Hunter Lysaught, an affiliate agent with the Rancho Santa Fe office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, decided on a whim to challenge himself and drove all night to Mavericks in Northern California to see if he could surf the world-renowned wave on opening day Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. A local San Diegan who started surfing at age 10, Lysaught was one of the few non-professional surfers in the lineup, and after two and a half hours of waiting in the most dangerous surf, he caught and surfed a 20-foot wave all the way to shore.
“I couldn’t have done it without my faith. My buddy Cameron Vurbeff who was filming and drove up with us told me before I paddled out that he had a dream I was going to die going for a wave, but my faith was stronger than that, so I prayed and knew I was protected,” said. Lysaught. “The words, ‘Be bold, courageous and have faith,’ from Joshua 1:9 kept playing in my mind while I was out in the water. I am so glad I didn’t give up because it was a turning point for what is going on in my life.”
On Thursday, Oct. 19, Kieren Anderson, a big wave pro surfer, who had volunteered with Walking on Water surf ministry along with Lysaught, invited him to Mavericks. Lysaught had to move two real estate open houses in order to make the trip, but together, they left San Diego at 10:30 p.m. and drove through the night with friends, photographers, supporters Robbie Torres, Dustin Rupp and Cameron, arriving there at 6:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20. Sleep deprived and dehydrated from drinking coffee throughout the night, which is the worst physical condition for surfing, Lysaught paddled out for 25 minutes to the lineup at first light with his surfboard, a 4/3 mm wetsuit, a wetsuit hood, wetsuit booties, gloves and a vest with two CO2 tanks, which pull surfers up if they are drowning.
“The guys who surf Mavericks train specifically for that wave. You have to be in excellent condition. I hadn’t trained for it at all, had two hours of sleep max and was hyped on coffee, so I was dehydrated, exhausted but running on adrenaline. It’s not how you want to do it,” added Lysaught.
He waited more than two and a half hours before catching a 20-foot wave for the first time in his life and riding it all the way to the shore. Prior to Mavericks, the largest wave he had surfed was no larger than a 15-foot wave at Black’s Beach in La Jolla, Calif.
“I didn’t want to drive back to San Diego without proving to myself that I could be courageous, bold and master the challenge of surfing one of the world’s most daunting waves,” said Lysaught. “Just as I was about to give up and head to shore, the perfect wave came along and I paddled into it with perfect timing as it continuously grew and rolled all the way to shore, giving me the ride of my life.”
Lysaught was on the international World Surf League (WSL) for two years upon graduating from college after having earned the Collegiate State Championship Title in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) in 2011 and 2nd place in the NSSA National Championship in 2010. He still enjoys very early morning surf sessions, participates in film and video projects, shoots photos and mentors youth through North Coast Calvary Chapel Church and Walking on Water Surf ministry. Lysaught graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned a series 7 license from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, the leading residential real estate brokerage in Southern California, operates more than 85 offices throughout Southern California and Arizona with approximately 5,550 independent sales associates. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is owned by NRT LLC, which is the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States. For more information about Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, visit www.coldwellbankerhomes.com.
