Surfing is his life

Kenneth Ma

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Jeff Deffenbaugh’s surfboard is his best friend.

It’s brought him fame and helped him put food on the table for his two

young children.

Surfing defines Deffenbaugh -- a well-built and sunburnt 27-year-old

with razor-sharp blond hair and an intimidating stare. He said he knew as

a teen that surfing would be his career. And at 18, he became a

professional at the sport.

Surfing “is all about passion, desire and how much you want it,” said

the mild-mannered Deffenbaugh, who graduated from Huntington Beach High

School in 1992. “I had a child in high school, and after that I had to

make a decision on the direction I was going with surfing.”

And he hasn’t had a single regret.

As a seasoned veteran on the World Qualifying Series tour, he has

experienced the perils and excitement associated with big-time surfing,

competing against the best wave riders on the planet. The job has taken

him to exotic places and some of the best waves in the world.

Now, Deffenbaugh said he is poised to win the U.S. Open of Surfing in

his hometown, with his family and friends watching. The ShockWave U.S.

Open of Surfing -- with 700 amateur and professional athletes -- is the

world’s largest surfing contest. The event begins Tuesday and continues

through July 30.

“It feels great to surf at home,” Deffenbaugh said. “I have had this

contest on my mind for the past couple of months. [The event] is the

biggest in the world for spectators, and it is special because it is my

hometown.”

Local surfers say Deffenbaugh will receive an avalanche of support

from Surf City residents because he is regarded as one of the best

surfers the city has ever produced. They also say Deffenbaugh is admired

for being a good father to his two children, 8-year-old Justin and

4-year-old Madison,, and a good role model for the many young kids who

look up to him.

His accomplishments include winning the National Scholastic Surfing

Assn. high school division title in 1991 and being named a two-time most

valuable surfer on Huntington Beach High’s state championship team. His

best year as a pro surfer came in 1995, when he was ranked 34th on a list

of 44 of the world’s best surfers.

“He is regarded as a hero simply based on his accomplishments and

talent levels,” said surfer Jon Moyer, who works at Huntington Surf And

Sport, which has sponsored Deffenbaugh for nine years.

Friend and fellow professional surfer Wyatt Simmons said intense focus

and determination sets Deffenbaugh apart from other surfers.

Jeremy Casteel, a longtime friend and local surfer, said power and

consistency has made Deffenbaugh one of the best pro surfers around.

“He is one of the best that ever stepped out of Huntington Beach,

Orange County and California,” he said.

But succeeding as a professional surfer has not come easy for

Deffenbaugh. He’s paid his dues in an ultra-competitive sport that

requires athletes to remain in top physical and mental condition. And

he’s faced the dangers of the sport as well.

In Puerto, Mexico, Deffenbaugh found himself on his short board,

riding the crest of a 15-foot wave. As he slid down the wave, he

remembers staring at shallow blue ocean, then wiping out in a force of

water.

“It was one of the biggest waves I ever rode,” he said. “Everything

happened so quick that it just sticks to my mind.”

Aside from the dangers of the sport, Deffenbaugh also has to battle

hassles of traveling and the loneliness of being apart from his children

and girlfriend. Seeing new places and experiencing new cultures are

benefits but struggling to navigate around an exotic town and eating

strange food can be trying experiences, he said.

“Like any professional athlete, there are days when it is work,” he

said, “and there are days where you just love what you do.”