Surfing went through a number of phases here. Solid wood planks, then 16 ft toothpick boards hollow plywood jobs some of the better shapes were based on Blake paddleboards. Early modern post 1956 into the early 1960s started making the toothpicks ( notable performance characteristics, great in a straight line to shore, standing with double paddle held high or arms in the crucifix position. Rail shape square box shape, stainless steel D handle at rear to push it through waves, no way to grip for Eskimo rolls. Drain after every surf, tale out the whiskey bottle cork!)
The guys that rode them were strong lifesavers, (read volunteer lifeguards) .
The Melbourne Olympics 1956 overturned all the prehistory of Aussie board riding!
It was a Californian Asteroid that wiped out the toothpick dinosaurs.
Greg Noll , Tommy Zahn and Bob Burnside, rode the Malibu Chip surfboards, around 9'6" and surf all across and back and forth across the wave. The Aussies picked their jaws off their feet and the first revolution began.
9'6" was unbelievably short . The Gidget wave hit,
Humongous, surf and social change sent the beach society a new path!
