ABOUT.COM, tues Sept 14, 1999 SHANNON MCINTYRE, INNER VIEWS

Here is an interview with perhaps the world's only woman surfboard shaper. Shannon McIntyre, a 24-year-old San Diego native, is an artist that approaches shaping like she might approach a canvas. She has gotten a lot of attention of late and rightfully so. While it is true that every well-designed board is a piece of art, Shannon's boards are the epitome of true surf art. Read what she has to say about surfing, the lifestyle and her work.

A mighty mahalo to Shannon McIntyre for giving her personal insights about surfing, the culture and board shaping. I posed questions to her via email and she produced the following responses:

Why do girls surf?: Why do guys or anyone surf? To feel the energy of the living ocean and salt water on the skin. To experience harmony in motion with nature and be challenged physically and mentally by the dynamic changes of each swell. To satisfy the craving addiction you get as soon as you catch your first wave, by pushing yourself to excel. To just have fun. These are just some of reasons I love to surf.

What got you started?: My Grandpa and Grandma bought all 6 of us grandkids bodyboards when we were very young. We would all go on family camp trips together to the beach. My grandpa would bodyboard with us and my uncle would give us turns on his pink longboard pushing us into waves. I must have been about 8 years old so my surfing days was pretty inconsistent since I grew up about 30 miles from the beach. I was 16 when I got my wheels and a job at Sea World in San Diego which was mainly an excuse to drive to the beach everyday to surf consistently. What started me shaping was the fact that I could realistically blend my love for art and surfing. As an art student I was required to have a final art show before graduation. The theme of my show was sort of lighthearted funky view of my surf travels. My husband Shayne McIntyre, who is a very skilled shaper suggested that I make an artistic board for my show. Since I was in desperate need of a new board and it would be a piece that I could actually use after the show. Shayne step by step walked me through my first board (6'3" 18" wide, 2" thick, yellow with purple flames and tons of glitter) and it turned out pretty well. Well enough that I got a couple of orders. The local surfers that went to the show were pretty stoked on the board and encouraged me to continue shaping. So I started the biz.

Best Waves?: Indonesia. Nias is one of my favorites. Also there is a really sweet point break spot in the south Caribbean (still not crowded so I don't want to say where exactly) that is unreal a perfect right over beautiful fire coral with nice barrel sections. Nias one of the only rights in Indo can hold a pretty big wave but my favorite days were when it was 8-12 foot on the face, (too small for most of the guys there) so I would get it to myself on the smaller days. It's so consistent and warm that people were getting sick of surfing such perfection. This, was to my advantage.

Spiritual Experiences?: In Tonga there is no work and no surfing allowed on Sunday because it is the Lord's day, a day of rest. We drank kava with the locals went to church, feasted then slept, it was great. Another experience was when I got slammed really hard on the head by a wave at Nias, I got pushed down so far into the darkness that when I finally saw sunlight I thought it was God and heaven. Of course I am always in awe of the sheer beauty of the ocean, it's vastness, and the life within. Surfing is such a sport like none other that I truly believe that it is a gift from God. After all Jesus was the first to walk on water (john 6:19). Psalm 93:3-4…the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea the Lord on high is mighty.

Recommendation for beginners?: A 9'0" longboard is ideal for most beginners. It gets into waves easily and is stable enough to stand on early. But 7'6" funboards aren't so bad either. They are more difficult to learn on, but easier to handle and duckdive etc. Plus they are great for when your skills improve as they are looser than a longboard

Should Olympics be included in surfing?: I would like to see it represented in the Olympics because it would bring out great surfers from around the world where there are no contests or sponsorships. If it is in the Olympics how would it change surfing?: Give surfing a more popular image to the rest of the world and lost the Jeff Spicoli (stoner/dumb) image. Big corporations would also be more supportive to the sport.

Biggest wave ever made?: I'm not a big wave surfer at heart, but I have had some serious waves here in La Jolla and in Indonesia, and that Shark Island wave in Australia probably was the scariest.

Biggest wave not made?: Dunemere's in La Jolla in 96' or something. People were calling it 25-foot+ about a ¼ mile out. I paddled out on a 6'6" and the ocean was dropping out below me. Everybody was on 8-foot+ guns. I hung for around an hour watching these waves and paddling for my life on the sets. I took about a 15 footer, got to my feet and air dropped down the face hanging onto my rails for dear life (there was a big set behind me). And then the whitewater engulfed me and spun me like a washing machine all the way to the shore.

Favorite surf story?: I don't know. Probably one of my husband's many exaggerated McIntyre fables. For instance, he always tell people the story of how we were lost at sea for three days off of Sumatra in a dinky 22ft. fishing boat. Engine broke, no radio, three days food, and no other boats in sight. One night when we were taking on water he says he saw this giant green glow off of the bow about 50 yards. He swears it was aliens that were gonna take us away and sink the boat. But you and I know it was only a ball of phosphorescent plankton (shhh, don't tell him that). Anyway we ended up making a sail from our rain tarp and sailed for those 3 days back to Nias, where we were rescued by a boy in a canoe who paddled out and took us all to shore.

Did I ever bodyboard?: My grandparents bought me a bodyboard when I was real young and I did first grace a wave on a bodyboard. It was a good way to learn about the ocean and the power of waves.

Favorite male surfer?: My husband, Shayne McIntyre (he kills it!) he is my inspiration to surf harder and my favorite travel partner.

Favorite female surfer?: I totally admire all women who are on tour like Rochelle, Layne, Lisa, Megan, all of 'em. They are very inspirational.

Advice to surfers who want to be shapers?: Find a broom at a local shaper's shop. Carper has a good video: Shaping 101

Favorite food: Thai, and any candy from "Sweet Factory."

Favorite music: Funk-punk, hip-hop, Fugazi, Mexican polka, any international like calypso, Indonesian gamelan, etc.

Favorite movies: Blue Crush, Search (all), I don't have a favorite because my husband always picks the movies we see. I like exotic movies like Blue Lagoon and Emerald Forest.

Heroes: Jesus Christ, Shayne McIntyre, Mom and Dad, and Wonder Woman because she was a white girl from the Amazon. I always wanted to be like her.

What's next: To keep traveling and surf as many places as I can and create more artwork and live off that. Parting words: Love God and thank him for what you have. -Shannon

By Thomas Rezeski