One of surfing’s greatest personalities, Mason Ho. Photo: Tom Servais
It seems impossible to write an intro about Mason Ho without repeating so many things we already know. Most notable being his pedigree. His legendary father Michael Ho, World Champion uncle Derek and his incredible, and very credible, sister Coco Ho. But there is another side to Mason other than just representing the dynasty and feeding his popular YouTube channel. His love of travel, love of friendships and yes, even his love for surfboards, are elements that make up this extraordinary freesurfer’s rather dynamic life. I caught up with Mason at the White Monkey Surf Shop in Bali while he was picking up his latest, wildly colored quiver, and got his takes on the “greatest” aspects of the surfing world.
Greatest thing about being a surfer with an Amakua?
It’s a blessing. Literally. An Amakua in Hawaiian means your spirit animal, your guardian. When you’ve got Hawaiian blood, you get read by a Kupuna when you’re a little kid. I remember my sister and I, we got read when we were young and we got painted with all these cool little dots on our hands that the Kupuna could read. And they tell you if you’re gonna be wealthy or if you’re gonna have a lot of friends or if you’re gonna be surrounded by a lot of people or if you’re gonna be alone. And what spirit is gonna protect you through it all. It’s like you just got a special guardian angel with you at all times.
Greatest thing about your Amakua?
It’s actually pretty cool because I learned that when you get these readings, some kids, they get land animals, you know, and there’s certain ones that symbolize a centipede, or a boar. But there is another side where it’s more ocean animals. Maybe it’s a turtle or a Manta Ray. But I was really lucky. Because the Kapuna said there’s gonna be sharks always around this boy. So for my family, it made sense. Cause my dad’s like, oh yeah, that means my son is gonna be a surfer, you know? Cause that’s what we do, dad, Coco and me. So it was kind of cool. I got the shark and my dad was stoked because when he got read his Amakua he was a shark too. It’s a special one, you know?
Greatest aspect of your Amakua’s presence?
Maybe because of that feeling (of security) you take some chances that other people might not wanna take, you know? Cause I remember a couple of times we were in places where we didn’t wanna paddle across the channel or it’d be a scary break right around the sun going down, but I’d always be like, okay, I shouldn’t be scared of these sharks, cause they’re gonna try to protect me, you know? And listen, don’t take advantage of it, no way. I just let it happen in its own way. But I also notice when there’s barrels on the other side of that sharky paddle that I really want, I’ll go, I’ll take my chances with my guardians at my side. Or underneath me, I guess.
Greatest thing about a wipeout? (Because you aren’t afraid to show wipeouts in your videos.)
You know, you see all these clips and everybody’s making every maneuver, blah, blah, blah. For me, when I think of a wipeout, I think of a Hollywood movie, like a James Bond movie. I want it like a James Bond, like explosions going off behind me, you know? Or like, at the end of the movie, he’s always making it with the girl, and the explosions are still going off? There really is something to getting lit up, you know? It’s part of the ride. There’s something beautiful about a pro surfer getting completely annihilated. It’s funny and cool and relatable, you know? To be honest, a lot of these pro surfers and even myself, I feel like sometimes people think, ‘Hey, they got it so made, they just score waves and they never fall.’ But I like to let people know I eat shit too. I guess what I’m trying to explain is, when you see a guy always ripping, it’s easy to just be like, ‘f*ck him,’ you know? ‘I’m over it.’ But when you see that same guy just face planting, I think you get the feeling that that guy is cool. A human just like you. So I leave a lot of wipeouts in my edits. Because I like to please the people who watch me surf. Like, let me almost die for you.
Greatest thing about your sister Coco?
It’s just how much I feel the love from her and she has my back. I don’t have a brother. But I feel like she’s both sister and little brother? And she’s such a good surfer. That’s my other favorite part. It’s just how good she rides the ocean, you know, like she’s really talented and she has so much wave knowledge. There’s some places where I’m so excited to jump in the ocean and just go get to the takeoff spot, but she’ll be like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing? ‘Look at this little channel right here,’ or whatever, and I’ll be like, ‘Holy shit, how’d you even notice this little current line in this channel?’ That’s when she feels like an older brother too. And she just surfs so… powerful, pretty, you know? Feminine power. And that makes me proud of her, too. Surfing so pretty and fast and just, yeah, that makes me proud.
Greatest thing about having a relationship with Waimea Bay?
My relationship with the bay is pretty crazy because I grew up there, from when I was a kid. And I’ve always gone to all the Eddie’s and the big swells. And it’s like a family affair with my dad and when my Uncle Derek was around. And my dad was so close to Eddie Aikau. Not many people were. So I was kind of raised at Waimea Bay and I drive by it every day. And I have been going past there since before I was born. And I used to pray that one day I’d be in the Eddie, even though I didn’t think it was possible because it’s so scary. And so for me, Waimea Bay has been like a family member. I’ve always talked to it and thought about it and given it love and respect. Especially when I drive past it. And I dream of someday winning her contest. Because I would turn around and dedicate my win to the bay itself with gratitude.
Although he calls himself a “late bloomer” at Pipeline, it’s now a place where Mason feels very much at home. Photo: Tom Servais
Greatest thing about being inside the barrel at Pipeline?
For me, inside that thing, I just turn into another species. When I was really young, I always thought ‘There’s no way I’ll ever surf Pipeline.’ But I wanted to be a pro surfer. When it came to the Pipeline, I knew without paddling out there, I would not be a real surfer on the North Shore. You know, I’m considered a late bloomer out there because I was always so scared of that place. So I never really turned it on until I got older out there. So when I get inside that barrel, I feel like I’m almost not even supposed to be in there because I’m so scared, you know? Like my whole life I’ve been so scared of this wave. How am I about to enter this chamber? It’s like a kind of death, you know? But now that I have taken my beatings out there, I’ve learned to love Pipeline. And I got over the fear of it. And I learned there’s places to stay safe out there and still be able to attack it. So now, for me, it’s like going home.
Greatest thing about riding big waves?
You know those movies when the kid has to go out and catch the wooly mammoth or kill the dragon and then somehow get back home? I feel like that after riding big waves. You gotta go out and kill the dragon. It feels like I’m just going out and I gotta go slay a dragon or bring home a big mammoth for my family or myself really. So it’s like, I’m gonna go die for it if I have to. And I love that feeling of commitment, you know? I live for it because my family lives for it. So big waves are about being born in a village where you have to deal with dragons, or leave.
Greatest thing about having a YouTube channel and the freedom to surf however the hell you want?
To be honest, I think one of the best things about the whole social media thing is I’ve made a best friend. Me and Rory Pringle, the filmer? It’s cool because I get to go do what I wanna do and what I love and I get to chase what I want to chase. And Rory, he loves to look for the beautiful images the whole time. And he enjoys what he does a lot. And that really is a big help. And then luckily we have this good connection and it’s turned into this crazy friendship. So it’s like, I would tell a kid coming up, hey, it’s not just about you going and doing what you want, you know? I’d tell him, ‘Hey, you wanna make buddies with your work partner? You wanna create a system where you’re doing what you wanna do and what you love, but you’re also bringing people that you love along with you?’ And that’s the best thing about it. There’s a beauty in there because Rory and I support each other so much. It’s a trust. And you help each other’s dreams and then maybe you all end up on the top of the hill. Doing your own thing together and it’s all cool. So that’s the greatest.
One great thing about your uncle Derek Ho?
His surf reports. Ha! During a swell I would be running all over the island looking for waves and he would just text me “Hello Pipeline!” or “Hello Haleiwa!” and I would know that he was right and I could just drop everything and go where he told me to. So they’d be almost like invitations. And he was always right. Always.
Greatest thing about old, classic surfboards?
There are so many classics under houses or in rafters around here. History, you know? Like if I do see a special one, I just drop to my knees and just give that thing so much love and people kind of trip out. But I try to let them know, hey, this is where it’s all at, you know, this is where all the surfing mana’s at as far as I’m concerned. These things have spirits. You can feel it. Yeah. I’ve got a few really gnarly special ones, like even my uncle’s boards where I put my face on it and close my eyes and just feel it. I actually kiss some of these boards whether anyone is looking or not. And anytime I see one of Andy (Iron’s) surfboards, I’ll always grab, I mean, I’ll try not to if I’m not allowed to grab it, but if it’s even remotely possible, I usually cross the line. I always give those Andy boards a kiss. I just kiss that thing and I shut my eyes and think about him. Surfboards are alive in the right hands.
Greatest advice you ever got?
My dad always told me, ‘Everybody gets what they deserve.’ And that’s not saying people should get hurt or anything like that, but it’s like, he would always say everyone gets what they deserve as far as what you work for. Like if you work for something really hard or if you put a lot of work into something or if you really enjoy it and you love it. You can work harder or whatever, but if you’re not working just a little smarter or if you’re not doing anything, you’re not gonna get truly what you deserve. ‘Don’t waste your time,’ he’d say, and then, ‘Go Boom, boom, boom.’
