World surfing has few independent, real voices that dare to carry out the simple act of saying what one thinks, because they understand that being free is that and that the exchange of ideas creates a better society.

Barton Lynch, who was world champion in 1988 and in recent years has become a surfing event commentator, communicator, podcaster and influencer in the good sense of the word, is one of those few voices.

The charismatic 60-year-old Australian, living in Hawaii, father of two, grandfather of two, with that long beard, a charm and an energy that can be perceived from afar, has become a guru; one of those voices that dares to speak the truths that many do not dare to.

He is not a slacker from the eighties who stayed to talk nonsense, he is an extremely polite person who with respect and seriousness informs, analyzes, gives his opinion, tells and puts on the table topics that are extremely interesting.

In these perhaps dull, perhaps grey, perhaps correct times, Barton Lynch brings the much-needed brightness.

Sport was always safe
The sport has always been safe no matter what management does. No matter what management does, the surfers are always so good, the performances are so good that they make bad management look good.

"The performances are so good that they make bad management look good"

We live in a time when surfers make the sport look good. There were a lot of changes like the mid-year cut, the WSL finals… All things that were done to generate interest but I think all this for the endemic audience achieved the opposite. The “core” audience doesn’t want the mid-year cut, they want surfers to compete all year and define their champion. We all feel that way.

In the finals, what happened with Carissa Moore… In my mind and heart she is the seven-time world champion.

They can change to try to make it more interesting but the culture doesn't appreciate it and they lose interest. Maybe they gain more fans but they are not fans, they don't surf and because we feel so strongly about the culture, we want to see it be real, that it embraces the culture.

Surfing is an Olympic sport and it's up there, we want people to understand what surfing is: We are environmentalists, we love freedom, we love individualism, those are the elements that made me a surfer.

"I didn't see people dressed in suits and say, 'I don't want to be an accountant,' I saw surfers dressed in cool clothes, on the beach..."

I didn’t see surfers in suits and say “I want to be an accountant”, I saw surfers dressed in cool clothes, on the beach…

My founding fathers created the opportunity to live by the beach and create a way of life there. And that's a beautiful thing!

Is this a real job?
No. It's an easy job, you do what you love, and whenever that happens it's a gift. If you free your soul from doing things you don't like and sacrifice that to stop earning the money you could, I respect that. Because there are a lot of people who stop enjoying themselves to work.

However, the issue of mental health has never been as present among surfers as it is today. I did the world tour for 15 years, I never had a break in 15 years, I was never in one place for more than three months in 15 years and we did 30 championships a year…

"It's less stressful today than it's ever been"

They talk to me about doing 10 events a year and they have all this money to travel with family and friends, masseuses and sports nutritionists… When we were there, the two who were at the top of the rankings made money, the rest lost, we did it to build something. It's less stressful today than it's ever been. You are what you decide to be.

How do you explain what is happening today?
I'm not here to explain mental health. I understand that for some people, chemistry in their minds creates problems in their heads. To me, we are not made to feel good every day.

I don't use the word "depression"... It's a trap... You feel bad one day and you say it and you create a box to sit in and the more you think about it the more it becomes a reality. If I don't feel good one day, I know the next day will be better, I don't hold myself to that. I let it come in and out like the wind.

That is the key to having a healthy mind. We are what we think and we must know that what surrounds us is temporary and that it will improve.

"That is the key to having a healthy mind. We are what we think and we must know that what surrounds us is temporary and that it will improve."

It's irrelevant how I feel now, because in an hour, tomorrow it's going to be different and the more you hold on to that the worse it's going to make you feel. You have to let go of those things and know that it doesn't describe you, you have to let it go, it's not who you are, you are what you choose to be.

Are today's surfers more boring?
Generally speaking, personalities are sterilized by socialism and the impact of authorities that interfere in people's lives and tell them what to do to be accepted, to be part of the group.

"And for me, it's all about individuality. Surfing has the best characters."

And for me, it's all about individuality. Surfing has the best characters.

Some characters from your time that are worth mentioning
Robbie Paige and Ross Clark Jones. They, and others, were people who had not been touched by today's molds.

The spirit of surfing is that the person has the right to be who they really are, the right to be who you really are and let that blossom and come out… That's the spirit of surfing.

"The spirit of surfing is that the person has the right to be who they really are, the right to be who you really are and let that blossom and come out… That's the spirit of surfing."

You are not part of the crowd. You are you. And no one can take that away from you. You must grab onto that and be yourself.

It's not easy, do you think you are capable of being real to yourself?
That's why I look like that. That's why I look like I don't give a fuck.

When I was a kid, my father was a policeman and had a mortgage loan business and he shaved twice a day.

"I saw my father doing that and for me, not shaving was freedom, it was looking like freedom"

I saw my father doing that and for me, not shaving was freedom, it was looking like freedom.

And surfing, is it doomed to become robots or is there still a spark?
The power that surfing has is given by the leadership of the ISA, which has Fernando Aguerre, who is an authentic character. He is truly himself, he is one of a kind, we are not talking about Robbie Page or Ross Clarke Jones; the characters are one of a kind, there are not two of them in the world. And Fernando Aguerre is an authentic character and he is a surfer at heart, he does not come from outside to make money from surfing, he is not someone who started surfing a few years ago and now does it because it is trendy and wants to sell it.

He’s involved because he loves it and he believes that he can create a better world and that’s why the ISA motto is “a better world through surfing”, I believe in that, that’s why I’m here! I share that sentiment, I believe that we can make a better world through surfing and this (points to the ISA World Surfing Games facilities) is a much better representation of surfing culture than professional surfing and that’s because of the owners, the people who drive those vehicles.

"This is where real characters and individuals come in, who will not allow themselves to be sterilized. They go to the games dressed like Fernando does, with his rings and necklaces, and they go there and they love him. And then you say: This is different, this has personality."

This is where you have real characters and individuals who will not let themselves be sterilized, they go to the games dressed like Fernando does, with his rings and necklaces and he goes there and they love him. And then you say: This is different, this has personality. So surfing is being taken to the Olympics with its personality almost intact because Fernando has his intact and he respects the culture and he respects what it means to be a surfer and he sees the value that this has for the world. And I can see that and I believe that we can make a better world through surfing and contribute to that development by being ourselves without playing the big business game too much. It is a difficult path to walk but if anyone can walk it it is Fernando and surfing.

And what is your life like? What's next in your life?
I am a father and a grandfather, I have two children, one 29 and one nine, I have two grandchildren, one two years old and another three weeks old… I love my children and grandchildren and my family more than anything, I just want to be with them. And when I go surfing with my children my heart swells.

I guess for me surfing in a lot of ways, and I get emotional when I talk about this, in some ways saved my life. When my dad died and I was 11, it gave me something to put my energy into, surfing was going to save my life, it was going to allow me to never go to my mom and ask for money and it was going to give me my independence and future. I worked my ass off and worked hard and committed myself to it like not a lot of people I know, and it gave me my life and when my kids surf, I think they're going to be okay (smiles). Just because they surf, I feel like they're going to be okay.

And I feel like when I'm gone, if they surf, it will save them too.

"That's me, I'm a family man who loves his kids and I'm not done. I have my dreams, I want to be the best surfer I can be when I'm 80, I want to ride waves."

That's me, I'm a family man that loves his kids and I'm not done. I have my dreams, I want to be the best surfer I can be when I'm 80, I want to ride waves, I want to go tow-in, I want to keep this dream alive as long as I can and I want to be the best surfer I can be for as long as I can and keep riding waves and challenging myself and keep growing.

The other thing I want is that, because we live in times where people don't like to be spoken against some things, to be honest, to speak about something that's not part of the narrative... There's a very strong narrative that's being pushed, some of it I agree with but a lot of it I don't and I'd like to be able to stand in my own truth and as an individual be me, no matter the pressure.

"It's fair to say that I lost my job at the WSL for reasons that were never explained to me, I was never told that you did this and that; I was never told why I lost that job so all you're left to do is speculate."

It's fair to say that I lost my job at the WSL for reasons that were never explained to me, I was never told that you did this and that; I was never told why I lost that job so all you're left to do is speculate.

And I don't care that I lost it, I'd rather be me than have a job all the time. Because what I want is to be able to be true to myself and live in my truth and if I can do that and if anyone can do that, especially in these times when there's pressure to conform like never before, that's power and you can be an example for others to do the same and be proud of who they are and not act in order to be liked.