#6 Riding Giants - Mark 'Doc' Renneker
Legendary big wave surfer and the first to explore surf in Antartica, Greenland, Arctic
Join in this exceedingly rare conversation with Dr. Mark Renneker, a distinguished figure in the realm of big wave surfing hailing from San Francisco. With a surfing tenure spanning nearly six decades, Dr. Renneker has secured his legacy as both a surfing pioneer and a medical doctor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Renowned for his notable achievements, including being the first to surf the treacherous Potato Patch outside the Golden Gate Bridge, and amongst the first to lead expeditions to surf in remote locations such as the Arctic, Antarctic, Iceland, Norway, Greenland, and Alaska, 'Doc' Renneker joins us to share insights into his extraordinary life.
With his chilled out style and zen wisdom, Mark shared stories that dropped my jaw - dodging whales at Mavericks, losing boards in crazy remote surf spots, and even a face-to-face (or face-to-fin?) encounter with a great white! 🦈
In this episode, we meticulously explore the facets that have contributed to Dr. Renneker's enduring success, addressing aspects such as life balance, dietary practices, training regimens, and the nuanced risk-taking inherent in tackling some of the world's most formidable waves.
Acknowledgments are extended to
and Josh Wiese for their role in facilitating Dr. Renneker's participation in this episode.Read on….
Mark first started surfing down in Santa Monica at age 11. But after moving north to attend medical school in the 1970s, he was blown away by the raw power and lonely solitude of Ocean Beach and Mavericks compared to the mellow crowded waves back home. The big wave surfing scene here was still like the wild west. As Mark describes, "the surfing world here was wide open." 🌊 He soon began exploring reefs and distant points along the NorCal coast, tracking swells and searching for new big wave spots via deduction and talking to researchers and old timer fishermen.
Remarkably, Mark managed to balance his hardcore surf lifestyle through decades as a family medicine doctor and patient advocate in the city. He credits keeping an open and honest dialogue with his patients about his "other life" chasing waves, which most appreciated rather than judged. When new south swells popped up on the forecast, Mark would happily reschedule appointments and disappear to score waves for days at a time, with his patients giving their blessing to carpe diem! 🤙
Mark's motivation has never been about racking up the sheer number of waves, but rather catching a few epic life-affirming rides. He focuses more on the hunt - studying bathymetry charts for days to pinpoint mystical outer reefs and methodically calculating optimal windows of winds, tides and distant storm patterns converging. As Mark poetically puts it, "the foolishness of that, to imagine that you can proclaim that and that there's any reality to that." 🌅 He cherishes the spiritual aspect of surfing - "the oneness of it" - not conquering or domination.
Some wild tales Mark told that stuck with me...like the time he dragged a broken board leash and impending darkness towards shore after a gnarly wipeout, only to witness a breaching whale crashing down right where his buddy sat! 🐳 Or spotting a gray whale charging directly at him and his pal as a set approached Mavericks - Mark somehow managed to scratch into the wave of the day threading a fading bottom turn around the leviathan cresting the face! 🤯
I was fascinated listening to Mark's ideas on aging gracefully as a lifelong surfer now in his 8th decade, still charging huge waves with guys a third his age. He is vigilant about taking anti-oxidant supplements like NAC and gets regular vitamin D, magnesium and omega 3s. A nutritional oncologist friend makes him custom blends to optimize organ function too. 💊 As for structural work, Mark gets monthly tune-ups from a cranial osteopath to address minor issues before they become major. He wants to keep surfing on his original joints, not replacements!
Mark's nutrition is clean too - he sticks to a mostly pescatarian diet, having learned the hard way that lamb wrecks his stomach on long boat trips! 🐟 He eliminated other extreme sports like skateboarding and skiing early on to avoid traumatic injuries. Mark stresses proactive self-care rather than reacting to damage after it's done. I found his ideas on active preservation vs reaction very inspiring.
At 70 years old, Mark's stoke to test his limits in the ocean burns hotter than ever. He recently scored a "mind blowing" experimental board, raving about how tight it allowed him to carve on a small day at Ocean Beach! His next big thrill? An expedition to surf the remote frigid waters at the very ends of the Aleutian Islands near Alaska! 🌅🌊 Mark shows absolutely zero sign of slowing down in his passionate lifelong pursuit of both scoring epic waves and helping others heal through medicine. I came away infinitely curious what the next chapter may hold for this intrepid waterman!
So what did we learn from surf icon Dr Mark? First, make your passion a daily practice. Protect time for what fuels your soul. 🗓️ Communicate openly with those around you who may not understand. Second, prepare your body proactively if you want to enjoy your sport for decades. 🧘♀️And finally, focus on presence rather than conquest. Savor uncertainty and impermanence. The ride unfolds perfectly when we wait patiently. 😌 I'm off to schedule that overdue physio session...Thanks for the wisdom Doc!
References:
Playing Doc’s Games. The eponymous New Yorker article by William Finnegan that made me a lifelong fan of Mark Renneker
Surf Encyclopedia Bio of Mark Some classic surf videos of Mark
Direct Lab. Where Mark gets his bloodwork done
Oh yes, on social media:
💧Instagram
💧Facebook
Comments, questions, who do you want to invite to the show?! Write to me kush@agelessathlete.co
