Brock Little (March 16, 1967-)

The Largest Surfing Encyclopedia

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Before Brock Little's well-documented rise in the late '80s, big waves were for old guys. One had to become established through years of preparation and paying dues before challenging the elite arenas around the world. But to a teenage Little, it was child's play. Through the early '90s, he repeatedly upped the ante, invigorating a generation of youngsters to paddle out on days that had been previously reserved for surfing's elders. Today's crop of chargers grew up under Little's example.

Born in Napa, California, of German/Irish descent, Little quickly set himself apart from other toddlers. Still in diapers, he was plucked off the beach and pulled under by a wave, being redeposited on the sand seconds later -- laughing.

Little was 10 when his family moved to the North Shore, and surfing soon replaced football as his life's mission. As a teenager, he acquired an insatiable lust for big surf, conquering closed-out Haleiwa by 13.

His role models at the time -- Ken Bradshaw, Derrick Doerner and Roger Erickson -- were far more influential than any of the higher-profile professionals. Along with his fearless crew of Todd Chesser, Todd Mitsui and the Napoleon brothers, Little began a rapid ascent of the North Shore ladder. Never content to grovel in tiny beachbreaks around the world, he carved a niche as a big-wave specialist, earning impressive income from sponsors to go on trips and hang out in Hawaii.

At the time, big-wave surfing's cyclical popularity was at a low point, but Little's fearless exploits helped turn the tide. He surfed Waimea at night, ventured alone to ride huge waves at the outer reefs and, most important, showed everyone that it was fun. Instead of depicting his lust for big waves as some testosterone-laced psycho mission, he simply said he found big waves more exciting than small ones.

Little's name was etched into big-wave history during the 1990 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, when, at age 20, he pulled into the barrel on a legitimate 20-footer, then later in the same event, dropped into what's still considered to be one of the biggest waves ever paddled into. He finished the event a close second to Keone Downing.

A few years later, he helped initiate the notion of the big-wave jet set, following giant swells from Hawaii to spots such as Todos Santos and Maverick's. On the fateful day of Mark Foo's death at Maverick's in 1994, Little suffered a horrific wipeout of his own on the preceding wave.

While most of his renowned feats have occurred through his own arm-power, he has remained open to tow-ins, scoring some of the biggest days at Jaws with the Strapped Crew.

Little is still young compared to yesterday's big-wave legends, but the generation that he inspired has closed the gap. He has made the transition from pampered professional to industry insider with ease, and he now works as Gotcha's Hawaiian marketing guy. During the Hawaiian Triple Crown, he pulls on his big-wave experience as water patrol. Still residing on the North Shore and firmly embedded on the invitee list to all big-wave gatherings, the story of his heroic adventures is far from being a closed book. -- Jason Borte, October 2000