him in the boat in complete disbelief of what had just happened. Mick and Julian handled the situation with the most admirable composure and class. It took a while for me to digest what happened that day. To have the year Mick had and finish with such mind-blowing confidence and calmness is clear evidence of a true champion.
I wonder how many people around the world saw that attack, and what did that do to boost the WSL ratings.
There’s no way to know the exact numbers, but I’m sure it brought awareness to WSL from a huge new audience. Now it’s our job to keep them entertained.
What else did you see this year that had that kind of impact?
From a ratings standpoint, I’m sure the shark incident was the most impactful. Though in my line of work, I see impactful things almost every day. Whether it’s from junior surfers, World Tour rookies or veterans, I see their impact on the tour and surfing as a whole. That’s what makes my job so exciting.
It’s too bad they had to end the season at Pipeline when it kind of looked like a bad day at Manresa. Could they have finished it another day, or do you believe that was the right decision?
It’s always going to be a challenge predicting the future, especially with the ocean and weather. Sometimes the conditions turn out right and sometimes they don’t. The goal is always to get the best conditions possible for the surfers and fans. Give us a crystal ball that can tell the future and I’ll buy it.
I know what it’s like getting caught inside with a standup paddle in hand. What’s it like getting caught inside with a microphone in your hand? What do you do with that thing when you are scratching for safety?
I stuff it into my wetsuit and take the beating. The tough part is sucking the water out of the foam mic cover. You guys can have fun with that one.
Peter and son. Photo: NELLY
What’s it like to slip up on air? The online comments sections these days seem as nasty as getting caught inside at Backdoor—with a microphone in your hand.
I understand everyone is entitled to their opinion and the comments section is exactly a place for that. I’ve had my fair share of critics and supporters.
These gigs of yours are two very good jobs, but are they too much?
No. If anyone tells you that [then] they don’t know me. I like to have a full plate. I enjoy all of it. I love to track storms, tell stories and talk with the athletes—and still have time to catch a wave. When people say I’ve got the dream job, I really do believe that.
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