What do you do when you are a surfer but you live in Texas, where surfing on the Gulf Coast is not as rewarding as it should be? What do you do if, in the meantime, you have a 30-40 mile long ship channel and some super heavy supertankers generate ridable waves? Of course, you go out to the Bay and try to surf them.
 The ship channel  |
James Fulbright, a devoted 45-year-old Gulf Coast surfer has made a discovery. He has found out that when supertankers are going towards the inland in the ship channel from Galveston to Houston, waves are created. What does a surfer want to do then? Go and check it out. This is exactly what he did. We asked him about the beginnings and the story behind getting wrapped in the new surf movie Step into Liquid.
-How did wake surfing start in Texas?
Out of desperation, of course! Generally, the waves in Texas are generated mostly by localized wind, have very little power and are very inconsistent. Eventually, after surfing for so many years, one looks for alternatives to keep in tune and get their surf fix. It began from pulling each other around on surfboards behind my fishing boat, after weighing down the back of the boat with whatever we could (fat friends, full waterbed mattresses, etc.) to get a bigger wake. You see where this is going?
It was all by chance
-What is the story behind this way of surfing? How did you find out that you could actually ride the waves that tanks generate?
Several years ago, while working at a surfboard fin factory, I overheard a conversation between two people, who were sailors, but not surfers. They were going on and on about how they almost lost there 35‘ sailboat during a day outing in the Bay, by getting swamped by this huge rogue wave, caused by a passing oil tanker. I asked them if they thought that the wave might have been surfable, and they said probably. They then gave me a very general location. Well, after that fateful day, I was on a mission to find out for myself. I immediately went out and bought a 17‘ Boston Wailer. I have spent the last 5-6 years chasing tankers around, mapping out new spots and riding waves upwards of 4 miles long (especially in one particular place…shsss).
 Fulbright surfing by the tanker enlarge |
-How can you decide where the waves will break and how long can you usually surf them?
For the first couple of years, finding and getting waves was a crap-shoot. Many times, I would go out and hang all day, and even when ships would pass…nothing. I then began studying certain variables a little more in depth. The first thing I did was go out and buy depth charts…get it? in depth? Things like the types of bow designs on the ships were important (the older ships have less efficient bow designs and push more water), and the speed of the ship was important too. If there was a barge or shrimp boat in their way, and they for whatever reason had to slow down much, it would dramatically effect the wave. The most critical element though is the tide…it has to be outgoing or low, otherwise, the shoals that the waves break on are just too deep. The wave just passes over them, without anyone even seeing them. In six years of doing this, I have found five places, each with different types of waves and lengths of rides. Typically rides can go anywhere from a half a mile, to like I said…up to 4 miles long…a real leg cramper!!
Crazy surfers in the ship channel
-What was the reaction of the people in Texas when they found out some people had surfed in the ship channel?
Believe it or not, I have yet to see another boat at any of the spots that I frequent with a surfer on them…in other words it is still pretty much a secret. It is a huge bay. The ships travel for over thirty miles inland to reach their final destination. Having the boat, the time, the patience and all the logistics down…well, it‘s a pain in the ass to pull it off successfully, so their aren‘t many takers. Actually, people still think it does not exist. We kinda like that. I am sure after the movie Step into Liquid comes out, we might see more takers. It has been a wonderful secret though. The handful of people that know it actually exists either keep asking us where to go (and we don‘t disclose the location, of course), or they are shortboarders and think the whole experience is a joke because it is not ridable on a shortboard…only a longboard. In the dead of the summer, after the surf has been totally flat for months, and we are totally surfed out from riding waves until our legs cramp, we often think about those poor souls who call crap on riding the tanker waves.
 There are waves for everyone enlarge |
-What was the reaction of the people who use the ship channel for their work?
Sometimes a fisherman or shrimper will give us some grief at the boat launch. They see us loading up surfboards in the Bay instead of the beach-front, and say stuff like, ” hey guys, the beach is that way”, pointing towards the coast. Occasionally a fisherman will be anchored in the surf area, not even knowing it, until this huge wall of whitewater starts roaring at them, and while they are freaking out, trying to pull anchor, a couple of surfers ride by smiling and waving at them…pretty classic stuff. On a serious note, after the 9/11 disaster, very strict maritime laws went into effect about how far away you have to be from ships like the ones we ride. We have to be very respectful of those distances and try not to draw too much attention. The surfing area is far enough away from the ship channel and the ships to not be illegal or suspicious. Someone who does not know what they are doing, and goes out there and gets in the wrong area, could be in a world of trouble and hurt.
 The secret spot |
-Do you and the other surfers in the region surf on the Gulf Coast and in the ship channel, too?
Of course. There are seven of us that go out…all longtime and very hardcore surfers. When there is anything to ride along the beach front, you can be assured that you won‘t find us chasing around ships in the bay. This is just a freaky and unique alternative when the surf is flat, which is more often than not around here.
A fairytale
-How did the idea come to participate in the making of Step into Liquid?
About four years ago, two people were having a casual conversation on an international flight. Their conversation was obviously about surfing, when somehow the conversation turned to my antics of chasing around supertankers and riding their wakes. One of those people on that flight was filmmaker and pro surfer Chris Malloy. Chris eventually made a mention of it to Dana Brown, and they contacted me about including a segment of tanker surfing in their up-coming movie release. It was a logistical nightmare for me, but it went off fairly smoothly. I am honored to be a small part of an epic documentary about the sport that I love so much!
 Fulbright (left) with a devoted tanker surfer at the Step into Liquid premiere |
-What do you expect from the documentary?
I expect that the documentary will give non-surfers a better understanding of the soul of surfing…the vast extremes, the commitment, the diverse group attracted to the sport. Surfing is the sport of kings. It certainly reflects that when you watch a guy like Laird Hamilton tow into the previously unridden giant realm. Surfing is also about everyday folks like our crew here in Texas, the hardcore crew in The Great Lakes, all the super stoked little up and coming grommets, both male and female. Surfing is about the pro surfers who devote their lives to becoming the best. This movie touches on all aspects of the surfing life, unlike many typical surf movies that just show the rip and tear new school crew traveling to the next perfect wave spot. Step into Liquid should touch a nerve with all those who see it. It also will probably expose our little secret, but I am not worried. It took me years to dial into it…everyone from this point forward will have to do the same. I say seek and ye shall find…just be careful.
-Can you tell me a memorable story from the shooting period?
One of the boatmen at the helm of one of the film boats got the wake-up call of his life, when he forgot to keep tabs on “the drift”. He had turned off his engine while we were waiting around for the next tanker, and didn‘t anchor outside the ship channel like he should have. 10 minutes later, the boat had drifted into the channel and was all of the sudden directly in the path of an outgoing ship! They had no idea! We looked up and saw what was happening and got on the radio and started shouting to hurry up and get the hell out of there. Of course he panicked and couldn‘t get the motor started. He barely got out of there in time, and needless to say, was relieved of his duty. We actually had our church rector, Father Rick Benson, with us during the filming (ok, so he was the boat driver), and that was probably instrumental in the last minute save! The other incident was the boat that had both the director (Dana Brown) and the film producer (John-Paul Beeghly) on board, lost engine power and got turned sideways in the “zone”. The wave passed over them and nearly swamped the boat with all their expensive gear and the main men about to go overboard. After that incident, they suddenly had a little more respect for both the wave and what we go thru to get our thrills! Tanker Love, baby!
(The pictures are the property of the Step into Liquid crew and James Fulbright.)
