Frosty Hesson: The Real-Life Hero Of Mavericks

Legends are born when people accomplish extraordinary feats or perform remarkable acts of bravery, and surfing legends are no different. Frosty Hesson is one such legend whose name resonates with surfers around the globe. But who is Frosty Hesson, and what earned him the title “Hero of Mavericks?”

Known as the real-life hero of Mavericks, Frosty Hesson’s life is an inspiring tale of triumph, mentorship, and overcoming personal tragedy. From his early days as a surfer to his remarkable influence on the surfing world, Hesson’s journey is one of resilience and unwavering dedication.

To really do Frosty’s story justice, we must dive deep into his life and the things that made him who he is today.

Who Is Frosty Hesson?

Richard “Frosty” Hesson was born in San Francisco on September 6, 1949. He was (and still is) well-known in the surfing community and can still be found riding the waves at Pleasure Point, California, almost every day. However, his fame skyrocketed in late 2012 with the release of the movie “Chasing Mavericks,” in which the famous actor Gerard Butler portrays Hesson.

Today, Hesson is a surfing coach and mentor to many. He published his memoir, “Making Mavericks,” to coincide with the movie’s release in 2012. Though the book is a tale of his life and experiences, Frosty wrote it mainly as a mentorship guide, sharing all the pearls of wisdom that he picked up along the way.

Frosty Hesson’s Life and Career: Early Years to Mavericks

Frosty Hesson had quite a turbulent childhood. His mother had chronic health problems that often saw her end up in hospital. His father coped with this stress by drinking and soon became an alcoholic. Despite these setbacks, Frosty has pleasant memories of his childhood in the 1950s and 60s.

His parents frequently took him to the beaches at Santa Cruz, where he developed a tight connection with the ocean. That’s also where he saw surfers for the first time. Young Frosty immediately identified with them and realized that it was something that he wanted to do.

His love for water drove him to join his school’s swimming team, which also awakened dreams of becoming a coach.

However, tragedy struck when his father suffered a stroke. Suddenly, his family hit hard times. They had to sell their home and go live in an apartment. However, Frosty was offered a full college scholarship and enrolled in Chabot Community College, where he joined the water polo team.

Unfortunately, the hard times got worse. His mom’s health deteriorated even more, and she eventually took her own life. Frosty’s father could not cope with life without her and died just six months later.

This led to Frosty quitting school, marrying his first wife, and moving to Lake Tahoe. The couple had a son together, but the marriage did not last long, and Frosty returned to Santa Cruz, where he started working in construction. However, Frosty’s passion was still surfing, which he kept doing as often as possible in his spare time.

This was also when he realized his lifelong dream of coaching. At one point, Frosty coached the Soquel High School’s surf team as well as the Santa Cruz Surf League, making a name for himself as a professional surfer, which was also how he discovered the thrill of surfing Mavericks.

Mavericks is a surfing spot in northern California that’s known for its dangerous waters and massive waves (also called “Mavericks”). After storms, these waves can reach up to 60 feet, while some have even been recorded as up to 100 feet tall. When the waves break, the tremors are so severe that they can often be detected on seismometers.

Frosty became enthralled with the Mavericks and joined a small group of elite surfers who routinely took on the Mavericks. This was a risky challenge since Mavericks isn’t a beautiful beach. It’s full of boulders and sharks and can also get very misty. It strikes fear into many surfers, but Frosty Hesson became one of the most frequent surfers to brave the massive waves there.

This added to his reputation as a surfing master, causing even more young surfers to approach him for coaching and mentoring.

Frosty Hesson’s Impact On The Surfing World

Surfing the Mavericks showed something in Frosty that he would also grow to recognize, respect, and cultivate in others: resolve. Facing those massive waves in such harsh, life-threatening conditions would be enough to make anyone turn back. But Frosty rode the waves, then went back for more.

This resolve and his dream of coaching drove him to coach and mentor hundreds of young people throughout his life. One of these students was a 12-year-old boy called Jay Moriarty.

Jay had started off being coached by one of Frosty’s students but soon realized he wanted more and eventually approached Frosty directly. Hesson says he recognized the same seriousness and resolve in Jay that he saw in himself, so he agreed and started coaching him.

However, when Jay saw Frosty Surfing the Mavericks, he asked the coach to teach him how to do the same. By this time, Frosty had been surfing the Mavericks for over seven years.

Frosty is not the kind of person who just teaches. He’s a mentor, so he trained Jay for more than four years to become one of the most respected surfers ever. Jay even had to write 55 essays and discuss them with him at length before Frosty allowed him to surf the Mavericks.

Jay is just one of the people who became championship surfers under the guidance of Frosty Hesson. Unfortunately, tragedy struck yet again when Jay drowned in 2001 while free diving in the Maldives.

Jay Moriarty’s death sent shockwaves through the surfing community. People from all over the world mourned the tragic loss of such an incredible human being who found so much joy in life. Hundreds of surfers, including Hesson, held a memorial service for Jay in the water on June 26, 2001, to scatter his ashes at sea and to honor the young man that achieved so much in so little time.

This legacy is so incredible that it inspired the movie Chasing Mavericks. Though it focuses very strongly on the story of Jay Moriarty, the influence of Frosty Hesson features very prominently in the film. Hesson was also approached by actor Gerard Butler, who portrays Hesson, to spend time with him and help him refine his character. Hesson was often on set during filming to assist.

In an interview with Hesson, he said that what makes his coaching so different is that it’s not just about making another good athlete or surfer; he teaches the foundational principles of becoming a good human being. Part of that is living each moment to the full, enjoying your life, embracing the great moments, and facing the bad ones.

This type of coaching turned Hesson into a near-mythical person who just happened to train surfers in Pleasure Point, California.

The Tragic Loss of Frosty Hesson’s Second Wife

After his failed first marriage and moving back to Santa Cruz, Frosty Hesson met a preschool teacher named Brenda Bowen. The two fell madly in love and got married in 1978, after which they had two children.

The two were inseparable and happily married for nearly two decades until Brenda tragically passed away in 1997. Frosty was invited to go on a trip with one of his friends, but he felt he shouldn’t go, and he spent the weekend surfing and spending time with his family instead.

As he was returning home from the beach that Sunday afternoon, he saw Brenda suffer a stroke right before his eyes. He recognized the signs from when his father had a stroke when Frosty was still a teenager. Though Brenda claimed she was feeling fine, he insisted on taking her to the hospital, where she passed away a few days later from a brain aneurism.

Frosty was devastated. He was suddenly a single parent and lost the love of his life.

However, rather than becoming lethargic or destroying his life, he threw himself into his passion with even more enthusiasm than before. The waves gave him comfort as they always did.

His surfing friends and students also drew closer to Frosty and helped him through the trials and challenges he would face as he mourned his wife and learned to become a single parent. His children were also growing up, so he couldn’t just lie down and give up.

Again, Hesson’s resolve and outlook on life helped him to stare down the adverse circumstances in his life and find the joy in it, which is just like surfing the Mavericks: when everything seems to be too much and too difficult for you to handle, you can either give up or face it down, ignore your fear, and go all-in for the thrill of achieving something great.

Frosty Hesson Now: Current Projects and Future Plans

Frosty lost so much in his life. He says that surfing the Mavericks wasn’t the same anymore after losing Jay Moriarty, who was a friend and somewhat like a son to him for many years. The giant waves had lost much of the joy they once offered him. However, that is still not enough to stop Frosty Hesson.

Even though he’d also since lost his third wife and surfing friend, Robin Janiszeufski (“Zeuf”) Hesson, to breast cancer, and despite his age, Frosty is still an active surfer, and he can be found in the waves and on the beaches of California almost daily. His passion for the sea and the waves is still keeping him there.

However, he has also gone deeper into the mentoring aspect of his life. As mentioned, Frosty always considered his desire to teach young people how to be good human beings the most significant part of his coaching career. So, he expanded on that aspect and is spending considerable time on that endeavor.

Today, Frosty Hesson is a motivational speaker who visits schools and colleges to encourage, motivate, and teach young people the foundations of being good human beings. He trains them to face their fears, not let their lives be ruled by the fears of others, and enjoy every moment that life gives them.

His book, Making Mavericks, teaches the same principles and has opened even more doors for Frosty to mentor and coach young people. Though the book is written in the style of a memoir or autobiography, every chapter carries at least one insight or pearl of wisdom that Frosty learned the hard way: by suffering through the traumas of life and finding joy on the other side.

The book came out at the same time as the movie Chasing Mavericks in 2012. And though the movie took a few creative liberties here and there, the essence of Frosty’s coaching style is so accurately portrayed in the film that it’s also opening even more doors for him. He is no longer just a celebrity among the surfing community and the locals of Santa Cruz, but globally.

This has expanded his audience and allowed him to reach even more people with his message.

Frosty Hesson is well over 70 years old, but he is still living his dream, and he plans to coach, mentor, and teach young people for as long as he can.

Conclusion

Surfing the Mavericks instills fear and doubt into even the most courageous surfer. It requires exceptional perseverance and courage to push through, and few surfers accomplish it. But those who manage to push through and ride those massive waves have an experience that’s so much more thrilling than anything a “normal” surfer ever experiences.

Frosty Hesson’s legacy teaches us that this is true of life as well. We will all face challenges, trauma, and bad experiences. Not everything in life can be easy. When we face those challenges, we can turn away and live the life of comfort we’re used to. But those of us with the courage and perseverance to push through will experience the ultimate joy that life can give.