Gavin Beschen is a giver. Aside from giving us all a few decades of that one of a kind mantis-like style and flow, Gavin Beschen also gave us hats…a skateboard, a frozen turkey from Foodland, and he constantly fed us from his garden. And this isn’t rare. Apparently — as validated by his sponsors at Volcom and close friends — when Gavin travels, he gives everything away. EVERYTHING. Full board bags and backpacks and duffel bags return empty, every single time. Usually he doesn’t even come home with the bags. “Leaving a trail of aloha wherever he goes.”

Being around Gavin is like being around a guru. From his approach at his truck, offering leashes, boards, wax, knowledge, to his interactions in the North Shore community, to the way he floats out to the lineup. (He does not paddle out, he floats in a nonchalant, “I’ll get there when I get there” way that seems to epitomize the North Shore lifestyle he embodies.

I’ve always admired Gavin demeanor from afar, once at a young age I watched him paddle out at Lowers from the right, AKA, the long way, and watched him float from so far outside he could of snagged a wave at Old Man’s. Floating in and then he put on that classic flow show at the world’s most crowded wave before floating back in and continuing his day. The past week it’s been inspiring to watch him up close in his element on the North Shore, with his family, friends and his community in the water. So here, in this new episode of 4 Cities, we watch one of the true style gurus of our age in his natural habitat on the North Shore of Oahu. Thanks for having us Gavin. And thanks for all those star fruits. Still our favorite.—Travis