As I’ve become good friends with Warren over the years, I’ve learned that he is an insightful, humble, and “mellow” person. Although, ironically, if you’ve seen him surf, “mellow” would be the last word that comes to mind when describing what he does in the water. He always goes for it, whether rushing or punting sections. That factor alone is what has made him, bar none, one of the best Pipe bodyboarders ever (even though he would never allow you to pin that statement to him).
-Evan Fa

What’s your name?
Warren Anderson

Where are you from originally?
Hilo, Hawaii

Where do you live now?
Portland, Oregon

How old are you?
30

How long have you been bodyboarding?
22 years

Prone or DK? If both, how much of each?
Definitely both. It all depends on my mood and the conditions. I’d say on average it’s about 60/40 Prone to DK with a little bit of stand up here and there.

Who do you bodyboard with?
Pretty much anyone that’s having fun. Haha! But for the most part, all of my friends from the last few years… Micah McMullin, Evan Fa, Andrew Rams, Happy Zurowski, Les Obara, Josh Chan, MBas and the rest of the Heights crew. Most all of the boys who frequent the North Shore.

What is your favorite bodyboard spot?
People most close to me would tell you I rarely ever leave Off the Wall or Pipe. So I’m definitely going to have to say Rubber Duckies…

Where have you traveled to bodyboard?
Aside from the outer islands, I’ve made a lot of trips to the west coast, mostly to compete. But also Australia, Puerto Escondido twice, and Texas twice believe it or not. The Texas trips were for the annual flowrider championships in New Braunfels and South Padre Island.

Where do you want to travel to bodyboard?
I have two major destinations left on my to go list: Tahiti and Indonesia.

What board(s) do you ride?
I ride pretty much exclusively the Vice-V from Custom X. It works really well for me, being that I like to mix up DK and prone so much. The channel system also works really well for both in heavier conditions.

Do you compete?
Yes, but not as much as I use too.

If so, what competitions have you competed in?
I’ve done the annual Pipe contest 7 times, the annual Puerto contest twice, as well as the annual flowrider championships twice in Texas, as I mentioned before. I also use to follow the IBA Hawaii tour as well as the BIA tour in southern California back in the late 90’s.

What is the bodyboarding community in Hawaii like?
I think it’s great actually. In my travels I’ve heard a lot of talk regarding the “state of bodyboarding” in the U.S., and I feel that concern tends to hang over your head within certain circles. However, I personally feel somewhat indifferent about it. I think most of the locals in Hawaii feel similarly as well, which is maybe what I appreciate most about Hawaii bodyboarding. We’re all just having fun, hanging out, and watching out for each other. It’s a tight knit group of people, as is the North Shore in general. Of course I/we are concerned about the future of the sport, but I don’t think most Hawaiians are as fixated on its image and which direction it’s going, which is in my opinion a nice change of pace. I’d rather riders leave the sport’s image in the hands of the media and let their riding do the talking, and I think that’s generally what goes down in Hawaii.

Do you have any sponsors? What companies?
Custom-X Bodyboards, Dominion Fight Gear

What other board sports do you partake in?

I do a little shortboarding as well as longboarding whenever I feel like changing it up. Living in Oregon now, I’ve also been doing some snowboarding up on Mt Hood.

What bodyboard goals do you have?
Most of the goals I’ve set for myself over the years have for the most part come to fruition, but I’d really like to see what the future holds when I get back to Oahu full time. In the mean time though, I’ll give you a hint: It will involve a monster Northwest swell, a 5 mil wetsuit, a jet ski, and a towrope.

Where do you see bodyboarding going in the future?
I really think the sky is the limit for bodyboarding. Maybe literally lol… Speed has always been a huge factor for aerial maneuvers, and with the size of waves that guys are pushing now days, as well as the introduction of the jet ski, I see a lot of barriers being broken.

What riders influenced your bodyboarding?
More than anything I’d say most of the guys I grew up with in Hilo…. Guys like Tyson Kaaua, Kevin Kama, Spencer Skipper, Ryan Jeffrey, Paully Boy Luis, my older brother Jason, Travis Sadino… There are too many to list…

What riders are pushing the sport right now?
I’ve been really impressed with what a lot of the local dropkneers have been doing with aerials. Most specifically guys like Micah McMullin, Bud Miyamoto, and David Hubbard. I’m really interested to see what kind of things they will be doing over the next few years.

If you were stranded on a desert island that already has a plentiful resource of bodyboards and fins what three things would you bring?
Aside from food, water, and a tent? Haha… Well… I’m going to go with… Eva Mendes, 1 blanket, and a satellite phone that she doesn’t know about.

What is the best advice you can give to a bodyboard grom trying to get recognized?
Don’t ever lose sight of what you started for. Everything else is secondary.

Any last words of advice? Shout outs?
There’s freedom in individuality. Embrace it. Shout outs to everybody back on the Big Island and Oahu. See you all at home.