Rusty Preisendorfer and Mark Occhilupo

Words by Rusty Preisendorfer

Rusty Preisendorfer and Mark Occhilupo produced some of the most electric surfing and most desirable surfboards of the 1980s.

Their first meeting dates back to late summer, 1983.

Rusty was working in Ocean Beach California at Canyon Surfboards and they had a shop right in the heart of Ocean Beach. The Body Glove Pro event was being held in OB and Rusty was judging the event. A lot of top pros entered what was more of regional contest as they were on their way to South Africa and had stopped in at SoCal to promote their sponsors.

It was the first time the Surfing World outside of Australia had a glimpse of Occy. Marco Jay Luciano Occhilupo was born 16 June 1966.

Rusty watched Occy during his heats and saw a lot of potential. He was riding for Jim Banks. All due respect, Rusty saw him struggling a little and after the contest was over, and offered to make him a board.

After making a huge impression in S.A. Occy returned to California for the OP Pro. Rusty was also judging this contest. It was there that he handed the board over to Occy. While he deeply appreciated the board, he told Rusty that he was going to ride a board he was more familiar with.

'Ok,cool.'

When he got back to Oz and rode the board for the first time, he was blown away at how good it worked. Occy won the Aussie Pro Junior, a prestigious coming out event for quite a few top Pros.

Occy went to Japan and competed in The Marui Pro and soon broke about 8 inches off the nose of that beloved Rusty as he was going into the quarter finals. Occ won that heat and almost made it to the finals. Bob Hurley, Licensee of Billabong USA at the time, called Rusty and asked him if he would make Occy a couple more boards saying, “I’ll pay you for them!”

Occy then went on to surf the Country Feeling event at JBay that July and the surf world took notice. Occy was dubbed as the next big thing to come out of Australia. His momentum stalled out and by the tail end of ‘84, Occy’s title hopes disappeared as the pressures of tour-life took its toll. He would regroup and reappear riding Rusty’s the next year.

Enter Occy in 1985. Refocused. Riding a board that Occy simply called “Magic.” In this video, Occy talks about that board, his meeting Rusty and how his life and his surfing was forever changed. Occy went on to win the OP Pro and the Pipeline Masters, challenging Tom Curren for a World Title.

One thing remains today the same as it did 40-years ago. The mutual love and respect that Occy and Rusty have for each other and for that time in surfing will last forever. The legend of both would continue to grow in the decades the followed.

- Rusty