Gerry Lopez

Gerry Lopez, born in Honolulu in 1948 and nicknamed Mr. Pipeline, is an American surfer, shaper, journalist and film actor. He grew up in East Honolulu, attended Punahou School, and became Hawaii state champion at fourteen. Lopez was widely regarded as the best tube rider in the world and won the Pipeline Masters in 1972 and 1973, and in 1999 the Surf Industries Manufacturing Association named him Waterman of the Year. As a shaper he helped start Lightning Bolt Surfboards, whose lightning bolt logo was hugely popular in the 1970s. He acted in films such as Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian and North Shore, wrote the 2008 book Surf Is Where You Find It, and has lived in Bend, Oregon since the early 1990s, where he also makes snowboards.