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FIRST TRIP TO THE NORTH SHORE

5/16/2020

5 Comments

 

Corky Tries the North Shore

by Corky Carroll
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​In order to avoid having to talk about the virus, as I am not an expert nor do I have any valid opinion on that subject, I have started a little series on “Surf Safaris” that I have taken over the years, starting with the early ones.  Today I am going to talk about my first trip to the infamous “North Shore,” on the island of Oahu.  
 
The first time I had gone to Hawaii was actually the summer before this, the year was 1963 and I was a 15-year-old loud mouthed up and comer.  A couple of months surfing at Ala Moana, on the “South Shore,” went a long way towards shutting me up and teaching me some respect.  I was pretty good, but not nearly as good as I had thought I was when I got there.  By December I was ready to just keep my mouth shut and go and see what it was like to ride the big stuff on the North Shore and if I had the guts to do it or not.  
 
I was lucky to get to go over with a crew of great surfers and proven big wave riders.  Mike Doyle, Mickey Munoz, Joey Cabell and Chuck Linnen.  We all met up at Mike’s moms house, about a half a mile from Los Angeles International Airport late one winter afternoon and got ready for our flight to Honolulu.  In those days you just checked your board in as baggage, no board bags or any protection.  Most of the time they came out with dings and broken off fins, but that was just the way it was.  I took one board with me, a 10-foot speed board Phil Edwards had made me.  I was lucky to only have some scratches on it when it got there.  I had an 11-foot big wave board already there at the Hobie shop waiting for me.  It was red and made it into a famous big wave photo of a bunch of guys taking off at Waimea Bay and a big red board going up the face with a foot sticking out of the water just behind it.  It was my foot.  I was paddling out and jumped off going up the face before I got sucked over the falls by this big monster wave.  

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I hung with Mike Doyle on that trip and was glad I did.  Mike was without a doubt one of the best big wave riders of all time, and he was pretty good at looking out after me.  We wound up staying with a huge crew from the mainland that had rented an old Quonset hut out by a place called “Velzyland.” There were 15 guys, 2 girls and a dog.  
 
On our first day there we caught Sunset Beach about fifteen feet.  I was scared but managed to catch a good-sized wave right off the bat.  A really good California surfer named Kemp Aaberg was in front of me and I just watched where he was going and followed as closely as I could.  We both made the wave and I was totally wide eyed and blown away.  Kemp smiled at me and said, “So, you like this big stuff huh?”  After that the fear factor turned down a notch and I was able to get a bunch of rides.
 
The very next day the swell jumped up in size and Waimea Bay was going off. This was the premier big wave spot on the planet at that time.  I had survived the first day at Sunset Beach so when Mike grabbed his board to paddle out I grabbed mine too.  He looked at me and said, “Are you sure?”  I didn’t answer, I just went.  And no, I was not sure at all.  This turned out to be a whole nother deal all together.  I was in shock as to just how big those waves were when you actually got out there in the middle of all that power.  They were not only tall, but as thick as a shopping mall and moving really fast.  The sheer energy and sound made me feel very insignificant.  When I was sitting in the lineup debating about if I was going to try to take one or not I saw the great big wave surfer George Downing looking at me.  He asked me if I was afraid.  I wanted to say no, that I was fine and this was totally cool.  But a tiny “yes” is what came out.  He smiled and said, “Good, then you will be o.k.”  This made me feel better.  I got three rides that day and was lucky to not have fallen off on any of them.  I remember on the first one when I stood up at the top of this monster wall of water.  I was thinking, “Twenty feet?  Hell no, this thing is more like three hundred feet…. I’m gonna diiiiiiieeeeee.” 
 
The highlight of that first trip to the North Shore was getting to surf the “Pipeline” for the first time.  This is the spot that I really fell in love with.  Being right foot forward, “Goofy-foot”, this was perfect for me.  A big powerful left.  I loved that spot and had some of my best surfing days there.  The last time I rode it was on my 50th birthday.  It was so crowded by then that I couldn’t get a wave without at least two guys dropping in on me.  But back during that first winter for me there would only be a few people out there at a time and it was just surf dog heaven for me.  I was lucky to spend a lot of time in Hawaii over the years and got a ton of super good surf.  But that first winter always stood out as a special, and totally eye opening, experience for me.  
 

5 Comments
Randy Underwood link
5/16/2020 11:55:16 am

Corky u have led such a wonderful life .I envy u.I surfed with u in HB the manager of Infinity surf shop a good friend of mine said do you see him that’s Corky Carroll I was in awe we surfed together a few times .I surfed the HB pier year round loved night surfing in the winter big storm was waves kept all the summer time wannabe surfers out .Be safe my friend

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Clay Wallace
5/16/2020 12:56:20 pm

To continue your wondering memories bring mine similar to your. Yeah, my First time at North Shore Sunset, it was a great day, clear and clean and water a fantastic blue.My board was a Super Ugly noserider!I think the board was about 8 feet long. It took quite a few attempts to drop in as the winds were offshore up the face of the waves, making the water splash over the wide nose of my noserider into my eyes. There was a definite fear factor of an adrenaline rush. The incomingg swells were high and deep and had to paddle up the swell or wait for you to get to the top of the swell to see the next waves coming in and time it to get into position. After many paddle and fails I finally got the technique down to paddle cleanly into and down. And then run for your life. Woosh, past the section and into the clear down the line with the board screaming, I thought I heard the fin whistling. I knew if I fell it was going to leave skid marks. I saw you giving lessons at Four Doors San O around 2005 or so. I caught a good wave at the Point & rode it all way to 4 doors. You said to me Hey that was a good ride man. I said yeah not recognizing you at first. I kept paddling back out. I thought hey that sounded like Corky Carroll. I looked back and sure enough it was. A compliment frp om Corky! Yeah!. Thanks for that. BTW I am 73 now. I like your stories and a good teller.

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Scotty
5/17/2020 10:02:06 am

Love it. Great story Corky.
Thanks...

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Michael Vold
5/17/2020 04:40:49 pm

I remember as a kid reading about you in Surfer Magazine and thinking, man he’s in paradise and surfing the best waves in the world. You got it when you were practically the only one out on perfect days. A dream any surfer would cherish, an eventually goes on surf safaris to try and achieve the same. Could you shoot me the link to your book? I was planning to go to your book presentation before this virus hit. Could you sign it ? If not it’s ok

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Benjamin Maltby
6/2/2020 04:27:27 am

Corky great to see you and Mike still active in the water. I remember both of you well from the magazine days of 60's & 70's. Started surfing in '65 - it was a natural progression from body & matt surfing in St.Aug, FL.

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