Sara Taylor and Ornella Pellizzari rolled down to Trestles on Thursday where they were greeted with the emptiest Lowers lineup they had ever seen. For an hour there was literally only one other person out. It was an all you can eat wave feast. Doesn’t get much better.

Music:
Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans (PatrickReza Dubstep Remix)

I want to take you on a surfer’s extraordinary journey to Mexico.  But let’s start with something a little different.  It’s a bit of an eye-opener when you travel long-haul and see abject poverty for the first time.  The type of poverty far beyond the shabby downtown areas of the West; kids eating off the street, covered in dirt, lying in some doorway, wild eyes staring at you, starving, scared.  I’ve seen many street kids the world over, mostly passing through on surf trips, brief glimpses of sadness en-route to some comfortable beachfront hotel.  I’ve often wondered where they come from and how bad things must be to live a life on the streets.  I’ve felt the fleeting urge to help but until now, many miles and surf trips later, I’d done nothing.

I recalled the stories of a buddy of mine who has combined his passion for surfing with working for an aid organization.  His seemingly incongruous tales of turquoise barrels and volunteering was part of what inspired me to take up the onerous task of helping those less fortunate (and hopefully scoring a few waves to boot!).  So I booked a ticket to Mexico, to the Misión México orphanage of Tapachula, Chiapas to offer my time and my help.

Upon arrival, I was surprised to encounter a bunch of surfers from many different places and as many walks of life all here to help out and try to make a difference to the lives of some 50 plus orphans and street kids.  Misión México was founded by Pam and Alan Skuse, an Australian couple, who have been providing love, care, education and a home for orphaned and abandoned street kids for ten years.   It´s inspiring stuff and they do amazing work.  You have to go and see it for yourself to believe the patience, commitment and effort that goes into caring for these children and see the progress they’ve made.  Alan and Pam are well used to seeing surfer volunteers come through their doors particularly in the past two years since the surf movie Somewhere Near Tapachula.  “ It’s a great opportunity to come help the kids and make a difference,” says Pam, “but we like the volunteers to keep in mind that their duties come first, the surfing is a bonus!”

Getting His First Rides - All Smiles!

Perhaps most amazing though is the surfing programme they provide for the kids at the weekends.  Every Sunday morning, some sixty kids and volunteers pile into two vans and make the bumpy journey through town, jungle and farmland–stereo blaring–to the beach to catch some waves.  It’s pretty hilarious squeezing thirty kids into every available inch of each van complete with boards and all, but to say the kids love it is an understatement!

Sunday surf trips are definitely the highlight of the week and a welcome distraction from school-work, chores and worries.  The kids are absolutely stoked on surfing and the beach; they happily talk to you about different waves and maneuvers they pulled off all recounted with wide eyes, animated, re-living the rides they’ve had.  Some of the teenagers surf exceptionally well, gouging big turns, throwing buckets and making barrels.  The whole atmosphere is very relaxed and at the same time fantastic fun, it’s all good energy.  The younger ones are very brave and eager to learn, you see them charging the powerful beachbreak and shrugging off wipeouts that made me wince with a shake of the head and a smile.  Looking around me and seeing such a big bunch of happy surfers made me realize that surfing and volunteering go hand in hand.  It’s a pretty fantastic way to see some of the world, get a few waves and I guess, give a little back.   We as surfers are a pretty open-minded bunch by and large and we should all try and be conscious of these things particularly in this changing world of ours.

Yimi On An Overhead Bomb

Having experienced through surfing how we can help others less fortunate makes me understand what a wonderful gift this pastime of ours is.  Apart from the sheer physical pleasure of riding waves it runs much deeper.  Surfing allows us the chance to explore new lands and meet new people, to make a difference.  When we use surfing as a vehicle to reach out and help others, it becomes a way of transcending boundaries, a way of crossing cultural and economic divides.  It is such a positive force.  I definitely felt a sense of this after spending time with the kids at the beach.  Seeing them laughing their little heads off, elated from catching waves is wonderful!  Surfing and the ocean sets them free from their difficult pasts, if only momentarily and they are liberated from worries, anxieties, and bad behavior!  “Surfing is a vital factor in their development and one of the things that keeps them grounded”, Pam says.  I found myself nodding my head.  It’s true: surfing is an integral part of helping those kids experience a bit of straight-up-joy out of life.

For me, getting out there and catching a few waves together with the kids and the other volunteers was a really golden experience.  The happy, uplifting vibe in the water, hooting, laughing and calling each other into waves really makes for a refreshing change from the often egoist and macho line-ups that can typify the sport today.   There is a strong and positive energy surfing with those kids in Tapachula–or Taps as it’s affectionately called.

The surf in Taps, Chiapas is not on par with the more renowned neighboring spots of Oaxaca or Michocan, however, we scored some punchy, glassy lefts on more than a few occasions.  The rides for the most part were short but fast, a steep drop and a racy section that threw out and formed the odd barrel for those quick enough to pull in.  Tapachula is about 30 miles north of the Guatemala border, it’s a sparsely populated area so there is a wealth of empty coastline to explore.  Mostly powerful, hollow beachbreak but there are some points that work with a larger swell.  I saw many a smile to testify to the quality of the waves!

Chiapas has remained pretty much untouched and untainted by mass surf-tourism, and a major plus is the crowds–or rather, the complete lack of them.  Every day we surfed we were the only ones out.  This may change in the future as Moacir Zeldon, 20, (standing, far right, group shot), Pam and Alan’s eldest, plans to start a surf school, “Mission Surf”, in the area in early 2011.  I can only think of it as a positive step forward both for the orphanage itself and for the aspiring local groms who will enjoy this stunning coastline, gain an introduction to surfing and expand the surfing population in Chiapas.  The Mission Surf surf school is a vital step for the orphanage.  It will allow Alan and Pam to make steps towards becoming self-sufficient and provide employment opportunities for the kids in the future.  “We hope with setting up the surf school business that the kids will have a job and a future in Tapachula,” says Alan who himself is a surfer.  Personally, I think it’s an excellent idea and I wish them every possible success as it will cater for the futures of many of these kids for whom life without Alan or Pam, or indeed surfing would have been vastly different.

Somewhere Near Tapachula...

My experience was very memorable both for meeting those kids and sharing some of the epic waves and I’d definitely do it again. One of the volunteers who I worked, Hamish, a surfer from the Gold Coast, summed it up perfectly for me: “Surf trips can be quite hedonistic, if everyone could give some of their time just once to volunteer to help on a surf trip it would really be something”.  I couldn’t agree more.  With so many aid agencies, orphanages and refuges with coastal locations it´s no wonder some surfers are taking up the opportunity to volunteer.  I´m not saying you should don a veil and start handing out bread on the high street à la Mother Teresa but I mean who wouldn’t want to do something adventurous and meaningful and get some waves into the bargain?!!

So just before you jump online to book your next boat trip consider throwing a bit of volunteering into the mix.    I can guarantee you a challenging and most rewarding experience.  Moreover, when you find yourself smiling that secret little grin of contentment after a well-deserved surf,  trust me, you’ll know you”ve done something really special.

——-

For more information, please visit the Misión México website.

As you may or may not have heard already, the ASP and Quiksilver have announced that one of the stops on the 2011 WCT Dream Tour will be Long Island, New York.  Yep, you heard that right.  And the prize purse is an astronomical one million dollars.

The announcement of Long Island as a location wasn’t really a huge surprise, at least for me, as rumors about this have been circulating for a while.  There are a multitude of reasons behind this new tour stop – New York City is the perfect backdrop for some new scenery on the WCT, but it will be interesting to see what kind of impact this will have on the New York surf scene.

New York is slowly becoming more well known as being a spot for great surf on the East Coast.  Where previously you’d get a few chuckles and curious looks if you said you surfed in New York, you’ll now get a few knowing nods.  As someone who grew up surfing in New York it has been interesting to see the change from one of the better secrets of East Coast surfing to headliner in Surfer Magazine’s top ten surf town lists.  The New York Surf Film festival has become quite a success as well, drawing big name filmmakers and premieres.  Add in Montauk as a stop on Joel Tudor’s successful and popular Duct Tape Invitational, and it has been placed firmly on the map.

Montauk Lights Up During Hurricane Bill, 2009 - photo Hayley Gordon

The tour stop will be in Western Long Island, where the beach breaks create a heavier, hollower wave.  Eastern Long Island is incredibly consistent with rock reefs and point breaks, but it’s easy see how the contest organizers want to have the contest closer to New York City where they can party hardy and hold large capacity events.  I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if Surf Lodge in Montauk gets in on the scene in some way, shape or form.

Quiksilver has been slowly edging into the New York surf scene since their Manhattan store opened up.  It was a curiosity for many at first – a surf shop in New York City?  But now there are quite a few.  Mollusk in Brooklyn, Saturdays surf in SoHo.  Surfing in NY is the new black.

The catch, however, is that while Long Island can get world class surf, it can be extremely fickle.  September is generally the best time of the year, when hurricanes travel up the eastern seaboard delivering long period, quality swell.  The gulf stream delivers warm water, with temps staying in the upper 60’s and 70’s through the month.  New York is not California, however, and 10 day flat spells are not unheard of.  September is the best bet for holding the contest, however, and Surfline has done a study  so organizers will keep their fingers crossed.  According to the press release, Surfline has certified that this is the best and most consistent time window for good surf on Long Island:

“Surfline.com, the world’s leading forecaster of wave and surf conditions, conducted an independent long term 15-year wave study for western Long Island, New York, summarizing that September 4-15 is one of the most consistent time periods for sizable surf in the region. In addition, independent local feedback supports these findings, with September typically averaging 3+ hurricane swells, typically with at least one 3-4 day swell.”

Last September delivered excellent surf, especially from Hurricane Danielle.  And forecasters are calling for an above average hurricane year for 2011.  But they’ve been saying that for years and things have remained relatively quiet.

I have to say that if they’re going to hold the event in New York they had best give a few locals a wildcard.  Balaram Stack or Leif Engstrom should absolutely be in this contest.  It will be interesting to see how this event pans out.  If quality surf arrives then you can expect it to be a smash hit.  However, if the Atlantic doesn’t come through then it might be the first and last stop here in NY for the ASP.  One thing we can know for certain is that it will be a fun week and a half to hang out in NYC.

photo ASP/Kirsten

The incredibly sad news that Andy Irons, 32, has passed away spread through the surfing community like wildfire the afternoon of November 2.  First many hoped it was a false alarm, but slowly the stories were confirmed.

The exact cause of death is unknown at this point in time, but it is believed to have been caused by Dengue fever which has been causing a small epidemic in the Caribbean.  Andy was returning home after withdrawing from the ASP Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico due to illness, and was too sick to board his connecting flight to Hawaii from Texas.  As yet unconfirmed reports say he was found dead in his hotel room.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Andy.  It is incredibly sad and surreal that his life was cut short so soon.

For more up to date information stay tuned to Surfermag.com.

To an Athlete Dying Young
by A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl’s.

My first surfboard was a Bing Foil, purchased for $75 in the summer of 1970

Every surfer remembers their first surfboard.

There is something mystical about it. For some odd reason, you remember the who, what, where, why and when of it all. Ask any surfer what his/her first board was, and they’ll rattle off the color, the dimensions, and whatever became of it.

And you want to know why?

It is because you get so much more from the purchase of a surfboard than fiberglass and foam; you get an attitude that comes with it, and it is something no one can ever take away from you.

No matter your gait, when you put a surfboard under your arm, it becomes a strut. You enter a whole new realm with a surge of confidence that you never had before.

During the summer of  2009, I was coaxed into the world of Facebook by a dear friend. While chatting with my old surf buddy Scott Collings, we recalled our first boards, entering into this really cool state of stoke that had us both typing like banshees!

I told him about my first board, a 6’10” Bing “Foil” that I purchased in the summer of 1970 for a mere $75 from my friend Stanley Trapp.

For me it was a gold mine, for it was just like the board that Rolf Aurness had won the World Title with the previous month. And at the same moment I was taking ownership of my new Foil, my brother Jimmy was surfing up and down the California coast with none other than…Rolf Aurness.

I rode that Foil the entire summer before it was stolen from my carport just like mom had warned me it would if I didn’t put it away.

Scott told me about his first time surfing, about he and his brother Jeff riding an old log with the glass half torn off (talk about itchy). Then he bragged about his first board, a 9’4″ TP by Allen (Total Performance), a Christmas gift from his dad when he was ten years old.

We progressed into our second boards and our thirds. There was lots of namedropping and placedropping, and we went on for hours.

“Boy, does this bring back good times,” said Scott.

And I agreed.

So I got an idea to start a group on facebook called, you guessed it, “My First Surfboard.”

Upon creating the group, I realized I had no pictures of my first surfboard, so I googled for an image of a Bing Foil, found one, and contacted surf legend Bing Copeland seeking permission to use the photo.

Bing Copeland's first surfboard, a 10' Simmons, 1950

Imagine my surprise when Bing responded! Copeland not only granted his permission, but he joined the group and sent along a photo of his first board, as well. He wrote:

“My first (real) surfboard was a 10’ 1950 Simmons that Bob Simmons made for me. It weighed 45 lbs. and cost $45.00. I remember Greg Noll and I would meet at the clubhouse at the Manhattan Pier just before dawn and put on our trunks (still wet from the night before) and wait at the waters edge until it got light enough to see the waves. Then we would paddle out and catch five or six waves until we had to hightail it up the hill to the school bus stop. We would wait for the bus with salt on our skin and sand in our hair. Those were really carefree days.”

Carefree indeed!

Just a few days later, I was endeared to read a post from a long lost friend, Rick Wilkinson. Rick grew up surfing Jacksonville Beach, and…aw heck, let him tell the story:

“My first stick was a “Malibu” pop out, and I bought it at Procter Ace Hardware in Jacksonville Beach, 1965. It seemed, at that time there were waves every day, and there were. Buff Hart, Jimmy Hart, Roach, Flash, Hathaway, Dennis Glosklose, Dave Doerr, Red Danner, Larry Miniard, Bruce Clelland, the Roland’s, the Rosborough’s, David Lambert, Bill Hixon, Tim New, Chuck Bull, Mark Nauman, Charlie Bullard, Ronnie McClane, Gordo Guthrie, Gary Walker & Buddy Haack. A crowded day was 5 people. 7th Avenue North, Atlantic Beach Pier, Vilano & Dickinson’s Surfs Shop. Then, it was the ultimate. Weber Performers, Access 5 at dawn, 33rd Avenue South, the Ellis brothers, the DeLoach brothers, Larry Caldwell & Simpson. We were gods…pioneers…tripping the surf fantastic…we were the beach.”

If you’re not a surfer, Rick’s post just might appear to ramble. However, if you grew up surfing in North Florida in the sixties, it undoubtedly, not only flows, it strikes a familiar chord that anyone who has ever ridden a wave can more than relate to.

In the upcoming months, more and more people joined, including a few more heavy hitters, and some sent along pictures. Two photos in particular caught my eye, as they seemed to epitomize the joy and fascination of board ownership.

Sarah Arnold Jacobs' first surfboard, a yellow paneled JACOBS, Palos Verses, CA, 1964

First was one of a teenage girl, circa 1964, clad in her madras bikini and clutching an 8’2” Jacobs with a smile equally as big. Her name is Sarah Arnold Jacobs, and she wrote:

“My first board was a yellow paneled JACOBS longboard that I rode in ‘64. Purchased from JACOBS Surfboards in Hermosa Beach, I surfed RAT as I lived in Palos Verdes. I loved that board! An 8′ 2″, it was perfect!”

The picture was so priceless; we befriended one another and were soon chatting surf into the wee hours of the morning. We’ve become more than just “facebook friends.” Sarah is one of my biggest supporters, having linked me up with the likes of Corky Carroll for a recent story and helping me with my writing in other areas, as well. In fact, “typing like a banshee!” is her line. I stole it from her.

We still chat whenever one of us sees the other online, and the stories never seem to end.

I hope they never do.

Lynn Allen Paulsen's first surfboard, a Velzy, Surfside, TX, 1963

Just a few months later, a post appeared by My First Surfboard’s newest member, Lynn Allen Paulsen of Texas. All she wrote was:

“A Velzy and can’t remember the length. That was in the 60′s.”

While Lynn’s post was rather succinct, to say the least, it was the photo accompanying her post that grabbed my attention: An 11-year-old girl posing on the beach at Surfside, Texas, circa 1963, with a classic Velzy. She may not have remembered the length of her board, but there was no question as to the length of her smile: At least a mile wild.

Over the past 15 months, hundreds of fascinating posts have appeared on MFS, from all over the world and all walks of life. But just the other day, its newest member posted what has to be my favorite.

A Coolite "Midget Farrelly Pro Champ" model

Stuart D’Arcy of Queensland, Australia wrote:

“My first surfboard was a Colonel Sanders Coolite which came free with a 13 piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for my 8th Birthday (1971). I learned to surf on that little thing and after 2 years progressed to an 8’6 longboard which I soon swapped for 6’7” G&S Stinger swallow tail…the rest is history…been surfing… and shaping boards ever since..lovin’ it!!!”

Now, why would that be of any significance? What is so special about a massed produced, “foamie” board that came free with a bucket of chicken?

Well, you’ve got to admit: It is a cool story. Coolites were a molded course bubble (Polystyrene) foam board made for beginners. Much like the USA’s Styrofoam boards, found at any coastal drugstore or five & dime, they were basically a cut-down version of the “real” surfboards being ridden by the likes of Midget Farrelly, who endorsed the 4’10″ boards for Hanimex Pty Ltd.

Coolites, advertised as “the safe way” to enter the sport, soon flooded Australia beaches and were the first boards for not only D’Arcy, but the like of future World Champions Tom Carrol,  Damien Hardman and Pam Burridge.

D’Arcy’s particular story is made even cooler by the fact that, almost 40 years later, Stuart is the owner of D’Arcy Surfboards, Australia’s leading environmentally friendly surfboard manufacturer. Stuart, himself, is a world-renowned shaper, custom building for surfers of all levels, including 7-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley and Asher Pacey. The fact that Stuart’s foray into the wonderful world of surfing was a KFC Coolite, well, that just seems to capture the heart and soul of what MFS has come to be.

Stuart D'Arcy shaping what just may become someone's "First Surfboard"

You see, whether you’re a heavy hitter like Bing Copeland or Stuart D’Arcy, or just a plain, ordinary surfer like Scott, Rick, Sarah, Lynn or myself, it doesn’t really matter.

Surfboard ownership is a coveted ticket to a whole new dimension, a truly special relationship with Mother Nature that no amount of money can buy. There are millions of surfers around this great, big world, and only a precious few truly master the sport. But all surfers have one thing in common: They have the attitude.

Check that…make it two things: They all remember their first surfboard, too.

Aloha! I am Makahele Koa Alaia. In a former life, I was a majestic Koa tree, born and raised in the I’o Valley on the island of Maui. But now,  I have been reincarnated as an alaia, for it was my destiny.

In a former life, I was a majestic Koa tree, born and raised in the I’o Valley on the island of Maui

For those unfamiliar with my species, I am Arcacia Koa. Koa trees were once the kings of the Hawaiian forest, growing to heights greater than 100 feet with a base of more than 10 feet, and protected by a fearless god. The name Koa means “bold, brave, fearless warrior.” Koa symbolizes health, wealth and general well-being. One Hawaiian blessing goes: “E ola koa!” or “Let him live with the health, wealth and well-being of a Koa tree.”

Koa has always been prized for its reddish-brown, fine-textured wood. Carpenters and craftsmen alike have always been attracted to its low shrinkage, workability, and unique ability to cure from green wood to finished product without cracking. It provided the early Hawaiians with a stable wood from which to build houses, canoes, and most importantly for the sake of you readers, surfboards.

You see, in Ancient Hawaii, surfing–or he’e nalu–was of great spiritual magnitude.  Everything from praying for waves to the art of making boards was ritualistic. The board you rode and even the wood in which it was constructed determined your place in the society’s pecking order.

Under the kapu system of laws, the ali’i, or ruling class, was above all others. The commoners surfed on paipos or alaias made of ula or koa wood, and the ruling class rode another type of board made of the more buoyant wili wili wood, called an olo.

I, personally, am proud being the wood of the commoner. E ola koa!

I began my life on this earth in the I’o Valley on the island of Maui, a site of a historic significance.  In 1790 the Battle of Kepaniwai took place there, in which Kamehameha the Great, a surfer, defeated Kalanikupule and the Maui army during his campaign to unify the islands. The battle was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked the I’o Stream, and the battle site was named Kepaniwai, meaning “the damming of the waters.”

While I was born in the I’o Valley, I’m not actually quite sure of my birth date. All I know is that Koa trees may be the most ancient tree species in the Hawaiian archipelago. Scientists believe that as a species koa is millions of years old.

I do know that in February of 1911 my life as a tree came to an end. That month I was harvested by a ship’s captain (and surfer), and shipped all the way to North Florida where I was to become part of a house to be built on the St. John’s River.

That house, however, was never built, so I’ve spent the past 99 years as a plank, 6 feet 11 inches tall, 16 inches wide and one inch thick, sitting in a barn with hundreds of other Koa planks.

I’ve spent the past 99 years as a plank, 6 feet 11 inches tall, 16 inches wide and one inch thick, sitting in a barn with hundreds of other Koa planks

About three years ago, a surfboard shaper named Greg Hall, was contacted by a group of lawyers and informed that he was the recipient of myself and all of my other Koa plank friends, willed to him by the dying ship’s captain.

Greg, who had taught board shaping and water safety to kids at the Haleiwa Surf Center back in the 70s had taught the captain’s grandchildren the art of surfboard making.  The captain was impressed not only with Greg’s prowess, but more importantly, his Aloha Spirit, and he left Greg all of the precious Koa under four stipulations:

One, he was to never divulge the name of the family or the location of the wood. Two, he was not to pay for any of it. Three, he could use all he wanted.  And four, he could use it only to build surfboards.

When Marion Stratford, a surf writer from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, heard this story he was, to say the least, blown away.  He told the story here on The Surfing Handbook, and in the following days got to know Greg better.  As the stories unfolded there was one thing for certain: He had to have one of the magnificent alaias that Greg was building.

Marion promptly placed his order for an original Koa Alaia.

So, after sitting in the barn for 99 years, Greg came and rescued me on Monday, August 23, 2010.  From that day forward I was to begin a new life as an Alaia.  I bid my other Koa friends “Aloha” and told them, “I’ll see you in the water.”

My first stop was Greg’s house in Altamont Springs, Florida, where I would literally take shape. Greg called Marion and gave him my specifics:

“Koa Plank
Harvested in Feb, 1911 at I’O valley, Maui (west Maui, home of the famous I’o needle rock formation)
Characteristics:  Very dense, high lignin content. Arcacia Koa, some checks (cracks I will fill).  Cathedral grain pattern, black stripes therein. Flitch was wrapped and inscribed with the word MAKAHELE.
Cool sounding Hawaiian name, so we will call this board that!”

Princess Ka’iulani “was an expert surfrider,” according to early Twentieth Century surfrider Knute Cottrell.

So with my new life came a new name: Makahele.  Greg decided to shape me from a template of an alaia owned and ridden by Princess Ka’iulani from 1889. Princess Ka’iulani’s Alaia is one of, if not THE oldest surfboard still in existence. It has been housed at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu since 1922; part of the estate donated by Ka`iulani’s father Archibald Cleghorn.

Born Victoria Ka’iulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawekiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn in 1875, Ka’iulani was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai’i and held the title of crown princess. She became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination. After the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 she spearheaded a campaign to restore the Kingdom, but her negotiations could not prevent the eventual annexation. And, oh yeah, she was a surfer.

She “was an expert surfrider,” according to early Twentieth Century surfrider Knute Cottrell. “She apparently was the last of the old school at Waikiki.”

Needless to say, I am honored to carry on the tradition of such a great princess.

So, on Monday, September 6, 2010, I was shaped in the form of the Princess’ alaia. A tremendously heartfelt Greg wrote:

“Marion Stratford’s alaia is getting shaped by history! This template is from Princess Ka’iulani’s alaia from 1889, Hawaii. It will be about 7’2″ or so, depending on the tailblocks added. Makahele is destined to go surfing in Florida first, where she has already lived hidden within an old plank in a barn for 100 years! You cannot appreciate the wonderful feeling I have making these recreations of Princess Ka’iulani’s surfboards, unless, of course, you know the tragic history that is her story and America’s greatest disgraceful act. In a nutshell, she was a very beautiful and brave little surfer girl who surpassed all expectations in a hard Victorian world. There is little written how she had to sneak to the beach, away from the missionaries, to ride inside the very hollow tubes of Queen’s surf and even the huge “Bluebirds”, way outside with the big boys; this even before Duke Kahanamoku was even born! Just think of that! Think of the great joy she knew! You can see it in the shape of her board, can’t you!”

That’s what I really like about Greg: He’s not only a gifted shaper, but he carries within himself the Aloha Spirit, acquired during his 26 year tenure shaping boards and riding big waves on the North Shore. He always handles me with care and uses only hand tools, just like the Ancient Hawaiians 1000 years ago. He even took the time to have me blessed, as is the Hawaiian tradition.

On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Greg sent Marion a few pictures, just to let him know how I was coming along

On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Greg sent Marion a few pictures, just to let him know how I was coming along. He wrote:

“Makahele Alaia has been roughed out, endured the blessings by the Duke and the Tiki, and has been anointed with the first of many coats of oil.”

Marion could only respond:

“Oh my! She’s beautiful!!!!”

Greg’s comeback:

“When I make these and see the grain that has been hidden by dirt and sawdust, you can’t imagine how hard it is to accept the fact that this can’t be mine and I have to pass it on. Oh, it’s a joy for sure, but like any parent, always a tough thing!”

Quite flattering, I must say. But I must admit… I do look pretty good, don’t I?

Gotta admit...I am looking good, aren't I?

So, having been blessed by the Duke and the Tiki, I looked forward to being branded with Greg’s honu petroglyph, the logo for his Petroglyph Surfboards.

On Thursday, September 16, 2010, Greg’s honu petroglyph was burned in (painless), and the first coat of oil was applied. Greg wrote:

“I am making “MAKAHELE,” Marion Stratford’s stunning Koa wood Alaia. Here is a teaser picture of the baby Alaia, with it’s “Honu” seaturtle petroglyph leaving a trail under the very first coat of oil on the Deck. The board is 6′ 11″ long, made from Koa wood from the mountains that form I’o valley, Maui.”

On Thursday, September 16, 2010, Greg’s honu petroglyph was burned in (painless)

The following two weeks were spent being caressed with daily coats of tung oil. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, or should I say, “tube.”

On September 26, 1010, Greg sent Marion the message he had been anxiously waiting for. Greg wrote:

“Aloha kau ko! Makahele ready fo’ pick up! As dey say around the Paniole ranchland when da kaukau stay pau, ‘Come and git’ da grinds!’ (translated pidgin English: ‘Why, Hello, my very good man! Your Koa wood Alaia surfboard that we have named Makahele is finished, and ready to be appropriated into your possession!’ As they say on the Hawaiian cowboy ranches when the dinner has been prepared and ready to eat, ‘Please come and partake in Dinner!’”

Marion arranged to drive down to Altamont Springs, but then Greg had another idea. It turns out that Greg was attending the 10th Annual Beach Bash at Bethune Beach on October 3. It was decided that Marion would drive down to the bash and pick me up that Sunday.

And so it was. Greg and I drove to Bethune Beach and met Marion, who I must say, sure does grin a lot! I don’t know if it was me, or the alcohol, or what, but he wore a smile that never left his face the entire day. In fact, he’s still smiling.

Delivery to Marion on October 3, 2010. I told you he grins a lot!

Today, I am standing in Marion’s living room. The house is sweet with the delightful scent of tung oil, and I’m fond of the new crib. I miss Greg, but at least he sold me to a surfer who is aware of and appreciates my humble beginnings and the lives I have led thus far. I’m certain we will have a wonderful life together.

Marion has lots of friends who all tend to admire me, offering “oohs” and “aahs” as they fondle me from nose to tail. They speak of my hard rails and beautiful grain, and quite honestly, it can get to one’s head a bit (but just a little)!

However, that being said, I’ve got to tell you, after one week, I’m starting to get a little agitated. After spending the past 99 years in an old, moldy barn, I’m not exactly diggin’ leaning against Marion’s living room wall.

I’m a beautiful Koa Alaia. I bear the name Makahele. I was born in the I’o Valley, site of Battle of Kepaniwai and inspired by the great Princess Ka’iulani!

Darn it! I am destined to surf… and I wanna get wet!

“E ola koa!”

Thalia Surf Shop

Small local surf shops are an essential part of our culture. These shops are the real deal; they stay small, they support the local surf scene, and most importantly, they are owned and run by people who love surfing. You can find these nuggets all over the world. Most of my favorites just happen to be in my home town of Laguna Beach. Walk a few blocks down Pacific Coast Highway and you will run into several surf shops with completely different surfboards and totally different vibes, but always run by people who love to surf.

The Thalia Surf Shop staff testing the merchandise

Thalia Surf Shop is one of those cool little hangouts. The first time I walked into the shop, I felt like I had entered a time machine and gone back to the golden days of single fin logs and wild colored resin pigments. Although a relatively small store, they carry a beautiful selection of boards by lesser known manufacturers. The kind of boards you almost don’t want to touch for fear of dinging the perfect glass job. However, you totally want to surf these gems.

I cringe to use the word “Retro” in describing shops like these, but when you don’t see any standard thrusters on display, it’s hard not to use that catch phrase.  So what’s really going on here? The collection at Thalia is a reflection of some of the most talented shapers, glassers and artists creating functional wave riding tools that are going to stretch your surfing in different directions.

Thalia Surf Shop - Inside

Plenty of surfers are going to be perfectly happy on their shortboard thrusters, and that’s cool.  However, there will always be a segment of the surfing world that craves new shapes and fin set-ups.  The recent finless craze supports the notion that sometimes we just gotta try new things!  I mean, isn’t it hard enough to surf with fins?  I picture guys like Chris Del Morro walking into a shop like Thalia Surf Shop and getting super stoked on the surfboard shapes, fin set-ups and artwork.

I recently had the opportunity to interview the store manager, Josh Tully, and get his perspective on Thalia’s place in the local scene.

Describe the surfer that is coming to Thalia Surf Shop to buy their next board.
The typical surfer that is going to choose our shop to buy a new board is relatively open-minded when it comes to board selection. We carry boards for all aspects of surfing and wave riding. I think the buyer profile that we tap into is someone that has done their homework and has ridden all types of boards with all types of outlines. We don’t really try to limit our focus on any specific segment of the surfboard market; if anything, we sell what we like to ride. At Thalia we like to expand on new surfboard templates and fin setups while keeping it functional.

You sell what you like to ride, so what do you like to ride?
I ride boards anywhere from five and a half feet to ten feet. Not your “cookie cutter” shapes. It varies on boards, but since we just got out of summer I have been riding my nine foot nine inch Gato Heroi longboard, a five foot ten inch twin fish, six foot quad Speedialer and a six foot eight inch good karma egg. Also, can’t forget my Churchill fins passed down from my dad from the 70’s for bodysurfing. I grew up surfing all the breaks from San Clemente to San O. A lot of fun waves for different boards. Again, so many good waves that stretch along the coast down south.

What’s a common mistake people make when buying a new board?
The biggest mistake that people make when buying a new board is focusing too much on what style they want to become as a surfer and tend to lean towards a board that might be too progressive in performance from the size, outline, and fin setup. I always ask people what beaches they surf. Do you surf point waves, beach break, reef breaks?

The bigger surfboard companies provide a lot of advertising support, but I don’t see those brands in your shop.
Big named surfboard manufacturers have done a good job marketing their brand to today’s surf culture. Don’t get me wrong they have all the skill in the world behind design and performance, but they are just pumped out to quick for us when it comes to our shop.

KookBox Fish

So what are the top selling brands at Thalia Street?
The best sellers would have to be Campbell Brothers Surfboards, Rainbow Surfboards, Regular Surfboards and Kookbox Surfboards.

And the price range?
The price ranges for boards are $550 – $1000.

What advice would you offer a surfer that is still a beginner, but wants to start taking their surfing to the next level?
A surfer with limited experience that wants to try new boards should be looking for functionality. Don’t start with anything too progressive, but something that they can grow into. The board should match the beak that they typically surf.

What are typical questions that you ask your buyers?
What types of breaks do you normally surf? How much do you weigh? What style of board catches your eye? Fish, mid-length, longboard? Then try to determine if a Quad fin, single fin or a thruster works best for the kind of surfing they are progressing towards.

What are the current trends in surfboard design?
Boards are going back to traditional outlines, but with current rail and bottom contours. Fin design is always progressing and so is the placement on the board. We don’t get anything too progressive here in the shop. We typically support “backyard” shapers who are pushing the hand shaped surfboard scene.

How do you feel about the epoxy “revolution?”
Ha, well, I will always push polyurethane because I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to surfboard construction. I know that epoxy can be lighter and more durable, but I feel that the polyurethane boards have more response and flex which is what I prefer.

Anything else you would like to add?
Yes, I hope that people can look at a surfboard as handmade art. I have a lot of friends and family that shape and glass surfboards. The time and effort it takes for the shapers and glassers to arrive at the finished product is truly to be looked at with respect.

I always encourage people looking at surfboards to try new things. Don’t be the guy that sticks to the same dimensions and shaper, push your surfing and open your mind!

/\/(

For more information on Thalia Surf Shop or their boards, visit www.thaliasurf.com

In fact, it can be traced to a specific time and place: June 24, 1956, when a 15-year-old Brentwood girl drove the family Buick to Malibu. No different than you or I, she just wanted to learn to surf. And she just so happened to capture the entire summer in a diary. Her June 24th, 1956 entry:

“Dear Diary,

I didn’t do too much but go to the beach. I didn’t think I’d have fun but I met Mat and he took me out on his surfboard. He let me catch the wave by myself and once I fell off and the board went flying in the air. I didn’t get hurt at all.”

“I remember the first time Gidget came down the stairs at Malibu,” remembers surf legend Mike Doyle. “She was only about five feet tall, weighed less than a hundred pounds, and was carrying a borrowed surfboard that was so big, one end of it was dragging in the sand. She really caught our eye because there weren’t a lot of girl surfers then. Tubesteak Tracy said, ‘Gee, here comes a girl.’”

“Somebody else said, ‘God, she looks like a midget to me.’”

“‘Yeah, a girl midget – a gidget.’”

And the rest is history.

You know Gidget, for her story has been told time and time again.

But a lot of people, even many surfers, don’t realize that there is a real Gidget. The real Gidget, of course, is Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, who, unlike most surfers, decided to capture her summer of ’56 exploits in her diary. And then, her father, Frederick Kohner, turned the endless summer’s account into a best-selling novel in 1957.

Next came the further fictionalized hit movie starring Sandra Dee and James Darren, and with it, the masses. Anyone who didn’t know about surfing did now, and the sport changed forever.

And as of this Thursday night, September 30, Gidget will have gone full circle, when “Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story,” a one-hour documentary produced by Brian L. Gillogly and Master Communication, will show on the edge of the Malibu Pier.

Kathy poses at Point Danger during the Noosa Film Festival

I contacted Mrs. Zuckerman this past week, and as we began our conversation, it amazed me that, even a half-century later, she still talks like that spunky, happy-go-lucky teenager that inspired Franzie, or Gidget, if you will. If you’ve ever read the book, you know that she got “stoked” and “jazzed” throughout, and little has changed. In fact, when I asked her about the return to Malibu, she “jazzed” right up.

“It’s always fun for me to go to Malibu,” says Zuckerman. “Honestly, I get a little bit anxious every time it shows, because I want people to like Brian’s film. He worked nine years on it. But it’s cute, and it has a lot of Malibu people in it, so I think it should be a “stoke” for the pier.”

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Gillogly, as well, who surfed Malibu during the sixties.

“I surfed the “Bu” for first time around 1966,” says Gillogly, “and have always loved the break.  It also dawned on me that we will be showing the film only feet (well maybe yards) from the Pit where the real Gidget story started, where Kathy first met Tubesteak and the crew. We are very much bringing the story full circle.”

Producer Brian Gillogly is looking froward to returning to malibu

Narrated by Jorja Fox of CBS’s “CSI”, the 60-minute documentary made its World Premier March 18th at Australia’s Noosa Festival of Surfing and received rave reviews by both the surfing and motion picture industries.

“The excitement was tremendous, more than for any other film we screened, and we screened some significant films,” said Kim Jackson, Executive Director of the Malibu Celebration of Film. “At the screening, it was a treat to see such a joyous reaction from the audiences. They were thrilled, and so were we.”

More than fifty years after the fact, and at least an equal number of story embellishments, Zuckerman, who will be in attendance at the pier on Thursday, gets to offer her own account in the documentary. And she’s backed up by an impressive number of other icons who were not only there, but were inspired by her, as well, including actors, Sally Field, Cliff Robertson, James Darren, and Gregory Harrison, and surf legends Lance Carson, Mike Doyle, Mickey Munoz, Layne Beachly, Kassia Meador, and former U.S. Champion Jericho Poppler-Bartlow, all of whom hold Zuckerman in high regard.

“Gidget was my beginning, and I loved her,” says Oscar-winning actress Sally Field, who portrayed the teenager in the television series “Gidget” for one season in 1965-66. “She will always be a part of me.”

“When I started surfing, the guys told me to come back when my [breasts] were bigger. And I thought, `If Gidget could do it, then I could do it, too!’” recounts Poppler-Bartlow in the documentary.

As awkward as it must be to see one’s self on a big screen, the adulation is not unnoticed by Zuckerman. In fact it’s quite reciprocal.

“Oh, I love seeing me as a little girl carrying a board down to Malibu,” says Kathy. “But I really love the interviews that Brian has gotten. I mean, I love the fact that Sally Field has spoken with him. And Kassia Meador, I think Kassia is just fantastic. And Jericho Poppler…Jericho shows up at like every event. I’m like, ‘You are so cool, Jericho.’”

For the 69-year-young Zuckerman, the ride has been nothing short of “jazzed.” But, as you can imagine, there are times when Gidget the icon and Kathy the person can get, well, let’s just say cross-mixed. But Zuckerman has no problem separating the two.

“There are kind of two sides of me,” she says. “There’s Kathy, married to Marvin, and just sort of enjoying my life, and then there’s Gidget. And yes, I am Gidget. That’s a fact, but I don’t feel like I’m an icon. Sometimes I get a little bit overwhelmed when people are like, ‘Oh, Gidget!’ I’m not the icon. The icon is my father. Let’s put it that way”

“Kathy is Gidget, and Gidget is Kathy,” says Gillogly. “I’ve spent lots of time with Kathy, to the point that I feel I’m part of her extended family.  I even traveled to Australia for our World Premier with her and her husband, Marvin, who’s an intelligent and funny guy.  But I must admit, Kathy is still that spunky surfer girl, which can sometimes make getting along with her a little tough.  But of course, if she didn’t have that spunk, there never would have been a Gidget story in the first place.”

Kathy, Gidget, whatever you want to call her, or icon, accidental or not, she is, indeed, still, that spunky little teenager. And “Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story” does, indeed, live up to its name, much to the delight of its subject.

“The surf community has accepted the story,” says Zuckerman. “And they’ve accepted me, and that makes me feel good. But I think Brian has moved it a step further by having a visual, which I just think is terrific, and people are stoked by it, you know? The reactions are always like, ‘We loved it! We loved it!’”

Perhaps the success thus far can be traced to the fact that Producer Gillogly, himself, is every bit as spunky and tenacious as the subject of his film.

“I admire Brian, because he didn’t give up,” says Zuckerman. “He worked nine years on this film. There was a tenacity about his filmmaking that sort of paralleled the tenacity that I had when I was 15, to want to be a part of the surf community, to get out there and learn how to surf.  To overcome the ‘Let’s bury her surfboard. Let’s disconnect the distributor of her car,’ you know? I would say to Jerry Hurst, ‘I’m not bothering you guys.’ And he would say, ‘You’re still breathing.’ So those were teenage obstacles that I overcame, and I’m glad the people in the surf community welcomed me. I mean, the Malibu Surfing Association just took me in as an Honorary Member. How cool is that?” ”

Very cool, indeed, “jazzed,” in fact.

May the Malibu Pier be packed this Thursday, Mrs. Zuckerman. Wish I could be there.

“ACCIDENTAL ICON: THE REAL GIDGET STORY” – Upcoming screenings:

“You surf in New York? Really? Where?”

That’s the perplexed reaction I usually get when I tell my friends in California that I grew up surfing in New York.  Little do they know that New York has over 100 miles of pristine ocean beaches from New York City to Montauk, and that’s not counting the New Jersey coast.  It’s not as consistent as California or even the Outer Banks, but it can get good.  Really good.

Suffice it to say that a very vibrant surf culture has risen and thrived under the radar in New York – but it won’t stay secret much longer.

Hosted at Tribeca Cinemas from September 24 – 26, The New York Surf Film Festival is in its third year, and in this short time has become one of the most diverse and popular surf film showcases in the country.  Founded in 2008 by Adam Cannizzaro, Tyler Breuer, Michael Machemer, and Morgan Rae Berk, the festival has been home to the world premieres of several high ticket films, including Taylor Steele’s Castles In the Sky at last year’s event.

This year promises to be even more exciting, with several locally based films as well as international hits .  The opener, Shadows of the Same Sun, is a home grown documentary focusing on the roots of surfing in Rockaway Beach, New York.  Accessible by subway from the city, Rockaway – also known as the Not So Secret Spot or NS3 – is where Manhattan’s surf community goes to surf.  Year round.  Yes, New York gets biting cold and icy in the winter, but those dedicated few who endure the frigid temperatures are rewarded with some of the best waves of the year.  The cold winters are thankfully balanced with balmy, sunny summers, and the mild fall is host to hurricane season.

Other films of note that are screening at the festival include the much acclaimed God Went Surfing With The Devil, Julian Wilson’s Scratching The Surface, Being Captain Zero, Darkfall, Stoked and Broke, and the first ever theater showing of Taylor Steele’s Momentum.  This doesn’t include the numerous short films that are also being shown.

Get some more information on the festival, check out the schedule, and see trailers and synopses of the films over at the New York Surf Film Festival website.

We had the chance to talk to Thomas Brookins, director of Shadows Of The Same Sun, to get a little more information on the festival opener.

Thomas Brookins

What inspired you to make a documentary about Rockaway?

It’s a great human story.  I’ve been surfing in Rockaway for many years.  I live on the peninsula & have seen a lot of changes over the years. There are three times the amount of surfers now, tons of development, and visitors from all over the world.  It’s been quite a ride for people who have been surfing for some time, but now it’s become a bit bastardized and it seems a lot of people only know what they see in the water lately.  Inside the community there are some great people.  They are close–like family.  It’s not just a resort where you come ride the ride & go home.  There are generations of surfers living here with great lives, and many you’d look at and never know they even surf.  Not to be a wannabe local or anything, but I don’t think people get it.  We have such a vast surfing history here, and many of the new transplants and surfers don’t know about it.  I’ve heard the great stories some of the local guys tell, and I just thought that it was such an amazing story that someone should try to tell it before it just gets paved over with all the development and crowding.  We have a legit surfing history.  It’s an age-old culture passed down through the years and it extends through national borders.  NYC is no different then the rest of the surfing world.  Hopefully people can see this movie and walk away with a new perspective.  And to the people who have lived it for generations, I hope they can walk away with a sense of pride. They are legends and should be held in the highest regard.  Love ‘em or not, without them we may have never had surfing in New York City.

How long has the film been in production?

A little over 3 years in production.

Was it tough to stay on the beach and film when the waves were good?

[Laughs] It’s the worst! Its a love / hate relationship.  You’re looking at all these perfect waves and standing there on a beach for hours waiting to get one usable shot.   This movie isn’t about pro surfers, so you have to pick one person out of a super crowded line up as they’re dropping into a wave and hope they’re decent enough to make it or actually ride it well.  I’ve burned through hours of footage and had nothing many times. It’s like a needle in a haystack.  For Hurricane Bill I shot all morning to get a few good clips.  By the time I paddled out, it was only good for maybe thirty minutes before the wind switched and I surfed huge closed out chop till it faded.  That, and you really want to body slam everyone running by with a surfboard yelling, “Dude why aren’t you out there?”  It gives me a nervous twitch in my eye.  It’s really tough to shoot on a good swell.

Did the film evolve much as you were making it?

Yes, I made a surf action movie a while back called Etched In Sections, a basic movie showcasing surfers from NY as well as showing the mood of the seasons.  I originally thought I was going to do a more advanced version of Etched.  As I surfed and talked to my friends I realized that these people’s fathers, uncles, and grandparents are legends.  They are the surfing heroes that paved the road for all of us to surf here, so once I got that in my head it was all she wrote.  I started studying the area and asking lots of questions.  It wasn’t long before I was trying to convince people to do interviews.  I also didn’t have proper training.  I never went to film school, so along with just shooting I had to study text books on production as well as do research online to learn how to do everything–from sound recording to using my camera correctly.  It taught me how to become what I am today.  This movie evolved in more ways than one.  You can see my whole career develop in this film.  Since then I’ve been involved in shooting commercials and also released  a film last week called “Living for 32″ at the IFC theaters in Manhattan.  So this has been more than just a movie to me.  It’s changed the way I look at everything.  I think many of my friends can tell you that I have changed since the beginning of this film.

When will we be able to see Shadows Of The Same Sun after the NYSFF?

Hopefully there will be other screenings. I plan to enter it in other festivals if possible as well but I never expected both showings to sell out so fast at the NYSFF.  I definitely want to have a showing for the people who couldn’t get tickets.  I’ll have the good people at NYSFF.com and NYNJsurf.com know whats up & where there will be local showings.  Maybe the Mollusk fellas can help as well.  I am still in awe of everything that’s happened.  For now, I guess I’ll see you all there!

Although it looks like both screenings of Shadows Of The Same Sun have sold out for the NYSFF, keep your eye on Earthmover Video Production’s website as well as NYNJSurf.com for information on future screenings.

Surfin Swami has more than 4600 facebook friends

Chances are, if you surf, and you surf Facebook, as well, then you’re friends with Surfin Swami.

At last count, Surfin Swami had more than 4600 Facebook friends. To put that in perspective, I have 345 friends. Not that I’m anybody, but frankly, I’m not sure I even know 4600 people, let alone surfers.

Funny thing is, HE sent me an invite! I was like, “Whoa!” Who is this guy?

So I did a little digging, and what I found out touched my little heart.

The Surfin Swami is, indeed, a swami, and as far as we know, the only swami that surfs, hence the name.

He doesn’t smoke, drink or do drugs, but admits to having partaken in the past.

He’s a vegan, and he runs the Ashram Surf Retreat, home of the INDIA Surf Club (aka-Mantra Surf Club) near Mangalore on the southwest coast of India.

India! A population of 1.2 billion people, and they’ve got like twelve surfers in the whole country. 4500 miles of coastline and twenty-feet waves during the monsoon season! Talk about un-crowded surf!

More research tells me that the INDIA Surf Club is “dedicated to the pastime of surfing, introducing surfing in India, and introducing India to the international surfing community.” They make sustenance by teaching web design and selling coconuts.

Haridas Babaji and Surfin Swami with members of the India Surf Club

I trace the origins of the ISC to 2006, founded by the Swami and another guy named Haridas Babaji. That’s weird. I actually recognize that name. He sent me a Facebook friend invite, as well.

So I figure these two guys must have stumbled across one of my riveting articles, and somehow liked what they read. But, as I would come to find, the three of us actually have something in common.

Surfin Swami’s real name is actually Jack Hebner, and Haridas Babaji is Rick Perry. Not only are they Americans; they both grew up, and were some of the first surfers in, of all places, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. My hometown.

Surfin Swami, aka Jack Hebner cruisin' at Mahabali

Now, here are two guys from my neck of the woods, authentic pioneers of surfing in North Florida, who are devoting their lives to spreading the heart and soul of surfing all the way on the other side of the globe.

Recently, I caught up with both of them when they visited the Western Hemisphere on a mission to set up yet another surfing ashram in Mexico.

What follows are my interviews with Surfin Swami and Haridas Babaji, aka Jack Hebner and Rick Perry, and their Jacksonville Beach connection:

MS: Tell me all about your Jacksonville Beach roots.

Jack Hebner: It was the summer on my junior year in high school 1963. The family lived in Jacksonville, and weekends we would usually go up to Mayport, because my Dad was in the Navy. One weekend we went to Jacksonville Beach near the pier with another family. It was a typical summer Sunday afternoon, and I rented some guy’s board and caught some white water. The rented board was an old Hobie tandem board that had been broken in two and reshaped and fitted with a homemade fin. I got stoked, and he wanted to sell me the board. The guy was not a surfer, and we agreed on a price: $80. Next weekend, I came down and met the guy and gave him the money for his board. The board was a monster and weighed a ton. I went over to the right hand side of the pier and stepped into the local scene. I met guys like Bruce Clelland. George Knobbs, Ricky Luce, Ricky Hale, Bill Perry and his little brother Rick, who later became a lifetime friend. I soon learned that being a ‘weekend worrier’ was not where it was at, but there wasn’t much I could do about it, because I still had one more year of high school to finish.

When the next year of school was out, I left home and moved to the beach. A bunch of us guys rented a house next to the pier, and we hung out all summer surfing and renting our boards to get money for food and rent. The place was a dump, and we ate like dogs, but we were surfing everyday, and in our world, at that time, nothing else mattered.

That winter I got a job when the North Florida Surf Shop opened as a ding repair guy. Later I graduated to full on glassing and got a job with a new company that had set up a factory in town called Allen Surfboards. We started the Ocean Side Surf Club around that time, which was great, and the next year I headed out to California and Hawaii. I haven’t been back to surf Jax Beach since then.

Haridas Babaji, aka Rick Perry getting barrelled at Mahabali

Rick Perry: My older brother Bill, Bruce Clelland, Ricky Hale, Mitch Kinsey, Ricky Luce, Surfin Swami Jack Hebner, George Knobbs and Bill Longnecker were the first ones I remember surfing at the pier. There were quite a few others, but those are the guys I remember most the first couple of years. They were the ones always out, the regulars. The old pier was basically my front yard. I was a few years younger than that gang, so I just kinda of followed them. I remember my older brother ranting how much fun it was. Then I had to do it too. The first year I borrowed boards, and then I got one, a Daytona Beach Surfboard, for Christmas.

MS: What was the surf culture like in Jacksonville Beach in 1963?

JH: The culture in 63-64 was surf, sun, girls, drinking beer and trying to keep away from the Draft. Ricky Luce signed up for Nam and was killed within weeks. That was a downer for all of us and cast a shadow of doubt over our thoughts about joining or getting drafted. In a word… party and surf was the surf culture of the 60s.

RP: It was laid back. My older brother and his gang were the pioneers. I lived in a big old house just a block away from the Jacksonville Beach Pier, so everyone would leave their surfboards there. There wasn’t any theft at that time, either. I remember counting around 30 surfboards in the yard spread all over the place. When the older guys left their boards, they were all up for grabs. That’s how I started. People like Red Danner also started out that way. He was one of my best friends back in the day. Red And Bruce Clelland and Alvin Farmer were all in that neighborhood next to the pier, so we surfed quite a lot together.

MS:  How did learning to surf in Jacksonville Beach influence what you’re doing today?

JH: I started off a long boarder and I’m still a long boarder today. We were there every day at sunrise at the Jax Beach pier for the morning glassy session, and I still prefer early morning sessions above all. I got the stoke for surfing when I was a kid at Jax Beach, and it provided me with a great start for what I still love today.

RP: I was around 12 when I started. By the time I was 15 I was on a surf team. The members of that team were myself, Bruce Clelland, Larry Miniard, Joe and Vincent Roland, Red Danner, Mike Holtzinger, Bob Leonardo (Huntington Bch) and Kathy LaCroix. We toured up and down the east coast. It was the Allen Surf Team, one of the first teams in North Florida. After that I was hooked on traveling. After High School, I surfed Puerto Rico for a year or so. Then I was off to Hawaii, where I ended up living around 22 years, a couple of years on Oahu, and the rest of the time on Maui. Later I traveled to India and lived there around 8 years.

MS: How did you meet Rick?

JH: Usually, I saw Rick when he was a kid getting pushed out of the car when we were going somewhere, because there wasn’t space for him. He was often the odd man/kid out because he was a lot younger than the rest of us back in 63/64. He was only 12 or 13 years old and the bulk of us were 17 or18. But Rick and I later hooked up in Hawaii when Rick was an adult, and we have been friends ever since.

MS: How did you meet Jack?

RP: Jack was one of the first surfers at the Beach along with my older brother and that gang I mentioned earlier. He used to leave his board at my house and sometimes camp out in the yard or on the beach nearby to catch the early surf. We were both members of the beaches first surf club ‘Oceanside Surf Club’. It’s kind of a nice story because both of us after leaving the beach got into yoga. But we did not meet up again until 1996 on Maui, after 30 years or so. It was a chance meeting. He had an ashram in India and had been surfing there for years, so he invited me over. He is the father of surfing in India and is responsible for really getting it going there.

Jack and Rick...still surfin' together nearly fifty years later.

MS:  When are you coming back to Jacksonville Beach?

JH: Good question. I often think of surfing Jacksonville Beach again someday, but I haven’t been able to pin that day down just yet.

RP: I hope soon. But now we are involved in Mexico and have a lot of work to do getting an ashram started, so I really can’t say when I will be there.

JH: Thanks a million, Marion, for remembering me and surfing at Jacksonville Beach in the same thought. Have a good one.

Mahalo and Namaste! I’m off to Mexico on Monday morning. A Dios Amigo!!!!!!!

Mahalo and Namaste to you too, Jack. I hope to ride some waves with you and Rick one day!

For more Information on the INDIA Surf Club and the Ashram Surf Retreat, visit their website.

]]> http://www.surfinghandbook.com/2010/09/tracing-the-roots-of-the-surfin-swami-2/feed/ 7