Mauro Diaz gets a lot of beers bought for him. He’s a young throwback to a time when professional surfers were down. Friendly, and ready for anything as long as it promised an adventure, guys who could bounce back and forth between chatting to the heaviest guy in the lineup and a cute girl on the beach, charming everyone involved. Ya just want to get the guy a beer when you talk to him.

We met Mauro a while back when he literally hitched a ride from LAX to San Diego to meet up with us on our “So-California” road trip. Straight off the plane from Indo on his way home to Puerto Rico and he pulled an audible to join us. Instead of making someone come pick him up, he overheard some guys who’d been drinking on his flight say they were heading to San Diego when they landed. He jumped in with them and was dropped off and surfing Windansea by sunset with us. Legend (and I don’t say that lightly).

Mauro is currently enrolled at the art school Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico in Old San Juan studying painting. “I graduated high school and then just went traveling right out of school,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to learn more about stuff and get better at techniques and all that.” And while most people spent the pandemic lockdown making bread, Mauro went back to school.

He recently starred in a short film with Balaram Stack called Aqui that Matt Tromberg of Metal Neck made. Tromberg’s soundtracks and underground core surf vids are some of the best things happening in surfing right now. Aqui is just another celebration of that. In a world gone Vlog mad, watching Bal and Mauro duke it out at perfect Deserts is what we all need.

We caught up with Mauro and had him answer the Proust questionnaire. The legend continues.

INHERENT BUMMER: What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Mauro Diaz: Living a stress-free life without people fucking up your energy and hanging out with whoever you want to hang out with.

What is your greatest fear?

Probably drowning. But not in the ocean, “Fear Factor” style...like getting locked in a pool. I just think that would be the worst.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Not setting boundaries with people.

Which living person do you most admire?

Does it have to be a human being? I think it’s my dog right now. His name is Toro, bull in Spanish. He’s a pretty rad being.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I definitely have to say surfboards. Even if I don’t have the money, I’ll just order it.

What is your current state of mind?

Relaxed. Pretty relaxed and balanced. I had some school today — I have school every day from 12 to 3. I haven’t been surfing that much because I got my septum fixed. I couldn’t breathe at all, so I had surgery a month ago. Now I’m breathing like never before [laughs], so I’m pretty relaxed. It’s been a pain in the ass to breathe and it was the best decision I’ve ever made getting that taken care of.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Showing off material possessions. Not sure if that is a virtue, but if not I’ll say covering your mouth when you yawn!

On what occasion do you lie?

If I’m going to make the other people feel like shit if I don’t lie...and I don’t know them too well.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I dunno, I’m pretty stoked on it [laughs]. No, maybe...I used to think I have a unibrow, but I don’t think I do anymore.

Which living person do you most despise?

I’d say at the moment, disrespectful tourists in general. I guess tickets to Puerto Rico from everywhere in the U.S. are super cheap right now and it’s been pretty gnarly here, people coming to Puerto Rico and going off. Like shitting in the streets and shit. Pretty out of control in the city, so I despise that right now.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Honest and funny, I guess?

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Probably to be creative.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Well it’s kind of like Puerto Rican slang, but whenever I say, “wow” or “damn,” I say diablo. Diablo means the devil in Spanish. Diablo this, diablo that. I say it way too much, and I’m just calling the devil [laughs].

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Puerto Rican food. Which is a lot of fried meat and rice and beans...but the beans are in this stew with potatoes and pumpkin and vegetables. That type of food.

When and where were you happiest?

Pretty happy right now, but I’d say when I’m in the water, in the ocean chilling, relaxed. The church [laughs].

Which talent would you most like to have?

I’d like to be good with wood and building. Like a carpenter. Be so nice to build my own house. I want to be one of those old guys and be like, “I built this fucking house.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I think I would just drink more water.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Travelling to the places I've been able to.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I would definitely come back as a bird.

Where would you most like to live?

I would like to live in Puerto Rico, in the mountains, in a huge field and have the perfect balance and view of the ocean and mountains.

What is your most treasured possession?

My car. Because if not I’d be stranded. I have a 1999 Honda Accord, green, a low rider! It’s so sick, it’s like a little go-kart. It’s so good on gas, and I can fit a couple boards. I have to pop the seat down with the boards so I can only bring one person [laughs].

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Probably having a good life and being depressed. Having it all and thinking you don’t.

What is your favorite occupation?

Dog walker on that one. Or like dog masseuse? Is that a thing?

What is your most marked characteristic?

Just staying true to myself no matter what.

What do you most value in your friends?

Respect or...that they’re willing to not be afraid to go on a trip or take a leap into the unknown.

Who are your favorite writers?

Right now I’m reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. It’s pretty rad, it’s a spiritual journey. There’s a spot by my house called “Libros y Libres”, and in the middle of the street there are hundreds of books. Take one, you leave one. It’s so rad. Every time I walk through I find one that I take and it’s always so important for me to read it at that point in life. A couple years ago I was going to California and I got On the Road right before I left. I was tripping. The other day I found one by Ramar Yunkel. It has the sickest cover, the book was this crazy trip of these two brothers on their way to find themselves through discovery. I live with my brother right now and he’s the total opposite of me, and we’re having these crazy discussions and energy and I found that book and it was so weird to read all that shit and how it applied to me.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Aragorn from Lord of the Rings [laughs].

Who are your heroes in real life?

Hector Lavoe (musically).

What are your favorite names?

JunioL, Papo

What is it that you most dislike?

When someone is just chewing your ear. That’s what I was saying about boundaries too. You give them your hand and they rip your arm off [laughs].

What is your greatest regret?

Not moving out of my place a couple months ago.

How would you like to die?

I would like to die in my sleep...I used to be afraid of dying in my sleep actually. Either in my sleep or if I’m in the hospital drugged out like...who’s that guy? Doors of Perception? Aldous Huxley! The guy who was sick in the hospital and just told them to give him a bunch of acid…[laughs] nah, I’ll stick with sleep.

What is your motto?

I think my motto used to be, “kill them with kindness.” But I think it’s changed to like, “Don’t forget to look up at the clouds or the sky.” Something more like that.

Watch Mauro and Balaram Stack go off in Aqui, the new film from Metal Neck and Matt Tromberg.