Ben Gravy – On a Mission to Surf in Every State
Pro surfer, stunt man and punk musician Ben Gravy is on a mission to surf in all 50 US states. Only 20 states have access to the ocean, so chances are that he will surf plenty of river waves on his trip. Simon had the pleasure to chat with Ben about his unique endeavour and the future of river surfing.
Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
What’s up everyone! My name is Ben Gravy, I am a novelty surfer on a mission to surf in all 50 US states & any waves that are weird & quirky!
Why did you start Vlogging?
I started filming my life when I was 8 years old. I used to film onto VHS tapes & edit surf videos with 2 VCR’s stacked on top of each other, but I started making YouTube videos documenting my life & surfing online in 2006. Then in January 2016 I started my official Ben Gravy VLOG channel.
Why did you choose the name “Nubnation” for your fan base ?
When I was a kid my best friend Mike Nesspor and I started a skate & surf magazine called NUB. NUB was an acronym for “nobody’s unliked buddy”, which meant we were going to feature unknown skaters & surfers in the magazine, instead of big name pros. The idea of accepting and promoting everyone no matter of their “status” has been a steady ideal in my life. Mike happened to pass away from a motorcycle accident in 2013 and I keep the NUB nation alive in his honour.
Tell us a bit about your story, how did you get into river surfing?
After I had realised that I surfed in 14 US states and that maybe 50 states was possible I started investigating ways to surf in landlocked states. When I found out about river surfing in Colorado on a road trip out to California, the game changed.
What were the biggest changes in your VLOG in the last years?
Since the beginning of my VLOG I wanted to create a series of videos that was honest and empowering. Sharing the ups & downs as I go. Some of the biggest changes has been the fact that I now bleep out the curse words haha.
What’s your view about the current North American river surfing movement?
River surfing in North America has blown up in the past three years! I know people have been doing it forever, but since social media made it a more noticeable and discoverable sport it’s really taken off.
When will it be possible for professional river surfers in North America to make a living from the sport?
With the way social media works in this day and age it’s possible to make money as a professional river surfer now! Start promoting what you do and make a splash!
A really fundamental question Ben: In your opinion, should river surfing seek to become a professional sport like ocean surfing?
Yes, why not? It’s fundamentally a different sport so the events and characters would be completely different and I think it can be it’s own awesome sport!
There are famous snowboarders in America who are river surfing. Bryan Iguchi and Travis Rice are filming surf videos in their hometown Jackson Hole. What’s your opinion on this? Good for the sport in general or only good for the sponsors of Bryan and Travis?
As long as it’s promoting the sport I think it’s rad!
Even ocean surfers like you, Dylan Graves and Jamie O’Brien star in river surfing clips. Why did it take so long until famous ocean surfers start promoting river surfing?
Whenever I mention river surfing to people they usually think I’m joking or that I’m riding down the river through rapids and trying to stand on my surfboard. It’s a hard thing to comprehend until you can relate to it. I think because we’ve taken our boards that we use in the ocean and shown that they can be used on the river it helps people understand that it’s realistic to try it!
Two Canadian men are showing insane action on big river waves … speaking about the bodyboarders Tom Peterson and his brother. What is their impact on river surfing?
I haven’t seen any of their footage, but I’ve seen some pretty gnarly stuff go down on bodyboards in the river. Definitely using the wave to do new and crazy stuff.
What will the future in contest river surfing bring?
Competitive river surfing will push the athletes to get more creative and innovative!
Where do you prefer landlocked contests? In rivers or wave pools?
A natural river wave event would be SICK! Maybe Montana!
Today, river surfing contests are at a stage where ocean surfing was 20 years ago. What can river surfing learn from the mistakes that happened in ocean surfing?
I think the river surfing community should just focus on what river surfing is and not worry about comparing anything to ocean surfing. We have a very unique and cool thing here!
Are we going to see you participating in river surfing comps in the future?
I’m so in there big dog!
What are your personal goals in river surfing? Which tricks do you want to get dialed in the future?
My goals right now are to find a wave in Missouri and Nebraska! Kick flips are an ultimate goal!
Which other river waves would you love to ride one day?
That big dog monster wave up in Canada!
Are you involved in any wave building projects? Which waves do you see coming in the future?
I’m seeing Nebraska coming on the scene HEAVY! It’s NEVER been surfed…
How do you want American river surfing develop in the future?
I’d like to see a lot more young people trying it out and enjoying that fun it has to offer!
Some last words?
Whatever you want in life, go for it 100% do it for the DREAM!
What is the claim for your future?
I’m claiming that it’s nuking boys!
Brought to you by
Simon Simon is the "Youngest Veteran". He has been chasing river waves since almost 20 years, starting on a wave in the south of Munich, one of the birth places of our sport. Simon loves high water surfing and river surf comps and dreams about barrelling river waves, since he was lucky enough to surf one during his many trips.
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