I bought this house I live in around 2-1/2 years ago and a house up/across the street is this quiet family that keeps to themselves. Haole guy with his wife and son. Anyway I kept thinking this guy looks so familiar but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where I’ve seen him before…
The other day my old neighbor and I were talking and he knew I was shaping then said, “That guy over there used to shape boards for a living…” Then it hit me, Although he is a bit heavier now, I remember seeing him out in the water all the time years ago. Jocko’s, Lani’s, Secret spots along the North Shore etc… He is none other then Mike “OPPY” Oppenheimer who is originally from the East Coast and a former East Coast Champion. He was one of the first shapers with Glen Minami when he opened Blue Hawaii. Most people know that Blue Hawaii ran into financial problems years ago then sold… I’m not sure what Mike did after that…
Yesterday I went over and talked to Mike while he was weed eating his yard. He’s now doing construction type work but it seems he still has the itch and may start surfing again. He still has templates and I can tell he could get into surfing again cause he definetly lit up when we talked. He offered to come over and give some tips on shaping which I thought was very generous of him. For some strange reason I think him getting into my shaping room is going to do more for him than me. Its just a feeling but surfing has a way of doing that to people…
Anyway, an MIA shaper found living quietly in Hawaii…
Aloha…
Quote:
Where do you guys live?
Does he owe you money? Haha!
PM me and we can talk…
Hey CarveNalu
Tell Mike I said hello.
Get him to tell you the story about me reshaping his boards that he first took to Glenn to apply for his job there. I don’t think Glenn ever knew! But it gave Mike the leg up he needed. Glenn is a good friend and I didn’t want to deceive him but…I knew Mike could do it, he just needed a way inside at Blue Hawaii. So I wrote him a reccomendation letter and made sure the boards were up to par.
I remember watching US finals at Hatteras lighthouse where Mike and, I think Greg Lohre, battled it out in nice conditions, with consistent cover up tubes. If it wasn’t Greg, it was another one of the hot Florida goofy foot guys. That was a great time…Oppy put another New Yorker on the map.
Any update on this story? Any more earlier Bio info on “Oppy”? I was just visiting home recently and reminiscing and thought about my old “Oppy” shaped by Mike Oppenheimer. A buddy had four shipped in from Hawaii. Mine was a 6’10" round pin thruster. Cleanlines, all white. Gloss coat. Man did I love that board. This was probably 1986.
Thanks,
Swaylock.
We talked story after the Clark Foam thing and it kinda sealed the lid on the shaping thing for awhile for him. This was on New Years Eve as the kids were watching our fireworks stuff… I’m hoping he surfs again but I still don’t see any move to do it so I’m thinking he’s happy doing whatever he’s doing now which is cool… He has a bunch of templates stashed under his house and I don’t see him throwing them away so you never know!
Aloha Carve Nalu - Sometime when you guys are talking, let him know we’d love to see some pictures from the 70’s. The twin fin guys back then were really good.
After seeing Oneula’s boyhood pictures and thinking about this, I took a trip down memory lane.