Dusitn Cuizon: The Hawaiian from the Dirty South - A Q&A

Dustin Cuizon. Oh yeah, we've seen him rip on the mainland. Mike Latronic

Seems like you hardly get to surf Ala Moana since you’ve been traveling so much this year.
It’s probably all worth it in the end. Whatever happens happens. It’s a cool experience. Where I come from, nobody gets to do this s!@#. What I see, what I do, how much money I went spend and all that s!@#. Nobody knows. I pretty much thankful for see all that stuff.

Who was the most inspirational surfer when you were a grom?
There were kind of a lot of guys I looked up to when I was one young kid. I seen Isaac Kaneshiro and Sam Del Gatto guys rip when I was small. That made me wanna be like them. I seen them surfing ‘Ewa Beach all the time. Drinking Forties, having one good time and ripping all at the same time. When I was young I wanted for surf how they surf, surf the waves how they surf and jus cruise how they cruise.

What’s it like to grow up in ‘Ewa Beach?
Pretty much it’s the most cruisest thing in the world. You can do whateva you like. Everyone is doing their own thing at the same time. For me, I was jus trying fo see what is the best way fo make money. It’s always on my mind: money. You need money, nowadays, fo survive. Whateva way you can make ‘um is how you gotta live. That’s how we grew up, trying fo find ways to make money and surf good waves. Where I come from the main f!@#$% thing in life is money.

Gotta make that money because you’re a daddy and provider.
Now I get Keiki, so gotta think twice about things I do, things I should not do. Gotta think about it.

Has your daughter helped you grow up?
Pretty much it was a steppingstone. Now, I cannot fumble. I gotta stay on my game fo put food on the table. And make money howeva I can. I like seeing her grow up and stuff, but I jus like make money for my family. I hope I can see her grow up more, but it’s all good.

What is the main difference with who you are now, compared to who you were before your daughter was born?
I was reckless when I was young. I neva gave a f!@# about anything. (laughs) Always like surf, smoke the f!@#$%^ crip. Now, I get all kind stuff fo worry about, so I gotta keep it straight.

We heard you didn’t learn to shave until last year?
Me, I jus run ‘em hard. (laughs)

When you’re runnin’ ‘em hard on the road, is it a vacation or work?
I see it as work ‘cause I making money and spending my own money at the same time. I gotta try fo make ‘um back. It’s pretty much a lot of money fo hotel, rent one car and all that s!@#. It adds up and that’s like three or four months rent. Gotta sacrifice here and there, but hopefully can make ‘um back surfing the contests.

Who do you travel with?
Koa [Bacalso] and guys like Gav Gillette and TJ [Barron]. I like to stick with the guys I grew up with, same age as me.

Are you rivals with any of the guys in that crew?
I don’t know. I don’t think of the boys back home as rivals cause they’re out there representing fo Hawai‘i same as me. I like seeing all the boys doing good, if not me, I rather see someone else from Hawai‘i doing it. I don’t like having any rivalries in Hawai‘i. I pretty much rival the mainland guys ‘cause I no surf with those guys.

Rivaling mainland guys, flying around the world and chasing sponsorships, sounds like pro surfing is a hustle?
Yeah, it is nowadays. Back then, you could do one thing and live the life. Now you gotta scramble from the bottom to the top, kinda hard. But, it’s possible. If you draw a good line and focus, anything is possible. Everybody thinks [pro surfing] is easy.

Do you think the Hawai‘i boys have a hard time making it because they’re so far from the surf industry’s eyes?
Kind of because no one gets to really see how we surf. Guys can surf in different kine conditions and surf good in their own way. Jus because guys judging them bad on how they surf doesn’t mean they don’t rip.

When you’re not sporting the contest jersey, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to go fishing a lot when I can. Chicken fighting. But, I like fishing a lot because I was brought up around dat and all the boys like fishing too.

How many chickens do you have right now?
Probably like, 30 right now.

How many surfboards do you have right now?
Ten. (laughs)

How did you get into cock fighting?
That’s my culture. I was pretty much raised around that kind of stuff. Right around the corner was one chicken fight by my house. Choke of my friends and family came together fo try make the best chickens and the best strains. Jus trying fo make money pretty much. When I was like three or four years old, I remember hearing the crow real young. It was way before I surfed. I used to jus follow my dad around to the chicken fights and cruise.

Are you a competitor or a cruiser at heart?
Me, I jus one free surfer. I jus cruise wit all the boys wheneva I can. I like free surfing because I jus chill. I no really like hustlin’ anybody [in heats]. I jus like chillin’ and catchin’ waves by ourselves and stuff. But, if it comes down to it, I’ll do what I gotta do. But, I jus like freesurfing.

When you hang up the contest jersey and start freesurfing more, do you see yourself living in ‘Ewa Beach?
Probably, I no mind living ova here. Where I grew up is pretty cruise, except the traffic is the one thing I hate. People ova here is all good, cruise mood. Too many houses already, urban. I still not used to that.