Jackson Lettow

NAME: Jackson Lettow

AGE: 15

LOCATION: Scripps Pier

FAVORITE SURF SPOT: Cardiff or Scripps on a big day with no wind

I distinctly remember going out one day with my dad when I was about seven years old. It was a big day, five- to six-foot waves. It was hollow so the waves were going fast. My dad pushed me out into a wave on his board. My leash snapped and the board went rolling all the way into shore. I thought I was going die.

When I was 12 or 13 I started to get into surfing again after my dad got a new 9-foot longboard. I have four boards: an 8-foot longboard, a 5´4˝, 5´8˝, and a 6-foot short board. I’ve gotten all my boards off of Craigslist for around $100–$200.

Craziest Surfing Moment: I was at Black’s paddling back in after catching a wave. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dolphin coming out of the water. He launched up and landed right next to me and my friend. It got, like, three feet out of the water. We saw its erect dolphin penis. I also saw two naked old guys that day. That’s Black’s.

Back in November, for my birthday, my dad took me and my buddy out to Crystal Pier in PB. It was in the middle of a big storm. There was nobody out in the water. It was like being in a washing machine. We were getting tossed around. Waves were coming left and right. At one point it was raining so hard that you couldn’t open your eyes. I had to stop and put my hand over my forehead to be able to see.

Surfing Pet Peeve: I hate when someone snakes me, especially when they do it repeatedly. When people do that I sometimes yank their leash. I did that at Scripps not too long ago. He was a younger Asian guy, probably in his early 20s. He acted like he was super tough. He was way better than me, no doubt, but he kept snaking me. The other time I did it was when I was longboarding up at Tamarack. Same situation. When I grabbed the guy’s leash he went flying.

I take my six-year-old brother out surfing. I surf tandem with him — he is on the front of my longboard and I am on the back. It’s hard to do. He falls off all the time. I never know if I should stop and get off with him or just keep going. My mom doesn’t know all the details. She just knows that I take him out surfing and that he loves it.