Winter, summer, hot or cold, Maz Quinn never tires of St Clair beach.
Quinn, who is something of a veteran of the field at 39, qualified for the final of the open men's division at the national surfing championships at St Clair Beach yesterday.
Quinn notched up two high-scoring waves early on in the 20-minute semifinal yesterday morning and then sat back and watched his competitors try to match his score.
He eventually came in second behind Billy Stairmand in the semifinal and said surfing at St Clair beach was always a pleasure.
"I like it down here. You always seem to get really good waves,'' he said.
"I've got a son Cooper (6) down here, so am down this way a lot. When he [Cooper] comes up north he has a bit of a go [in the water] but it is a bit too cold for him down here.
"But I surf down here all year round. I've been out here in the middle of winter. All kitted up with hood, gloves and shoes. You can stay out there for ages if you have the gear. You just get used to the cold.''
Quinn said the temperature of the water at St Clair yesterday - about 14degC - was about the same as the water in the winter at home in Gisborne.
In winter it dropped into single figures at St Clair but Quinn said he did not mind the cold. As long as the waves were good he could handle it.
Quinn said age had not slowed him down and he still surfed most days.
"I do a lot of CrossFit stuff and that keeps my body good. But you can't beat getting out there and having a surf. Having a go. As long as the body feels fine then I'll keep doing it.
"That's how you get better at it. How you stay at a certain level. By just going out and surfing every day.''
The Dancing with the Stars contestant, who dipped out early in the television dancing competition this year, said surfing had gained a huge amount of popularity since he first started surfing as a youngster.
"It has grown massively in the past. You've got all these young guys coming through and having a go.''
Quinn showed no signs of slowing down and still believed he could be as good as in previous years.
"I think Kelly Slater had done a lot for keeping guys in the sport. He has changed the perception of the sport - shown that you can get into your 40s and still perform at a high level.''
Quinn has no plans for retirement.
Surfing is more or less his profession and has been for many years.
But he is not looking any further ahead than tomorrow and the final.
When the championships were last held at St Clair in 2010, his brother Jay won the final, although Maz made it through to the final.
Maz Quinn won his first title in 1996 and won a further three after that - 2000, 2004, 2006 - and will be hoping to make it a 20-year celebration of his first title.
If he wins tomorrow he will match the all-time records of Wayne Parkes and Iain Buchanan with five titles each.
Stairmand is also on four titles and will also match the record, if he wins.
