In December of 2018, Mikey February surfed his last event as a full-time surfer on WSL’s Championship Tour. Fellow South African Jordy Smith showed him the door and an equal 13th at the Billabong Pipe Masters. A blessing in disguise?
Since his departure from competition, Mikey’s repertoire has blossomed – from the boards he rides, to the trips he takes. And through his partnership with Channel Islands Surfboards, he and Britt Merrick have dialed in twin fin design to the point where Mikey has become synonymous with upper-echelon surfing atop two fiberglass skegs.
With his free-flowing and powerful style, Mikey’s profile has grown through video segments and films like Sonic Souvenirs. He’s proven time and again that when the waves get into the excellent range (see: Jeffrey’s Bay) twin fins are very much a viable option for speed and control. And while it’s not like Mikey is frugal with his clips, when you surf this good it’s hard to satiate the surf world’s content appetite.
Now, Mikey has started his own YouTube channel called Spearhead Unlimited, billed as “a platform for creative freedom, collaboration, and experimentation.” With “ONZA!” it’s off to a hot start. Filmed and edited by Kevin Jansen, the inaugural edit sees Mikey dancing all over a righthand Mexican point, doing the swift and committed turns I know are coming, yet they still make me stand up a little straighter. It’s the kind of surfing and wave quality that gets one opening their laptops, checking airfares.
Referencing the title – onza, in Spanish, colloquially denotes an elusive snow leopard – the video's description reads:
"Late at night, locals whisper through smoke about the Onza. They share stories of brothers, cousins, friends whose friends, cousins, brothers have seen it. The mythical big cat, prowling alone under the moon, leaving just enough of a trace to stoke the lore. This film follows the tracks of another cat in Mexico. Mikey February."
True to his experimental ethos, Mikey samples two very different CIs on the reeling righthander: A modern swallowtail version of a Merrick Twin Fin, and a custom 1970s-style leashless single fin. Word on the street is that more videos and alternative boards will soon be featured on Spearhead Unlimited.
More Mikey Feb content? Who'd say 'no' to that?
More must-reads: