Taloa | Episode 9 | Beneath the Surface Podcast

Taloa

Corey and Sean are back for the ninth installment of the Beneath the Surface Podcast. The guys sit down with Chris Taloa, a native Hawaiian with a familiar face--you may recognize him from movies like Snakes on a Plane, Blue Crush, and Into the Blue--who embodies the BOTE lifestyle.

In Beneath the Surface Podcast: Taloa, get to know one of our favorite people and the most badass inflatable paddle board in the BOTE line up in the process. From growing up surfing daily to becoming a Hollywood artist turned family man, Chris Taloa's deep appreciation for his homeland of Hawaii and mentality of always remaining pure of heart has shaped his life and how he shares it with the world. He embodies the true spirit of Hawaii from the culture to the sport of surfing, his love for all things water, and the spiritual vibe that brings together people from all over the world.

In this episode, the guys recount the jam-packed videoshooet spanning Hawaii and California, SUP fishing adventures with Sean and Chris, the grittiness of North Shore ghettos, and terrifying close encounters with great white sharks.

Coming at you direct, from the middle of nowhere, to the center of everywhere.

Who's In The Episode

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography.

Chris Taloa is the ultimate waterman. A Samoan who grew up on the North Shore of Hawaii, Chris Taloa is a Los Angeles-based surfer, actor, dad, and adventure fisherman who loves nothing more than exploring the area’s waterways on a stand up paddle board.

“I consider this place home in a lot of ways. I grew up here all up to the age of seven. You’ve never seen a kid with that much appreciation for his land.” - Chris Taloa

Links From The Episode

Taloa on the BOTE Rover
Taloa and family
Samoan Special
Taloa family
Cutting a fish

I consider this place home in a lot of ways. I grew up here all up to the age of seven. You've never seen a kid with that much appreciation for his land. - Chris Taloa

Picture of a rooster
Pic of Taloa
Pic of a man with sunglasses on head
Pic of food
Picture of a flower
Taloa standing near a painted wall
Fishing tackle box
Taloa paddling on river

Show Notes

  • 00:00:00 Intro
    Sean and Corey attempt their first remote podcast. We don’t want to spoil anything but someone might be on a toilet. This one gets a little gnarly, so be prepared for ear muffs if you’re listening in mixed company.

  • 00:02:36 Sean & Chris Backstory
    Sean and Chris go way back. They’ve fished together, surfed together, traveled to Hawaii together, and stabbed a few halibut while SUP fishing together, all for the thrill of it. But also, sometimes, to capture the perfect picture.

  • 00:04:48 The Taloa Story
    Sean enlisted the help of Cavin Brothers to film a BOTE Presents short film about Chris Taloa. They traveled to the North Shore of Hawaii with the Rover Aero in tow to hang out with Chris, his family, and friends, to get a behind the scenes look at the Toloa lifestyle.

  • 00:06:24 The Beauty of Samoa
    If you’ve ever seen the movie King Kong, that’s how Sean describes Samoa. Sounds epic.

  • 00:07:38 The Perks of Inflatables
    The environment in Samoa encourages unplugging, which is perfect for literally anyone, primarily stereotypical white guys from the U.S. and Australia, to get out and enjoy the elements. Chris recounts the versatility of traveling with inflatable paddle boards to not only SUP surf but also for packing down a KULA and SUP fishing in lagoons around the island.

  • 00:08:49 Wahiawa, Hawaii
    Chris hangs out with some colorful folks. According to Chris, Wahiawa, Hawaii, is home to the “gnarliest Hawaiin ogres ever.” Sean, naturally, fits right in.

    He glazes right over it, but Sean is nine years sober. Congrats, bro.

  • 00:11:10 Meeting Up With Surf Friends
    The surf wasn’t amazing, so they went to the Pipe House and ran into an old pipeline surfer buddy of Sean’s from his pre-sobriety days. Needless to say, the guys take a quick detour down memory lane to recount a very bizarre experience from the dark days.

  • 00:12:29 Mākaha, Hawaii
    Back to your regularly scheduled programming. The crew heads to Mākaha to link up with Chris’s friend who, naturally, trains MMA fighters. They need a place to stay, so they trade him an inflatable board for rent to stay at his place. Which, by the way, he now uses to get babes at the sandbar offshore.

  • 00:14:31 Quick Turnaround Time
    In two and a half days, the guys worked around the clock to hit all the spots along the North Shore. Next, they hopped on a flight back to Los Angeles to get some shots of Chris and his family in their element which includes a lot of SUP fishing.

  • 00:15:17 Rover Aero Conquering The Surf
    Chris takes the Rover Aero through some incredible waves. On one wave in particular, he barely makes over the head, making for an insane photo that truly captures the power of the Rover Aero wrapped up in the Taloa lifestyle.

  • 00:16:29 Hunting Striped Bass
    So what’s Chris Taloa up to now? Studying striped bass and finding them in the LA area aqueduct system. Sean acknowledges that the striped bass update is a tamed down version of the real day to day, and the conversation shifts to paddle board fishing way too far out in the Pacific Ocean.

  • 00:18:06 Super-Dad
    Not surprising to anyone, the coast guard often cramps his style when SUP fishing far off in the Pacific. While most people would agree that fishing on an inflatable paddle board in the Pacific Ocean isn’t for the faint of heart, it’s just a day in the life of Chris Taloa. Chris recounts catching barracuda with his daughter and seeing shadows in the water that were a lot bigger than the size of his board. Hanging out with great white sharks? No thanks.

    PSA: Inflatable paddle boards are not the best water vessel for a possible tango with great white sharks.

  • 00:20:14 Floridian At Heart
    Chris thrives in Florida. Is he really a Floridian at heart?

  • 00:21:20 Working On Hollywood Films
    Sean asks for a few nugs of insight on the beautiful ladies and behind the scenes stories from Into the Blue, North Shore, and Blue Crush. Fun fact: Chris saves Kate Bosworth from being impaled by a broken surf board. Just kidding, he just saved her million dollar face from being smacked really hard.

  • 00:24:00 Outro
    Thanks to Chris Taloa for adding some flavor to the Beneath the Surface Podcast. See ya.