Surfing Waves

My first board, 9'6" balsa pig board, first skate board metal roller skate wheel system , no trucks nailed on a cut down fence paling, guaranteed to slide out badly on every turn.
First downhill ski attempt like surfing a mono ski double ski bindings set together on one wide ski.

First short board or several in a row by hacking off 12" here and 12" there final length 7ft.

Deep glassed on Greenough fin, reset every incarnation.
Going up the coast, to beaches that had never seen a Malibu board, now resort beaches at million dollar price.
Bali in 1979 when the Main Street of Kuta was dirt and cows grazed under coconut palms where multistory hotels are now.
The bamboo ladder in the cave at uluwatu was possibly the original and you were happy to have other surfers to surf with.

Good times and as long as I was home before the street lights came on.
Golden days!

I love your photos. Do you have any to share?

I was just thinking the same re photos.

I hope this post isn't because you are going to quit surfing and just snowboard now. I was just trying to recall all the breaks I used to surf long ago (which are all within an hour of driving time but most much closer). This is what I came up with Polihale, Family housing, First ditch, Davisons, Pakalas, Alertons, Sheratons, Cows Head, Horses head, Prince Kuhios, Acid drop, Shipwrecks, Poipu (Nukumois),Waiohai, Kalapaki (several breaks), Cemetaries, Kitchens, Wailua (several breaks) Horners, Makaiwas, Crabs, Islanders, anchors, Mahelona bay, Kealia (several breaks), Donkeys, Crack 14, Anahola (several breaks), Butbuts, Braziers, Anini, Kalihiwai, Rock Quarry, Hideaways, Hanalei, Pine trees, Waikokos, Lumahai, Tunnels, Cannons . There are maybe 10 times that many breaks in the same area but we had enough to surf back then so rarely went looking for a new break.

No I am not giving up surfing in any way, Portugal and a few meet and greets in Spain. A stint in Ireland with an old Northern beachescof Sydney crew, finally the Mascaret and Severn Bore are doable without the huge Aussie flight. The Canaries and Azore and then the Caribbean islands.

Healing my body is the main task and so a few diversions of interest , doing gym work and swimming + building my new Austrian home inside a old shop! At 69 this year things move a little slower in body time.
+ writing my book after the building and a few photographic projects based out of Austria, mixed with Geological exploration of the Alps.

When I get to my main computer I will post some golden oldies! More about them then!

looking forward to your book!

pmcaero wrote:looking forward to your book!

So am I, lots of corrective tweaking going on on plot and sci/fi fantasy technology! That has to have a believable structure!

Not me but this is how my group rolled in the 1950's. We loved to ride mats in closeout shore dump. Going over the falls was a special treat.

My group of friends used to ride car tire innertubes. My favorite was a cane truck innertube which was wider than I was tall. We would all try to hang on to the tube in waves with up to 6 foot faces and the one who hung on the longest was the winner. Going over the falls was the usual way. probably early 60's though (no wetsuit, mask or fins).

Right across the road from my High School, within lunchtime walking distance were a number of top board makers .

Wallace, Scott Dillon, Barry Bennett, Gordon Woods, Dale, Hot Buttered, Keko, Shane, Mc Donagh. A few Journey men, ghost shapers did the rounds and the Chosen ones could work in one shop.

Occupation health and safety was unknown as was the nastiness of the chemical.

Take a step back in time and see.






Notice the safety boots and protective clothing but nice board, and good rider Mick Dooley

I can't remember if I posted this slide show before, so enjoy it for the first time or experience Deja Vu!

Look at those fins in the top picture. Wow! That is just like the fins on the old logs at Waikiki when I was in college

Jaffa, I was reading in this book by Bob McTavish about all these surf clubs that formed all over Australia. Were you a member of one or more of them?

jaffa1949 wrote:

pmcaero wrote:looking forward to your book!

So am I, lots of corrective tweaking going on on plot and sci/fi fantasy technology! That has to have a believable structure!

If need help describing a futuristic device in a believable manner, PM the description to me and I'll make sure it makes enough sense for hard Sci-Fi.

jaffa1949 wrote:Right across the road from my High School, within lunchtime walking distance were a number of top board makers

That's what I was hoping for! Thanks for posting.

oldmansurfer wrote:Jaffa, I was reading in this book by Bob McTavish about all these surf clubs that formed all over Australia. Were you a member of one or more of them?

I was member of the Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club, they are lifesavers first and foremost and board riders became a break away group in the sixties but like Bob may have mentioned if you were a member you could move around them . Almost every beach had one and were responsible as volunteer Organisation for life sein weekend patrons and. Policing swim zones. They existed and formed in Gallipoli in WWI while Aussies and Kiwis were there, they were wherever Australian soldiers served near any beach in any conflict. Duke Kahanamoku introduced board riding at several Surf Clubs, Freshwater was one there just prior to WWI.
Tommy Tanna a South seas islander introduced body surfing in the early 1900s surf bathing was allowed in 1903 after a newspaper campaign and many drownings caused concerned swimmers to form surf lifesaving clubs.

I suggest Nat Young's History of Australian Surfing, DVD or book as a reference.

Thanks. The video is an Amazon Prime free to watch one so I will probably watch it. I think McTavish surfed Dee Why for a while when he was a kid

I watched that movie. It was interesting. They used to have all female surf clubs during the war times

oldmansurfer wrote:I watched that movie. It was interesting. They used to have all female surf clubs during the war times

The Surflife saving Clubs were very organised along military line set patrol groups and set responsibilities.

The surf reel and a bellman swimming out to the person it trouble, the reel man and the linesmen would have a set rythmn to pull them in through the surf.

Love the cigarette.