Where Have All The Surfing Nicknames Gone?

From the pubs on the Gold Coast to the cliffs of Steamer Lane, a nickname...

Ben Mondy
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surfer.com
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December 3, 2025

The Wounded Gull, Dingo, Da Bull, The Condor, Dog, Skindog, Seabass, Kong, Owl, Snake, Rabbit, Ratboy, Kanga, The Goat, Hog, and Da Cat. No, not a list of the world’s endangered species, but some of surfing’s most instantly recognizable nicknames.

Yet a scan through the 2025 CT roster and it is surfing nicknames that seem to be heading towards extinction. On the Men’s Joao “Chumbinho” Chianca, Liam “LOB” O’Brien, and newly minted world champ Yago Dora are the only surfers that go by any other moniker. Chianca’s Dad was named “Chumbao", meaning lead, which begot Chumbo, his elder brother Lucas, and his “little lead.” Yago Dora got the name Goat as a 12-year-old, when on a surf trip the packed van he was in went past a stray herd and someone remarked on the resemblance.

LOB, is a bit more straightforward, and at least does follow in the rich, though rather unimaginative history of initialised surfing nicknames. 14 World Titles were shared between PT, MR, TC, AI, CJ, and MF. It’s often argued that MP was the best surfer in the world in the early 1970s, and BK the best in Hawaii. JOB might be the best ever at Pipe.

So, you ask, what’s my point? It’s a question my first boss used to ask me when he called me Sensor, as in I only worked when someone walked past. Kev was a bully and a terrible boss, but he did have a real flair for derogatory nicknames. My other colleagues were Blister (she only appeared when the hard work was done) and Morphine, shorted to Morph, because he was a slow-moving dope.

My point is we lose some of the character of the sport when we lose these nicknames. They often revealed a surfing style; think Pete Mel’s wingspan, Mark Richards' unorthodox knock-knees, Kong’s alpha aggression and The Raging Bull's maverick power. Sometimes they reflected physical attributes, like Bernard “Midget” Farrelly, Darryl "Flea" Virostko and Glenn "Micro" Hall. In school, Wayne Bartholomew had buck teeth and ran as fast as a hare. Much later, Dingo Morrison would slink around the perimeter and the Gold Coast stealing food and waves. LOB’s coach, and former CT surfer Jay “Bottle” Thompson, was once tied to a Burleigh pole naked, and earned a nickname due to his parents’ decision not to have him circumcised. I feel for him. I was also called Horsedick at school… but I don’t want to talk about it.

Sometimes there is rhyme (Jake “The Snake” Patterson) and random reason. Kolohe “Brother” Andino’s younger sister couldn’t pronounce his name, and Kelia Moniz is called Sister due to having five brothers. Laura Peterson was called Lakey Legend by a family friend when she was bodyboarding at the age of 5. Glenn “Mr X” Winton struggled to get noticed.

Nicknames can be crude and somewhat offensive, but they are part of surfing folklore. I mean, look at the man who started it all, Duke Kahanamoku, whose first name was given, but who later became known as the Big Kahuna. Some surfers have embraced them, and others shut them down. The Aussie surfers in the noughties, led by Nathan “Hog” Hedge, called Kelly Slater “Jimmy” after the character he played in Baywatch, though the GOAT was more catchy. In the 1990s, Kong tried to divorce himself from his alter-ego, issuing press releases and legal requests not to use it, believing the nickname was hampering his professional image. Though it was better than Fat Boy, which has been the nickname his close mates have called him since he was a teenager.

Eventually, Kong would come back around, embrace his inner Gorilla, and the insight and personality it provided to fans. Now the current crop of surf stars can’t be held responsible for running on a first-name basis; after all, the one rule of nicknames is that you can’t give yourself one.

But if surfers like Tyler “Lefty” Wright, Cole “Bigasa” Houshman, Erin “Mel” Brooks, “The Red” Barron Mamiya, Fiilipe “Holy” Toledo, MM, GP, ‘Griffler”, Deivid “Long John” Silva, Ryan "Dirty Harry" Callinan, and Gabe “Funky” Medina don’t have nicknames, it feels like surfing has turned its back on a fundamental and historic part of our culture.