We’re standing in the boardroom at Waco Surf and all my equipment quirks are laid bare in front of surf operator Michael Irvine. He listens patiently as I explain how I’d like to use a twin+trailer for my backhand waves and a straight up twin for my front-hand waves. Waco divides their sessions as half lefts and half rights and my backhand needs all the help it can get. In the middle of my rabbit hole of fin choices, I’m struck by Michael’s patience. He’s even showing some stoke at the trailer options. As this aging surfer’s equipment OCD kicks in, Michael is mellow, smiling, supportive – everything you’d want to find with the person working the board rental room.

And what does the Surf Operator do?
You instruct people in the water, put them in the right direction, help people catch waves, help beginners, teach them the basics, operate the machine, and do general stuff around the park.

When you say operate the machine, what does that entail?
It means being the tower that controls all the waves, changing the setting levels and different types of waves.

Is it software or do you have some giant Dickensian gears with levers and pulleys?
It’s kind of just like an iPad. You just press a button and it goes. Just some presets.

What’s your surf background or surf history?
My surf background is not as heavy as a lot of people here. I was kind of into it when I was little, when I lived in Corpus Christi with my mom, and really all I had was just throwing a big board around the whitewash. Then once my dad got custody, I moved up here and away from the beach. I’ve tried going back a couple of times, but it never really worked out for me being so far. Then COVID hit, and I had a lot of free time, so, like a lot of other people, I picked up the surfboard, went back out there, and tried doing it. It didn’t stick this time. A couple of months later, I saw this Waco Surf, applied for a job, and just started going to the staff sessions and picked it up pretty quickly.

How often do you get to session?
We usually have staff sessions twice a week, so I’ll try to show up to the ones I can make.

So you’re getting in the water once or twice a week?
Yes, sir. Purely for just surfing and stuff like that.

Do you think your progression is quicker in the pool than it would be if you were out in Corpus Christi?
Most definitely. I believe that with the constant firing of the wave and how similar it is, you can easily pick stuff up and learn turns and whatnot.

What is your favorite part of doing this job?
My favorite part of the job is that I love meeting new people from all around the world. I like seeing them smile, talking to them, hearing their stories about where they’re from, and just making connections.

Have you formed any lasting relationships with people you’ve met here?
Yeah, I’ve met a lot of people here. I talk to them through text and Instagram. We got this one guy who lives down in Galveston, and he invited us to his place. We stayed in his little house, chilled there for a couple of days, and went surfing around Galveston.

Is there something that you don’t like about this job?
There’s nothing I don’t like about this job. I like everything I have to do.

Tell me something that a lot of people don’t know about Waco or something you have to be here for a while to fully grasp or appreciate.
Just how close everybody that comes here is. People will always come in at one time, surf the same session over and over again, and create friendships through that. All the regulars.