No violation against the surfing history is committed by pointing out that eras, movements, innovators, and champions are all secondary ways in which surfing defines and distinguishes itself. What counts the most—the only thing that counts, in the final tally—is the ocean setting. Surfing is attached to the hem of a natural force so vast it can drain the power from a howling continent-sized storm, refine it, and deliver it ten days and three thousand miles later in a smooth and elegant processional.
For a few seconds at a time we get to ride that current. Surf history is so many banners and streamers waving from this single, incredible natural fact.
Acknowledgments
I don’t have the math skills to even begin to calculate how many people contributed to the making of this book. Special platinum-level thanks to Jeff Divine, Nick Carroll, Grant Ellis, Jeff Hall, Tim DeLaVega, Tom Adler, Steve and Debbee Pezman, and Michael Warshaw. Thanks also to Patrick Moser, Al Hunt, Tom Keck, John Severson, Tony Butt, Mark Fragale, Steve Wilkings, Barry Haun, Anna Trent Moore, Evan Slater, Marcus Sanders, Ben Marcus, Joel Smith, Nathan Myers, Felipe Pomar, Brad Barrett, Dick Metz, Drew Kampion, Glenn Hening, Jamie Tierney, John Elwell, Paul Holmes, Sean Collins, Sam George, Ricky Irons, Miguel Plaza, and John Grannis.
My deepest appreciation to editor Jeff Campbell—every page is better for your efforts. Sarah Malarkey at Chronicle Books made this project happen: she cut the deal, pushed or coddled as necessary, and kept up a steady stream of foul oneliners—a million thanks. I’m indebted to designer Jake Gardner, as well as Jennifer Kong, and everybody else at Chronicle Books. A deep bow to my agent Wendy Burton-Brouws: we’ve been a team for ten years now, and I shudder to think how much less of a career this would have been without your help.
Dedicated, with love, to Jodi.
Sources
For the most part, reference sources applied to a single chapter. Many of these sources are listed below. Some, however, were used for multiple chapters. These include Drew Kampion, Stoked! a History of Surf Culture (Gibbs Smith, 2003); Ben Marcus, The Surfboard (Voyageur Press, 2007), Frank Margan and Ben Finney, A Pictorial History of Surfing (Paul Hamlyn, 1970); Leonard Lueras, Surfing: the Ultimate Pleasure (Workman Publishing, 1984); Ben Marcus, Surfing USA! (Voyageur Press, 2005); Matt Warshaw, Maverick’s: the Story of Big-Wave Surfing (Chronicle Books, 2000); Nat Young, The History of Surfing (Palm Beach Press, 1983); Phil Jarratt, The Mountain and the Wave: the Quiksilver Story (Quiksilver Entertainment, 2006); and Matt Warshaw, The Encyclopedia of Surfing (Harcourt, 2003). The Association of Surfing Professionals’ media guidebooks were invaluable while researching the pro tour. LegendarySurfers.com was a help during the early chapters.
Bombora: the Story of Australian Surfing (Screen Australia, 2009) is an excellent documentary film covering the history of wave-riding Down Under. Albie Thoms’ Surfmovies (Shore Thing, 2000), although mostly about film, is also a fine general source for Australian surf history. Most of the political and cultural Australian history in this book comes from Stuart Macintyre, A Concise History of Australia (Cambridge University Press, 1999); John Chambers, A Traveler’s History of Australia (Interlink Books, 1999); David Day, Claiming a Continent, 3rd ed. (HarperCollins, 2001); and Douglas Booth, Australian Beach Cultures (Frank Cass, 2001). Although Surfresearch.com is a messy, cut-rate, hard-to-use site (at least as of this writing), it was by far the best single source of information for early Australian surf history.
Gavan Daws’ Shoal of Time (University of Hawaii Press, 1968) was a key source for much of the nonsurfing Hawaiian history in chapters 1 and 2.
Interview transcripts from Ira Opper’s Surfer’s Journal/Outdoor Life Network television series were referred to throughout the writing of this book. The series includes 50 Years of Surfing on Film (1996), Great Waves (1998), and Biographies (2000).
The books are getting dated, but I think Carey McWilliams’ work on California history is still the best. I used Southern California: An Island on the Land, 2nd ed. (Peregrine Smith, 1973), and California: The Great Exception (University of California Press, 1949).
I’d need another fifty pages to cite all the surf magazine articles read during the making of this book. A few key works are listed below, but suffice to say, most days were spent elbow-deep in back issues of Surfer, Surfing, Surfer’s Journal, Longboard, Pacific Longboarder, Surfing World, Australia’s Surfing Life, Stab, Petersen’s Surfing, Surf Guide, Surfing Illustrated, Wahine, H20, Deep, Surf News, and dozen or so other titles.
Finally, though it no doubt makes me a second-rate historian, I made a half million or so visits to Wikipedia while writing this book.
Selected Sources by Chapter
Chapter 1: Out of The Blue: Pre-1900
Banks, Joseph. The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks. Echo Library, 2006.
Beaglehole, J. C., ed. The Journals of Captain James Cook on his Voyages of Discovery. Hakulyt Society, 1784.
Bingham, Hiram. A Residence of Twenty-one Years in the Sandwich Islands. Sherman Converse, 1847.
Chambers, John. On the Road Histories: Hawaii. Interlink, 2006.
Cheever, Reverend Henry. Life in the Sandwich Islands. AS Barnes, 1851.
Ellis, William. Polynesian Researches: Hawaii. Charles E. Tuttle, 1831.
Emerson, Nathaniel. “Causes of Decline of Ancient Hawaiian Sports.” The Friend, August 1892.
Emory, Kenneth. “Sports, Games, and Amusements.” Chapter 14, Ancient Hawaiian Civilization. Tuttle, 1933.
Finney, Ben. “Whoa, Dude! Surfin’s That Old?” Surf Culture: The Art History of Surfing. Ginko Press, 2002.
Finney, Ben, and James Houston. Surfing: A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport. Pomegranate Artbooks, 1996.
Hening, Glenn. “The First Surfriders: Research and Hypothesis from Northern Peru.” Groundswell Annual 1, 1996.
Horwitz, Tony. Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before. Picador, 2002.
Kane, Herb. Ancient Hawaii. The Kawainui Press, 1997.
Lowe, Arthur M. Surfing, Surf-Shooting and Surf-Lifesaving Pioneering. Sydney: self-published, 1958.
Missionary Album. The Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society, 1969.
Moser, Patrick, ed. Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surf Writing. University of Hawaii Press, 2008.
Newell, William, ed. “Some Hawaiian Pastimes.” Journal of America Folklore, January-March 1891.
Pomar, Felipe. “Surfing in 1,000 BC.” Surfer, April 1988.
Rameriz, Melissa, and Dax Pointon. The First Wave. DVD. Humananoid, 2008. DVD.
Reid, Sam. “When the Hawaiians Ruled the Waves.” Surfer, July 1968.
Sanders, Marcus. “Lines in the Dust: Looking for Left Points and the Birth of Surf in Northern Peru.” Surfer’s Path, December 2002.
Thrum, Thomas. “Hawaiian Surf Riding.” Hawaiian Almanac and Annual, 1896.
Chapter 2: Gliding Return: 1900–1945
Blake, Tom. “Manual of Surfboard Technique.” Promotional material, the Robert Mitchell Company, 1935.
———. “Waves and Thrills at Waikiki.” National Geographic, May 1935.
———. Hawaiian Surfboard. Paradise of the Pacific Press, 1935. Reprinted as Hawaiian Surfriders 1935. Mountain and Sea, 1983.
Brennan, Joseph. Duke: The Life Story of Duke Kahanamoku. Ku Pa’a Publishing, 1994.
Carroll, Nick, and Tim Baker. “Sons of Makaha.” Surfing, May 1991.
Clark, Rosie. Let’s Go, Let’s Go! The Biography of Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison. Harrison Clark, 1997.
Coleman, Stuart. Fierce Heart: The Story of Makaha. Thomas Dunne, 2009.
Corbett, W. F. “A Great Surf Shooter: Kahanamoku Talks Methods and Conditions.” The Sydney Sun, January 8, 1915.
———. “Wonderful Surf Riding; Kahanamoku on the Board; a Thrilling Spectacle.” The Sydney Sun, December 23, 1914.
Daily Telegraph, “Acrobatics in the Surf: Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian Swimmer, Riding the Breakers on a Board at Freshwater Yesterday,
” December 25, 1914.
Daws, Gavan. Shoal of Time. University of Hawaii Press, 1968.
Drummond, Ron. The Art of Wave Riding. The Cloister Press, 1931.
Du Plessix Gray, Francine. “The Sugar-Coasted Fortress.” The New Yorker, March 4 and 11, 1972.
Ford, Alexander Hume. “Aquatic Sports.” Paradise of the Pacific, December 1908.
———. “Out-door Allurements: the Outrigger Club.” Hawaiian Almanac and Annual, 1911.
———. “Riding the Surf in Hawaii.” Collier’s, August 14, 1909.
Gault-Williams, Malcolm. “Surf Drunk: The Wallace Froiseth Story.” Surfer’s Journal, Winter 1997.
Hazzard, Shirley. “Letter From Australia.” The New Yorker, January 3, 1977.
Howard, Devon. “San Onofre: A Way of Life.” Longboard, March 2002.
James, Don. Surfing in the ’30s. Don James, 1994. VHS.
Kahanamoku, Duke. “Riding the Surfboard.” Mid-Pacific Magazine, January 1911.
Kimberly, Sandra, and Greg Ambrose. Memories of Duke. Bess Press, 1995.
Lencek, Lena, and Gideon Bosker. The Beach: The History of Paradise on Earth. Viking, 1996.
Lockwood, Craig. “Passing the Torch: The Last Living California Surfing Pioneers Share a Taste of Heritage.” Surfer’s Journal, October 2007.
———. “Granny and Doc: A Surfing Friendship.” Surfer’s Journal, December 2006.
———. “Waterman: The Life and Times of Preston ‘Pete’ Peterson.” Surfer’s Journal, December 2005.
London, Jack. “Riding the South Seas Surf.” Woman’s Home Companion, October 1907.
Lynch, Gary. “A Queen’s Reign: The Life and Times of Mary Ann Hawkins-Midkiff.” Surfer, March 1991.
———. “Doc Ball: Through the Master’s Eye.” Longboard, July 1998.
Lynch, Gary, and Malcolm Gault-Williams. “The Last Chapter: Stories of Gene ‘Tarzan’ Smith.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 1998.
———. Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman. Croul Family Foundation, 2001.
Marcus, Ben. “I’d Rather Eat Life: A Brief History of Woody Brown.” Surfer, November 1993.
McAllister, Snow. “Freshwater: The Valley of the First Boardriders: A Short History of Sydney Surfing.” Surfer, November 1989.
National Police Gazette, “A Gay Queen of the Waves,” August 11, 1888.
Noble, Valerie. Hawaiian Prophet: Alexander Hume Ford. Exposition Press, 1980.
Pfeifer, Luanne, ed. The Malibu Story. The Malibu Lagoon Museum, 1985.
Reid, Sam. “The Days of Great Boards and Real Watermen.” Surfer, November 1965.
Sibley, Hi. “Better Ways to Build Surfboards.” Popular Science, August 1935.
Smith, Joel T. “Reinventing the Sport, Part I: Jack London.” Surfer’s Journal, early spring 2003.
———. “Reinventing the Sport, Part II: Alexander Hume Ford.” Surfer’s Journal, spring 2003.
———. “Reinventing the Sport, Part III: George Freeth.” Surfer’s Journal, summer 2003.
Stanton, Jeffrey. Venice of America: Coney Island of the Pacific. Donahue Publishing, 1987.
Starr, Kevin. Endangered Dreams. Oxford University Press, 1996.
———. Material Dreams. Oxford University Press, 1990.
Stecyk, Craig. “Hot Curl.” Surfer’s Journal, summer 1994.
———. “Pacific System: Birth of the Surfboard Factory.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 1997.
———. 1936-1942: San Onofre to Point Dume: Photographs by Don James. T. Adler Books, 1996.
Timmons, Grady. Waikiki Beachboy. Editions Limited, 1989.
Verge, Arthur. “George Freeth: King of the Surfers and California’s Forgotten Hero.” California History, summer/fall 2001.
Walding, Murray. Blue Heaven: The Story of Australian Surfing. Hardie Grant, 2003.
Warshaw, Matt. “20th Century Radical. Profile: John Kelly.” Surfer’s Journal, spring 1995.
Whitcomb, Ian. “The Father of Surfing.” American Heritage, August 2000.
Chapter 3: Malibu Swing: 1945–Late 1950s
Ball, J. H. “Surf-Boarders Capture California.” National Geographic, September 1944.
Ball, John. California Surfriders 1946, 2nd ed. Mountain and Sea, 1979.
Barilotti, Steve. “Makaha: the Forgotten Wave.” Surfer, April 1991.
Bascom, Willard. Waves and Beaches. Anchor Books, 1964.
Browne, Bud. Surfing the ’50s. Bud Browne Films, 1994. DVD.
Cleary, Bill. “Mickey Dora: The Angry Young Man of Surfing.” Surf Guide, October 1963.
Downing, George. “The Boards in the My Life.” Surfer’s Journal, October 2005.
Downing, George, and Steve Pezman. “Footprints.” Surfer’s Journal, February 2008.
Duclos, Jeff. “In Trim: Dewey Weber.” Longboard, September 1996.
———. “Matt Kivlin: a Precedent of Style.” Longboard, July 1998.
———. “The Women of Malibu. Longboard, May 1999.
Elwell, John. “The Enigma of Simmons.” Surfer’s Journal, spring 1994.
———. “The Last Ride.” Surfer, December 1983.
Gault-Williams, Malcolm. “Pulling Seaward: Tommy Zahn.” Surfer’s Journal, spring 2000.
Grigg, Rick. “The King of Beasts: Ricky Grigg on Buzzy Trent.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 2005.
Hoffman, Flippy. “The Wild Frontier.” Surfing, May 1992.
Holmes, John Clellon. “This Is the Beat Generation.” New York Times Magazine, November 16, 1952.
Holmes, Paul. Dale Velzy Is Hawk. Croul Family Foundation, 2006.
———. “Rabbit Kekai: Last of the Beachboys.” Longboard, May 1998.
Jenkins, Bruce. “Father, Son, Holy Spirit.” Surfer, March 1995.
———. “The Gutsiest Surfer There Ever Was: The Life and Mysterious Death of Jose Angel.” Surfer, December 1992.
Lockwood, Craig. “From Now On, Your Name is Burrhead.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 2002.
Los Angeles Times, “Towering Waves Pound Coast; Damage Heavy,” January 11, 1953.
Lynch, Gary. “Joe Quigg, and the Shape of Things to Come.” Longboard, February 1995.
Marcus, Ben. “The Great Ocean of Atmosphere: Malibu in the Golden Years, as Seen Through the Eyes of Tubesteak.” Surfer’s Journal, fall 2004.
May, Kirse. Golden State, Golden Youth: The California Image in Popular Culture, 1955–1966. The University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
McClelland, Gordon. “Scenes from the Life and Times of Bud Browne.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 1995.
Noll, Greg. Da Bull: Life Over the Edge. North Atlantic Books, 1989.
Park, Sarah. “Band of Californians Here to Ride Twenty-foot Makaha Surf.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 7, 1954.
Rensin, David. All For a Few Perfect Waves: The Audacious Life and Legend of Rebel Surfer Miki Dora. Harper Entertainment, 2008.
Sports Illustrated, “Rough Sport Down Under: Tough Seas Make Tough Australians,” March 10, 1958.
Stange, Mike. “The Day Waimea Bay was Tamed.” Surfing, February 1965.
Starr, Kevin. Embattled Dreams. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Stecyk, Craig. “Tales of the Hawk.” Surfer’s Journal, fall 1994.
Stecyk, Craig, and Drew Kampion. Dora Lives. T. Adler Books, 2005.
Surfer’s Journal, “Tales of Town and Country: Walter Hoffman’s Scrapbook,” summer 1993.
Warshaw, Matt. “Rough Cut: Surfing on Film.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 1998.
———. Surf Movie Tonite! Surf Movie Poster Art, 1957–2004. Chronicle Books. 2005.
Chapter 4: Boom Years—a Massive Swelling: Late 1950s–1967
Ahrens, Chris. “Welcome to Windansea.” Surfer’s Journal, summer 2000.
Ambramson, Mark. “Save Our Surf.” Surfing, August 1971.
Barilotti, Steve. “A Beautiful Pandemonium.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 2003.
———. Leroy Grannis: Surf Photography of t
he 1960s and 1970s. Taschen, 2006.
Bass, Scott. “In Country: Veteran Surfers Remember Vietnam.” Surfer’s Journal, August 2007.
Brooks, Gerry. “Gilgo Memoirs: The Summers of 1963-1966.” Surfer’s Journal, summer 1996.
Brown, Bruce. The Endless Summer. Bruce Brown Films, 1966. DVD
Burdick, Eugene. “They Ride the Big Surf.” Reader’s Digest, July 1963.
Bystrom, Chris, and Racheed Safady. The Glide. Duranbah Press, 1998.
Canby, Vincent. “Surfing Film Earns Its First Million.” New York Times, June 13, 1967.
Carlin, Peter. Catch a Wave. Rodale Books, 2006.
Carney, George. “Cowabunga! Surfer Rock in Southern California and Beyond.” Album liner notes. Rhino Records, 1996.
Chapey, Paul. “Foaming.” Surfing, April 1972.
Cleary, Bill, and David Stern. Surfing Guide to Southern California. Fitzpatrick, 1963.
Dixon, Peter. “The Death of Surfing.” Petersen’s Surfing, November 1964.
Doyle, Mike. Morning Glass. Manzanita Press, 1992.
Edwards, Phil, with Bob Ottum. You Should Have Been Here an Hour Ago. Harper and Row, 1967.
Eisenstadt, David. “Surfing Whodunit: Who Created the First Neoprene Wetsuit?” Los Angeles Times, October 11, 2005.
Evans, Bob. “69.” Surfing World 13, no. 3, 1969.
———. “Midget Takes the Title.” Surfing World 1, no. 4, 1964.
Farrelly, Midget. “Selfish Sport Gives Us a Bad Image.” Sydney Morning-Herald, March 27, 1966.
Farrelly, Midget, with Craig McGregor. The Surfing Life. Arco, 1967.
Fragale, Mark. “In Trim: Dave Sweet.” Longboard, September 2000.
Funderburg, Joseph. Surfing on the Cape Fear Coast. Slapdash, 2008.
Gillogly, Brian. “The Second Coming of Gary Propper.” Surfer’s Journal, winter 1994.
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