Mike’s Bio
Surfing/Sailing/Lifeguarding/Films:
Mike began surfing in 1963, at age 12, and was one of the original 14 New Smyrna Beach, Florida, surfers. Mike was an original member of the Smyrna Surf Club (the predecessor to the Smyrna Surfari Club) and one of 8 surfers named to the Club’s Competition Team in 1965. In 1966, Mike won First Place in the very first surf contest ever held in New Smyrna Beach and became a member of the Daytona Beach Surf Shop Surf Team. Mike won many trophies in Central Florida surf contests in the late ‘60s and also competed in paddling races, taking First Place in the paddling competition at the 1968 Florida State Championships in Daytona Beach. Mike worked as a lifeguard in New Smyrna Beach during the early ‘70s, making over 100 rescues, and was chosen Lifeguard of the Year for Volusia County, Florida, in 1972. Mike began racing Hobie Cats in the mid ‘70s, and was the Division 15 (Northern Gulf Coast, Texas through Florida) Hobie 14 Champion in 1980.
Upon moving to the Monterey Bay area of California in the early ‘80s, Mike quickly embraced the powerful waves and rich surfing culture of nearby Santa Cruz. Surfing short boards through the ‘80s, but transitioning back to longboards by the ‘90s, Mike made Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz his adopted home break. Mike also competed successfully in local amateur surf contests, winning or placing in many contests in the Santa Cruz area throughout the ‘90s.
Mike began making longboard surf films in the early ‘90s, focusing mainly on the action around Santa Cruz and his numerous surf trips to Central America. Mike established the KahunaVideo Channel on You Tube in 2011 to make his surf films widely accessible. These films have been viewed over 420,000 times in more than 190 countries around the world, and KahunaVideo has become the leading Longboard Surfing Channel on You Tube. Mike’s films have been featured on SurfMovies.org, and several of his films were presented at the annual New Smyrna Beach Surf Film Festival.
Mike was featured in the book Surfing in New Smyrna Beach, the book Surfing Florida, the surfing history exhibit Surfing Florida: A Photographic History, the surfing history exhibit If Everybody Had an Ocean, Locals Only Surf Magazine, Stoke Magazine, the film Surfin’ Surfari - The Origins of the Smyrna Surfari Club, and the The New Smyrna Beach Museum of East Coast Surfing. Mike was named as a member of the New Smyrna Beach Surfing “Hall of Fame” in the March 2009 Edition of Surfing Magazine.
Mike has also been an effective advocate for preserving the surf break at the New Smyrna Inlet by speaking out against a proposed plan to extend the south jetty at The Inlet.
Mike is the author of Surf Trip: A Coming of Age Story in the Golden Era of Surfing, which can be purchased from all the major book sellers. In 2022 Mike was interviewed on the Surf Strong Elite Podcast.
Professional Career:
Mike graduated from New Smyrna Beach High School in 1969 and attended Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) on a full academic scholarship. He earned a B.S. in Physical Oceanography from Florida Tech in 1973, graduating first in his class. Mike then entered graduate school at the University of Miami on a full Research Assistantship, won a Fellowship in Scientific Computing from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in 1974, and earned a M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Miami in 1975. He worked for Science Applications Incorporated (now SAIC) in the late '70s and the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity (now part of the Naval Research Lab) in the early '80s. He joined the U.S. Navy’s global weather and ocean prediction center, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), in 1983, where he held a variety of technical and managerial positions over the course of 28 years with the organization. He was promoted to the GS-15 civil service rank in 1993.
Following a competitive nationwide search, Mike was chosen as Technical and Scientific Director of FNMOC in August of 2005. As such, he served as the senior civilian at FNMOC, until his retirement from government service in August of 2011. As FNMOC Technical and Scientific Director, he had responsibility for managing all aspects of the organization, including a civilian workforce of approximately 140, an annual budget of approximately $27 million, a capital investment of approximately $120 million, and one of the most powerful supercomputer centers in the world. Naval forces all around the world depend on FNMOC products to keep them safe from dangerous weather and ocean conditions and improve their operational effectiveness. And predictions from FNMOC’s state-of-the-art ocean wave models, which were managed by Mike for over 25 years, provide the foundation for the commercial surf prediction industry and support surfers worldwide.
Mike served as a member of the Executive Council of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and as a senior civilian leader of the Navy’s Information Dominance Corps, with frequent and significant interactions with Admirals and members of the government’s Senior Executive Service. Mike held a Department of Defense TOP SECRET clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). Through the nature of his work for Navy, he was entrusted with some of the Nation’s most sensitive secrets. He also served as a technical advisor to senior leaders of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on a variety of issues. Mike appeared on CNN, Fox News, Discovery Channel, The History Channel and in numerous local TV interviews speaking about Navy weather and ocean prediction.
Mike authored or coauthored over 100 publications in meteorology, oceanography and information technology. He received over 50 awards, letters of appreciation, and other recognition, including the Navy’s highest civilian award (the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award with gold medal, signed by the Secretary of the Navy), a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), the Navy’s second highest civilian award (the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award with silver medal), two instances of the Navy’s third highest civilian award (the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award with bronze medal), a share of a National Oceanographic Partnership Program Award for Excellence in Partnering, a share of two Government Technology Leadership Awards for Information Technology projects, and a Navy publication award. Mike was nominated for the Captain Robert Dexter Conrad Award in 1994, the Navy’s highest award for scientific achievement. Mike retired from Federal Service in 2011 and was inducted into the FNMOC Hall of Fame in 2015, becoming the 25th person so honored in the 55 year history of the organization.
Click here for documents from Mike’s Navy career. Click here for a 2011 TV interview with Mike about the mission, capabilities and history of FNMOC. Click here for a video of Mike’s induction into the FNMOC Hall of Fame in 2015.
Retirement Activities:
Mike worked part time as the Military Affairs Coordinator for the City of Monterey, in support of the Monterey Bay Defense Alliance (MBDA), from 2017 to 2020. He gives occasional invited lectures on Ocean Wave Prediction in the Oceanography Department at the Naval Postgraduate School, serves on the Board of the Museum of East Coast Surfing at New Smyrna Beach, serves as the President of the Monterey Peninsula Cypressaires Barbershop Chorus, and serves as a volunteer mentor for students at Marina High School.
Mike wrote for the Cedar Street Times and later the Pacific Grove Press (the weekly newspapers for Pacific Grove, CA) from 2013 to the present, mainly covering the Leon Panetta Lecture series in Monterey. Mike’s Panetta Lecture articles in the Cedar Street Times can be found here for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. His Panetta Lecture articles in the Pacific Grove Press can be found here for 2022. Mike has also served on the Question Review Team for the Panetta Lecture Series since 2021, working behind-the-scenes to select and often write the questions that Secretary Panetta asks his panelists.
Mike gives frequent public lectures on climate change and chairs the Monterey County Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL). Visit Climate Change Matters - With Mike Clancy to see videos of Mike’s recent public presentations on climate change. Mike previously wrote a monthly column on climate change for the Pacific Grove Press, and currently co-hosts the bi-weekly radio show Be Bold America on KSQD 90.7 FM in Santa Cruz.
In late 2022, Mike made his acting debut by playing the role of Santa Cruz surfer and “Tribal Elder” Jerry Johnston in the feature film, A Long Road to Tao. Set in California and New Mexico in 1989, this film tells a powerful true story of life, death, brotherhood and personal transformation. It will premiere at the Las Cruces International Film Festival in April 2024.
And, of course, Mike continues to surf year-round in his seventies, mainly at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz.
Mike on a nice wave in Central America, 2015.
Mike receiving the Navy’s highest civilian award at his retirement ceremony at FNMOC in 2011. With CAPT Jim Pettigrew, Commanding Officer, FNMOC.
Mike lecturing on ocean wave and surf prediction at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, 2014.
Poster announcing one of Mike’s Climate Change Lectures.
Mike giving a Climate Change Lecture to the Monterey Peninsula Chapter of the League of Women Voters, 2020.
A scene from A Long Road to Tao, with Mike playing the role of Jerry, in conversation with the lead character, Dayne, played by KC Deane.
Movie poster for A Long Road to Tao.
