In The Mix Flashback Fridays - Ben Severson

In: In The Mix by philgallagher 4 Comments Fri 16th Jul '10
Tags: Ben Severson , BZ , BSD , Tahiti
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Ben Severson when I was growing up was one of the best bodyboarders on the planet. I would watch movies and be amazed at how fast he would ride and how he would make every tube prone or dropknee. Today I wanted to give you a brief insight into the legend that is Ben Severson.

Ben Severon grew up in Hawaii and came onto the scene around the same time guys like Mike Stewart and Pat Caldwell did. When you think of former World Title holders you make be forgiven for over looking Ben but he actually won the Pipe competition and was crowned World Champion in 1986. Ben has actually made the final 4 of Pipe 5 times to be correct.

Sometimes over shadowed by his friend and fellow competitor Mike Stewart, it seemed Ben was happy to just surf and let it all happen rather than chase it too hard. One thing which still to this day drives him is board design. BSD or Ben Severson Designs is Ben's board company, based out of Hawaii Ben has dedicated his life to making better and more precise bodyboards for himself and the general public. Actually good friend Dave Ballard still rides Ben's boards today whenever you see him surfing Shark Island.

Ben's global appeal came in the form of a big contract from BZ Bodyboards and namely the BZ Ben Severson BEN T-10. The T-10 board that was a custom made for Ben sometime in the 80's. Ben Severson and BZ was the first group to experiment with custom shapes and building templates for specific riding styles and body sizes. The BEN T-10 board retailed for $305 USD and was one of BZ's hottest selling boards in the late 80's and early nineties.
Finally I would like to leave you with a story about Tahiti a place which it seems is very special to Ben. The below text is taken from Ben's website and you can read more about him and his amazing life by visiting www.benseverson.com

The strange thing about Teahupo'o is that it remained unknown to even the local surfers for so long. On my first trip to Tahiti with Haole Reeves in the late 80's, we were riding a spot called big pass.  Big pass is about 15 minutes before the end of the road.  
We had driven around looking for other waves to ride using some tips from the local surfers, but no one mentioned there was a wave there,  so we never surfed it....A few years later the Tahitian surfing federation hosted a team challenge against the top PSAA surfers and bodyboarders.

Chris Tennberg, Mike Stewart and my self were invited. ??When we first got to the end of the road there was no visible wave to surf just a big reef pass and a lot of white water. Since it was such a long drive we decided to hang around and cruise.  Some one noticed there was an occasional puff of mist in the middle of all the disorganized white water.

As we pin pointed the location of these occasional puffs we thought there must be a wave spitting, but the angle we were watching from did not let us see any ridable waves. So down the beach we went trying to get a better view.  Since the waves break so far out it is hard to judge the size and ridability. 

A day or so later Chris and Mike went back and came home with a report of 6-8 foot pits spitting so hard the only comparison they could use was, heavier then pipeline... Since then I have made about 10 trips there, and after having a few pics published some of the locals started asking me were the spot was.  I could not believe they did not know.  I wish I never took any Photographers there now and you can be sure next time I find a wave like that it will remain unphotgraphed. For the record there was one local Bodyboarder that was riding it for years with no one around.

 

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