Greg Long is an exceedingly nice person. He’s quiet and humble, despite the fact that he’s a two-time world champion in a part of surfing that was, for a long time, dominated by loud people who swam deeply in the testosterone pit of big wave surfing. He’s quick to smile and has a sort of laid back sleepiness that sits around his eyes. Behind those eyes, though, is a person who calculates risk vs reward better than perhaps anyone else in the big wave world.
He’s far more than just his big wave accomplishments, though — Greg’s active in the conservation world, as well, and wins there are more important to him than any win on a wave. The World Surf League caught up with Greg via Zoom to talk about the 30×30 campaign and ocean conservation, how COVID-19 has shown how interconnected we are, finding deeper purpose, and the power of pressing pause.
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