by Corky Carroll When I was a little kid, growing up and learning to surf, I lived in Surfside Colony, a small private beach community just south of Seal Beach and bordering Sunset Beach. Back then the houses were small wooden, you have almost have to call them “shacks.” But honestly they were probably one small step above that. My parents bought our house, B-21, for $2100. It was the early 1950’s. Later we got a bigger one, B-44, for $4400. One of my best pals back then was a kid that lived up the street from us, closer to the jetty. He was a year or so older than me, his name was Steve Rowe. He had an older brother, Ron, and a sister my age named Tina. Both Ron and Steve surfed. Ron was actually very good, while Steve and I were learning. We spent a lot of time together riding whatever stray watery peak that we could find up and down our little stretch of beach. My first trip to “Rincon,” near Santa Barbara was with the brothers in Ron’s Red “Woody.” Steve recently passed away, having spent his entire life living in Surfside. He was a really good guy and excellent surfer. So, today I want to tell you a few good memories I have from our surfing childhood together. The first time I ever had my name in SURFER magazine was in the “Photos from the Readers” section. It was a shot I took with my mom’s old “box” camera of Steve that I had taken from the Huntington Beach Pier. We are thrilled to have our names in print, to a couple of “pre-teens” this was a cool deal.
When Steve was about 15, he got his own Ford “Woody” Wagon. He could only drive it inside of Surfside because he was too young to get his driver’s license. So, he would come pick me up and we would toss our boards in the back and drive down to surf at the “Water Tower.” This was all of about 200 yards from my house, 400 yards from his. But to us we were “on Safari to stay.” Sometimes we would do a lap or two up and down the street just to be “cool.” At one point Steve got a bad ear infection. In order to surf he had to wear ear plugs and a white girls bathing cap to keep his ears dry. Poor dude, got endless grief from other surfers in the water. Guys would whistle at him and call out, “Hey baby, lookin’ good over there all topless and stuff.” For him this was a nightmare. Finally, he wrote “EAR INFECTION” in big letters across the bathing cap. That did little to nothing in stopping the comments. Then there was the infamous “pet frog” incident. This was when he was pretty young. He had got a pet frog. How he got it I am not sure, but he had it and loved it like it was a dog or something. It had a name, which I have forgotten, but it could have been “Larry.” For telling the story reasons I am going to go ahead and call him that. Steve kept Larry in a box on a shelf above his bed. But, more nights than not, Larry liked to jump out of the box and get in bed with Steve. Maybe it was warmer or something. The downside to this was that many times Steve would roll over and almost squish the snoozing frog. Soooo, in moment of cleverness for a little kid, Steve figured out how to tie a thread round Larry and the other end attached to a rock inside the box. This way the leaping Larry couldn’t jump out of the box and into the bed. In theory this was a good plan. But Steve didn’t calculate the length of the thread quite right and left just enough that Larry could still make it out of the box. But not long enough to make it to the bed. Next morning poor Steve opened his eyes and dangling right in front of them was Larry, who had hung himself. Steve went into tear-filled shock and was virtually inconsolable. But the thread had been tied around Larrys body, not his neck (do frogs have necks?). Larry was still alive. After Steve’s mom and got him down, and it was clear there was no harm done, all was ok again. But the frog jokes lasted for years. Probably until the bathing cap thing happened. Steve went on to marry Ella Hendershot. A cute girl whose family owned a house almost across the street from us. After a brief stint as a lifeguard, working for Chief Timmy Dorsey in Seal Beach, Steve became the custodian of Surfside. Together, Steve and Ella lived in the house at A-40 from then on, along with spending time on the Big Island of Hawaii where they got into growing coffee. Steve still surfing when it would get good, a great wife, couple of good kids and all in all an excellent and well lived life. Steve Rowe, “Mr. Surfside.” Happy to have called him my pal.
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by Corky Carroll I was sitting here looking at the screen on my trusty old coal powered computer contemplating what I was going to tell you about today. It’s the last column of the year, so obvious choices would be a re-cap of the year gone by or possible a list of my personal “new years resolutions.” Off the top of my head I can’t really pinpoint anything “revolutionary” that took place in ’23. And my only real resolution is to make it to ’25. So, nothing there. So, in a moment of inner clarity, what I decided to do was just pick a random surf memory. A few came to mind, and I am going with this one. I will call it “The Day that I Ditched.” I was lucky as a kid to have grown up in Surfside Colony. Our home was right on the beach. This allowed me to surf close to all the time. During the school year I was able to get in a good hour before school and all the time afterwards until it got dark. School was where all the chicks were, so I never really felt the need to ditch school to go surfing. Except for the one time I did. Huntington Beach High School, winter of 1961/62. I was a freshman. There was a little grassy knoll behind the snack bar where some of the surf crowd hung out. Actually, all of the surf crowd. It wasn’t all that big a group at that time. We did have some good surfing talent there though. Rich Chew, Robert August, John Boozer, Bill Fury and a few more. Two of them were Denny Buell and Tommy Leonardo.
Denny was a senior, super good surfer and a solid “ladies’ man.” One of my favorite memories of him ( a sub-memory here ), was one day in Civics class right after lunch. We were all sitting there and the teacher was just about ready to start the class. Denny Buell, who was not in the class, comes strolling casually thru the door and walks right to the desk of the most beautiful girl in the room. She looks up at him and he bends over and gives her this full on romantic and long kiss. Silence in the room. Then he stands up and just as casually walks back out the door. Even the teacher was speechless. It was impressive. Tommy Leonardo was known as “Top Mouth on the Coast.” That dude was so sarcastic that his reputation went far and wide. He was an excellent surfer too, you just didn’t wanna get on his bad side. So, it’s a beautiful clear day with “Santa Ana” offshore winds blowing. A really good south swell running too. It’s lunch time and Denny, Tom and I arrive at the grassy knoll at the same time. Denny has this gleam in his eye. “We gotta blow outta here and hit the pier, its epic conditions.” HBHS was a “closed” campus. There were teachers posted by the exits to the streets. Denny says we should make a run for it. Hey, when one of the best surfers in school, and a senior, says lets go for it… ya gotta go for it. So, we did. We got the edge of the campus and waited until the teacher in that area was looking the other way. Then b-lined it as fast as we could run down the street toward the pier. There was a house about a block away from the beach where a lot of guys stashed their boards. We went there, commandeered boards and paddled out. The surf was fantastic, and we were they only three people in the water. All went very well for about thirty minutes. At that time there was a shout from the pier. It was Mr. Brown, the Vice Principal. Uh oh!!! “Mr. Buell, Mr. Leonardo, Mr. Carroll.” Yikes, that’s us. “Surf looks great, see you all in my office tomorrow morning at 8 AM.” He then smiled, waved and walked off. On the surface he seemed friendly enough, maybe it wasn’t gonna be all that bad? The result was we all got suspended for 3 days. I spent my “mini vacation” surfing over in Seal Beach, pretending I was going to school. I could sign my dad’s name perfectly, which I did on the notice they sent to my house which I grabbed from the post office before it could make it to my parents. But, that was the only time that I ever ditched school. I guess I learned my lesson. When I think of this memory I can hear in my head, “Bad boys, bad boys….. whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come of you?” by Corky Carroll Thru the decades Orange County has been home to many of the great “surfing families.” The Hoffmans, the Alters, the Sizemores, the Calhouns, the Fletchers, on and on…it’s a great place to both surf and raise a family. Today I wanna talk about one of the biggest and coolest Surf Ohana’s (Hawaiian word for family) that currently lives and thrives right here in Huntington Beach. The Pai’s. This is a huge family and they all surf, work and play together. It’s amazing. At a recent induction ceremony for the SURFERS HALL OF FAME, of which Aaron Pai is the host of each year, and they were foolish enough to give me the microphone, I couldn’t help but notice and point out “They got more Pai’s out here than Marie Calendars.” It’s true. Aaron Pai, the dad, was born in Hawaii. The family moved to Calif when he was a kid and he became a surfer. There is a huge difference between “became a ‘surfer’” and “learned to surf.” Aaron (AP is what everybody calls him) is a true full blooded “SURFER.” He also owns Huntington Surf ‘n Sport. At this point I am going to let him tell it in his own words. “I, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. A couple years after I was born, we moved to southern California with my parents. I was 12 years old when he caught his first wave on Northside... I fell in love with surfing. It was 1968 and I got to see legends like David Nuuhiwa, Corky Carroll, Dwight Dunn, Carl Hayward, Bob Hurley charge Northside Every summer I got to stay at Grandma Choi's. She owned some Apartments in Waikiki and I surfed Pops, Threes, Canoes... Surfed all day.... then I would come home to Grandma Choi's.. and she would have a huge dinner prepared where everyone was welcomed! Everyone was welcomed at Grandma Choi's! She taught me what "ALO)(A Spirit" was all about! Grandma Choi was a small woman with a HUGE HEART!! As a teenager I surfed Northside every day... saw Surf Movies at the Surf Theatre.. Camped out at the Cliffs at 16 years old.. At School I wrote stories about surfing.. and dreamed of owning a Surf Shop. Fast forward to 1978 and that is when the first Huntington Surf & Sport opened on 15th Street and PCH in Huntington Beach, CA. I was surfing Northside and got hired out in the water to work at Huntington Surf & Sport! I was the first person to be hired at HSS and earned $2.65 per hour... I sold surf wax, Surfboards, Wetsuits! One year later, the owners weren't getting along.. they offered to sell the business to me. With the help of my Mom and Dad.. My Mom a teacher and my dad a Structural Engineer.. I borrowed $60,000 and my dream of owning a Surf Shop became reality! I was STOKED to be able to take my Love for Surfing and build it into the walls, foundation and all of Huntington Surf & Sport! I was also stoked to take Grandma Choi's "ALOHA Spirit" and share it with all the guests that walk through our doors at HSS! Married Sher Pai in 1985, then had Lindsay, Trevor, Taylor and Ashlyn Pai..
who all have worked and are working at HSS. Then, Lindsay married Scotty.. Trevor married Jenna.. Taylor married Delany.. and Ashlyn is engaged to Alrik! Lindsay and Scotty have 4 kids.. Rosie, Izzy, Goldie and Sid! Trevor and Jenna have 3 kids.. Rooney, Toby, Murphy! Taylor and Delany have 3 kids.. Finn, Jones, Zowie! That makes 20 of us in DA PAI FAMILY! We all share a love for the ocean and surfing. Surfing is our Life! We are a Surfing Family! Today.. Sid is the youngest (5 yrs) and charges the waves and I am the oldest and still surfing today! Taylor is a big wave charger.. Trevor surfs big waves too! Taylor and Trevor are amazing Watermen.. surfing, fishing, freediving, spearfishing and all around great family men! This past Summer.. The Pai Family were very honored to be the official "Huntington Beach Community Grand Marshall" of the Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade! Now it's 2023, the Pai Family's passion for surfing and family has got us to where we are today. We have four stores (and an online store) all located in Huntington Beach and are dedicated to maintaining a hardcore commitment to our surfing community... along with making our World a better place through Surfing! It's a true joy to share Grandma Choi's ALO)(A Spirit every day with the guests and the work crew that walk through our doors of HSS! It's a true joy to be able to wake up, go to work, and see my family.” Pretty cool huh? Hey, for me it’s a true joy just to know these guys and that they exist. In this day and age where “family values” seem to have generally eroded to a large degree it makes me happy to realize that ones like the Pai Ohana still exist and thrive. Good on ya AP. And, lastly, who cannot dig a family that has a kid named “Zowie?” by Corky Carroll It’s time for my annual “Surfers Ear” column featuring the incredible Dr. Carol Jackson, leader in the care and treatment of this condition. The following is direct from the Doc’s mouth. “Despite jumping up and down, head tilting, and tapping the ear; surfers often experience ear blocking when benign bony nodules called exostoses grow to occlude more than 70% of the canal diameter. Then they often trap water and debris. “My ears plug for hours or days after surfing and I can’t get them unplugged!” Exostosis forms slowly over years due to mother nature’s attempt to protect the eardrum from the forcible rush of cold water against the tympanic membrane. Forceful water, as in actively wiping out, is the strongest growth stimulus followed by how cold the water is. Exostoses don’t form in swimmers, divers or wind surfers who have not also surfed for years. At large sizes in advanced severity, they muffle hearing and disrupt the ear’s normal self-cleaning and protective wax coatings. Instead, infectious yeast, fungus and bacteria, plus sand and dead skin plug the ear becoming trapped in crevices between the large rounded exostoses. The material becomes a cheesy consistency which won’t drain or flush off. This often leads to an acute or chronic infection of the sensitive ear canal skin called “swimmer’s ear.” Occasionally, a rip-roaring acute infection will cause the kind of severe pain that makes a grown man cry! Preventive tips include custom vented swim plugs that allow sound to be heard while wearing them! They float, come in bright colors, even with glitter, can be put on a lanyard, and are rarely lost in the water. Also helpful are portable surfer’s ear dryers available on the internet for use after water sports to evaporate retained water. They’re portable, plug into vehicle power ports and work on batteries. No water, no germs! When plugging is frequent or hearing is muffled, it’s time to see an otologist with an office microscope. That’s an ear specialist for debris clearing, treatment of the underlying skin infection and stepped-up care. When bone blockage is over 80%, it’s time to consider getting them removed. Laser-assisted microsurgical excision is minimally invasive and always definitive. No need for repeat removals. If you’ve had repeated removals before, the exostoses probably weren’t completely removed or the bases weren’t sufficiently treated. Laser-assisted removal is outpatient and now better than ever with return to most non-water activities the next day. There is surprisingly minimal postoperative discomfort. External skin incisions are no longer necessary so there are no visible scars or pinna numbness and protrusion. There have been no repeated removals with this technique in twenty years of follow-up. It’s a permanent solution to put “surfer’s ear” in the rear view mirror. Since recovery and healing is faster under age 70, it’s best to have them removed when they are 75 to 90 percent occlusive. Return to water with precautions is usually in four to six weeks; sometimes longer if occlusion is more than 90% preoperatively. If you feel plugged or it seems like some people mumble, you could have reduced hearing either due to surfer’s ear or unrelated such as from prior loud sound or some age-related changes over age 60. People with ringing in the ear, dizziness, or imbalance may have unrelated ear conditions that would benefit from separate assessments and treatment such due to a benign tumor or elevated inner ear fluid pressure, called hydrops. Oral medications, balance therapy, or current technology hearing aids may be indicated. There can be more than one cause of ear symptoms at the same time which can be different in ear each.
Learn about the severity of your exostosis on camera and receive an ear checkup. It’s wise to see an ear doctor who uses an office microscope and can show you your ear, possibly photograph it, for you to understand. Have a hearing test by an audiologist in a sound booth for accurate assessment and determination if any reduction is related to exostosis or from an unrelated condition. At home, to try to ease mild itching, discomfort, or plugging it’s safe and can be soothing to instill and massage in a few drops of original plain baby oil while lying on your side with the affected ear up twice a day. For any ear discomfort or drainage, keep the ear clean and dry. First aid measures include Tylenol PM. Don’t use over-the-counter chemical preparations or devices, rubbing alcohol or soap, swabs or flushing. These measures risk pushing material deeper or causing more irritation and swelling. To the younger generations of surfers and everyone with less than 70% canal occlusion, remember that exostosis growth can be halted or completely prevented by ear plugs! Any plug that’s comfortable enough to consistently wear that keeps most of the water out most of the time will keep your ear canals open. Over the counter moldable silicone or shallow ear plugs are advised over long hotdog or Christmas tree plugs. Those can rub on deep thin skin. Take care of your ears! We only have two, they don’t re-grow and they cannot be replaced!” You can reach Dr. Jackson right here in Newport Beach at (949) 574 7744. by Corky Carroll It’s that happy time of year again when we are starting to prepare for the upcoming holidays. First off we have Thanksgiving, our yearly license to pig out and visit with family we might not see all the time. Then Christmas, yay. And to help us get ready for that somewhere along the line they came up with “Black Friday.” A huge sale day for early bird holiday gift buyers. This is for all of you non surfers who want to buy something special for that surfer in your life and don’t have a clue on what to get ‘em. I happily do this community service piece each year to help out. So grab a pen or pencil and let’s get to it. Note: some of this stuff I mention each year, but this is for newbies so bear with it On the low end of the price scale, stocking stuffers and the like, here are a couple of perfect ideas. Surf Wax. A couple bars is a great idea, just pay attention to the “temperature” of the wax you are buying. It’s mid-winter, so a good choice is “Cold Water” wax. If they are taking a trip to the tropics then get “Tropical Water” wax. Other low-cost items would include t-shirts. Everybody wears them and everybody loves them. Make sure you have the correct size. It’s a drag to get one you love but can’t wear it because it’s too small. Think big. (I’m a 3xl, just sayin’). There is a company that is making great surf related puzzles that I really like. Madhouseartco.com, located in San Clemente. They have “San Onofre,” “Lower Trestles,” “Doho,” and “Tsunami” versions. Fun for the whole family kinda deal.
This would lead into more formal shirts, and we all dig Hawaiian. If you really want to get something ultra-cool go visit “Dirt Cheap Hawaiian Shirts and Plants” in Costa Mesa. The owner’s name is Nik and he has the vintage goods that you just can’t find everywhere these days. I get mine there. Next up would be books. There are always a lot of them out there. This year I wanna point out one that I think is fabulous. A photo book documenting the surfing community on the North Shore with gorgeous portraits, lush landscapes, and jaw-dropping action shots. “NORTH,” by Brown W. Cannon III. It’s available from Damiani Books. This is my favorite part. I get to shamelessly plug my own stuff. Go to www.bluemangosurf.com for all kinds of cool surf stuff. From CorkyART t shirts and hoodies, my latest book “Not Done Yet,” to custom made surfboards and SUP’s. And for that super special someone you might want to invest in one of my original paintings. Art is a great gift, it lasts forever. You can see a gallery of my stuff on the Blue Mango site and contact me direct to purchase or order one special. [email protected] Awhooooo. End of shameless plug. Now getting into the more expensive gift ideas. There is always the new surfboard thing. Warning here though, this is a fantastic gift, but you must know exactly what they want before you buy it. A surfboard is a very personal thing. Size and shape are critical. So, best to know, down to what kind of glass job, what to get. Or get a gift certificate. Most any surf shop has those. Or you can deal with a custom board manufacturer, nothing quite like having your own custom board made special for you. If you really want to go over the top, I can’t think of a much better idea than a surf trip. Surfers love to go on surf trips. The more exotic the better. This can range from a weekend in Cabo to an adventure to a private island in the South Pacific, and anything and everything in between. Just depends on your budget and how much you really dig this person. If you might want an all-inclusive adventure to Mainland, Mexico, which includes hangin out with me a little bit, or a visit to the jungles of Costa Rica and the CC Surfcamp, shoot me an email and I can hook ya up. The only thing to make that surf trip better is that you go along to keep them company. Awhooo. That’s all the space I’ve got for this one. I hope this helps you out. Have a super cool and groovy Holiday season. And, by the way, I like getting’ stuff. So if you feel the urge, go ahead and send something over. Fa la la la, laaaa!!! by Corky Carroll One of the most often asked questions that I get is “what is the biggest wave you ever rode?” Or, “What is the biggest surf you ever saw?” That one sometimes comes with, “in Orange County.” Just to get that first stuff out of the way; the biggest wave I ever rode was at Makaha, on the west side of Oahu, in December of 1969. At that time it would have been considered 30 ft. In recent years they have gotten better at estimating wave height, so it was probably closer to 40. In my mind that sucker was at least 300 ft. That was the biggest “rideable” surf I ever saw. Biggest surf was off the coast in Oregon, don’t even know how big it was. But it was huge. OK, now to the story for today. The “Orange County” version. I have a couple of days that stand out as “the biggest,” or at least “one of the biggest.” One is the biggest “south swell (summer).” The other is the biggest “north or west swell (winter). Let’s start with the summer version. There have been some epic south swells. Probably the most famous would be the epic day in 2014 that was produced by Hurricane Maria off the tip of Baja. They call it the “100 year” swell. But, sadly, I can’t comment on that one because I wasn’t around that day, was surfing on the other side of that storm in Southern Mexico. The biggest south swell I ever personally saw, and rode, was on August 19, 1969. That was a banner year for surf. I had gotten up early in the morning and drove to “the Wedge,” in Balboa. I was with Mickey Munoz. We thought the swell might be so big that we could board surf that famous body-surfing spot. There was a low tide early in the morning. At that time nobody had board surfed it yet, we wanted to be the first. Bud Browne came to film us. But it wasn’t working right. So, we raced back down to Cotton’s Point. On todays wave height scale it was probably 20 ft. We called it 15 then. At the peak of the swell that morning only Mickey, Rolf Aurness and I made it out and rode it. Some great waves that day, long hard paddle out though. In the afternoon when the tide was higher a number of other guys make it out and it was one of those epic sessions that I am sure each of us that were there still remember vividly.
There have been a lot of huge winter days. The same day we got the monster surf at Makaha there was reported 15-foot waves at Rincon, near Santa Barbara. Once again, I wasn’t there personally. I was at Makaha. But word was that it was one of “those” days. I think the biggest, or at least one of the biggest, but for sure the best, of the huge winter swells that I saw and rode would have been on Jan 23, 1993. My day started by a walk out on the pier at Huntington Beach to check it out. I ran into my good pal Zack Lindborg and we decided to head south together. The idea was to go to “Swami’s,” in Encinitas. But we stopped to check out the “Trestles” area just south of San Clemente. The spot called “Church” was pumping. The swell was very north, and that spot works best on that exact direction. It was big and very good. Again, I was thinking 15 ft sets that day. It was bigger. We paddled out and had a fantastic session. But the real story of that day was what happened later when we got back to Huntington Beach. The conditions were fantastic, offshore winds and giant lines marching in. There is a reef off on the cliffs area called “Boxcars.” The rumor is that there is a submerged boxcar out there, but who knows? Huge perfect shaped peaks were breaking out there. Impossible to paddle out through the surf. So where raced to Long Beach to get Zack’s boat, throw our boards in it and motor back to surf it. Problem was it was late in the day. By the time we got the boat into the ocean there wasn’t enough time to go all the way back to Huntington Beach. But, to our surprise there were huge peaks breaking just inside of the big oil platform off Seal Beach. So, we rode that. We later found out that famed Seal Beach lifeguard, Tim Dorsey, had paddled out there and rode it earlier in the day. Then we tried to surf some big peaks off the south side of the pier in the boat, but the lifeguards chased us away. What a great day that was. There ya have it. These are my personal memories. by Corky Carroll I was in third period typing class that morning. Don’t remember who the teacher was. There are certain teachers from HS that stood out in my memories. Mr. Neil, made stuff I didn’t care about interesting anyway. Mr. Hunter, he surfed and borrowed a board from me. Miss Brickner, had her as a freshman. She was hot looking and I had “thoughts” about her. Mr. Combs, water polo coach (I hated water polo but liked him.). Don’t remember who I had in that 3rd period typing class though. Sometime during the hour the principal came over the P.A. and announced that President Kennedy had been shot. And then not long after that he had died. Jackson Browne and I are the same age. He has a line in his song, “Running on Empty,” that goes, “in ’65 I was seventeen and called the road my own.” I always related to that. First because at that time in my life I had moved out of my parents’ house and had a cool little pad in Dana Point. I was making a living in the early years of Professional Surfing and pretty much had it “going on.” Besides that, I have always used that line as the measuring stick to my age and what year it was that something happened. If it was 1970, for instance, I would add forward from ’65 to see how old I was then. I met Jackson in ’63 at the Seal Beach Pier, although we didn’t get to know each other until we ran into each other at the Four Muses Folk Club in San Clemente later on. But this is not about that. But it is about a day in Seal Beach in 1963. It’s the fall and, as my birthday falls in September, I had just turned 16. And I had just got my first car, a 1958 TR-10. This was a kind of small VW Beetle kinda job that was made by Triumph. I was still living at home in Surfside and going to Huntington Beach High School. Although, that was the year they closed HBHS to remodel and opened Marina HS. So, we were moved over there. Friday, November 22, started out like most other days for me. I woke up just before dawn and paddled out in front of our house to get in an hour or so of surfing before going to school. It was great growing up where the first sound I heard each day was the sound of the surf and the first smell was of sweet salt air. I could tell how the surf was without even having to open my eyes…. The sound told me. The rest of that day at school is a blur. It was a strange and sad day with parents picking up kids early and just a whole lot of confusion. “What is going to happen?,” kinda stuff. When I got home I went surfing and put it out of my thoughts. I had been looking forward to my date with Margaret Ferguson that night. Margaret was a very pretty long-haired “beatnik” kinda chick. She was older than me, 20 I think. It was during a span when I was 15 and 16 that I had a run with older chicks. The summer before I had dated a girl when I was in Hawaii who was going to UC Santa Barbara and I think delighted in enlightening me in things that I had not known much about yet had a great desire to know MUCH more about. There was one other and then came Margaret. I was going through a physical, social and emotional growth spurt, so to say. We had gone out a few times during the previous summer to see “art” movies at the Bay Theater in Seal Beach. She lived there with her mom. I rode my bike over there and we walked to the movies. But now she had moved out and had her own apartment, and I had a car. Needless to say, my little 16-year-old mind had interesting ideas on how that night was gonna go. I had two things on my mind. Surfing and chicks. I got to her place all set for a great night. She opened the door and her mom was there and they were both crying. I asked what was wrong. She looked at me in shock and said, “where have you been, don’t you know that President Kennedy has been killed?” Well, I did of course. But I was 16. At that age things of such magnitude don’t register the same way they do when you are a bit more mature and the world as a whole has more importance. So, the date was off, and I went home disappointed. We never went out after that. Looking back, it was definitely one of those days you always remember in your life. I am not sure which shook me more though, JKF or the unhappy ending with Margaret Ferguson. What is really blowing my mind at this moment is that was SIXTY years ago. Geeze. Somebody pass my meds. by Corky Carroll The 24th annual INTERNATIONAL SURFBOARD BUILDERS’ HALL OF FAME induction ceremony, party, festival and Polynesian Luau will take place this year on Saturday, October 14th. It will be held at the Pier Plaza in Huntington Beach and entertainment begins at 8 A.M, with the induction ceremony at 10 A.M. It is free to the public and a super fun event to go to. All kinds of fun stuff and cool people hangin’ out. The founders of the ISBHOF, Bob “the Greek” Bolen and Mike “Mickey the Ratt” Ester, are stoked to have one of their greatest line ups of surfboard building talent for this year’s induction. Here is a brief rundown. The Campbell Brothers, Malcolm and Duncan. I love these guys. Totally original and unique surfboard designers who are responsible for one of the best and most functional board designs to date. The “BONZER.” In 1970, when some of us were working on “twin-fin” shapes, these two brothers from Oxnard were thinking a bit ahead. They could see the pluses and minuses of the two fin and were taking it farther. What they came up with was so much more than just a three-fin board, it was a totally new bottom design that went along with the very different fin shapes and set up. And it really worked great. The first time I tried one I refused to give it back to the owner, Mike Eaton. Three months later he snuck into my back yard in the middle of the night to get it back. And today I am riding a Bonzer SUP. These dudes rock, stoked to see them get some love. Wayne Brown, local boy makes good. I really liked Wayne, he was one of those “stoked” kinda guys that you just felt good being around. He did a lot of stuff. Started out in 1967 making surfboards, BC and then Wayne Brown Surfboards. This led to him also manufacturing Skateboards and a shop on Main Street in Huntington Beach. Then he began importing Piping Hot Wetsuits from Australia, which led to him making a deal with Aleeda Wetsuits to manufacture here in the U.S. He had a place in the back of his shop where he could make you a custom wetsuit and deliver it in 24 hours. Wayne sadly passed away in 2018. Craig Sugihara. Founder and owner of Town and Country Surfboards. Craig is one of those totally cool hard-core surfers who came up through the ranks. Started riding a Piapo board in 1957, started surfing in 1959 under the guidance of the beach boys at Waikiki, started learning how to shape and laminate boards in 1965, built his first board in 1967, got his first surf industy job in 1968 working for George Downing at Greg Noll Surfboards doing fiblerglass work, started building complete boards in 1970 for Mystic Surfboards out in Waianae and finally opening his own TOWN AND COUNTRY surf shop in 1971 in Pearl City. Today he has six stores, Licensees all over the world and is still building surfboards. And, the dude is a great surfer and very cool dude on top of all that.
John Kies. A San Diego surfer who began shaping boards in 1965. Four years later he had a growing market for his shapes and began building boards in his parents’ garage, this was right at the beginning of the “underground” garage board era. In 1972 he began shaping for Hansen Surfboards and then became factory manager and shaper for Koast Surfboards. Putting himself through college on his earnings he found that he couldn’t keep up the demand and so he hired up and coming shapers Rusty Priesendorfer, Bill Shrosbee and Mike Slingerland to help him. All became world class shapers on their own. After Koast closed down John seized the chance to open his own business, Encinitas Surfboards. 35 years, and 24,000 boards, later John is still going and stoked that he can “actually do this for a living.” Also on the slate to get inducted this year are Mitchell Rae of Outer Island Surfboards in Australia and Bernie Crouch from the infamous East Coast brand, Mad Dog Surfboards. If you are free on Saturday the 14th this is be the place to be. Super cool and groovy all the way. by Corky Carroll I get asked a ton of questions about what was surfing like back when I was growing up in the thick of it during the 1960’s. This was the “Golden Era” for surfing in California. Let me give a little background how that came to be. Leading up to the late 1950’s surfing was mostly known to be going on in Hawaii and in California. I am sure it was happening other places too, Australia for sure, but those were the two main hotbeds of surfing. When boards went from wood to foam it opened the door for anybody and everybody to surf. Right at that time, 1959, the movie “Gidget” came out and surfing boomed as a result. Especially here in California. During that period surfboard shops opened all over the place, surfing movies were being shown all the time, surf clubs were forming in every town, surfing magazines were starting up, “surf music” hit the airways and Hollywood was pumping out one “beach” movie after another. And, along with all that, surf contests started happening all the time. There was one every weekend. So, here was the big focusing factor on how California surfing became the leader in the surf world. It was because all the attention was on based on it. The contests here got tons of publicity. The guys that made the surf movies were from here and they featured local surfers. The surf magazines were based here and promoted local talent. It was no wonder that California surfers were the most famous. The bulk of the big competitions where here, and mostly won by surfers from here. They got the most media coverage. If you were a competitive surfer this was the place to be. If you wanted to be a pro surfer this was the place to be. If you wanted to be in the surf industry this was the place to be. Now, if you want my personal opinion, this did not really mean that the best surfing was going on here. If you read the magazines you might think that. In my eyes the best surfing was being done in Hawaii, and probably there were better surfers over there that didn’t get the limelight or have the opportunities that being on the West Coast offered. Hawaii might have been the heart of the surfing world, but California was center stage.
Through the entire 1960’s and up until late 1972 California was a competitive powerhouse. The other two main forces were Hawaii and Australia. These were the undisputed “powers that be.” So, what happened? In the couple of years leading up to the World Championship in San Diego in October of 1972 there was a slow growing “discontent” going on in the competitive ranks on the West Coast. The top surfers were not happy with the way the events were being run. Plus, the available money to be made was shrinking. The same discontent was flowing through not only the competitive part but also through the surf culture, as well as the overall culture as well. Viet Nam was a huge factor in this. There was a lot of “dropping out” going on. A lot of rebelling. More boards were being made in garages than in the big surfboard factories. It was all “underground” this and “soul brother” that. The crowds were bigger than ever, but the glitter was gone. More grit than glamor. The World Championship was the big bomb that blew up California surfing, as far as being the leading surf power. They held the last day in 6 inch to 1 foot surf at Ocean Beach while not that far away a big south swell was hitting beaches better facing the direction. All the previous days it had been run up the coast in Oceanside where the surf was much better. My own memory of that was coming out of the water after my semifinal heat, having not caught one wave, due to the fact that there weren’t any, and saying to myself, “if THIS is what it’s come to, I’m done.” This was a week after my 25th birthday. It seemed the same thought went through a lot of minds that day as the majority of the top competitive surfers from California all “retired” from contests that day. For the most part California competitive surfing, as well as the surf industry in general, went dark for a number of years after that. The World Tour started in 1976 and it was all Hawaii and Australia. Most from that era still refuse to admit that pro surfing did exist before that, but it did. As time went on Brazil grew into a monster force. Today more people are surfing than ever. Everywhere. Surfing is alive and well… almost too much so. We have great surfers here, always have. But it’s Brazil, Hawaii and Australia that are at the top of world surfing. Right now anyway. I am sure a lot of you could care less about this, but for those who do, that was my take on how it happened. by Corky Carroll This wordily wandering is in response to a ton of questions, mostly on social media, asking me if I still surf and how I got so deep into painting. For those of you who don’t know, I have more than less segued from full time surfer and part time artist to the opposite. I paint all the time. I still try to surf when it’s right, but not full time like throughout my entire life up to this point. Here is the story behind this life change for me. As most of you know, I have surfed my entire life and have been lucky enough to have been able to do it on a daily basis from the time I was a young kid to just recently. I have done art, off and on since I was in high school and liked watercolors. But never all that seriously. In the 1980’s I got into doing airbrush paintings that were pretty cool. I sold them through a gallery in Dana Point Harbor and they did well. I had a little spot in the back warehouse at SURFER magazine where I could do these. I was working there at the time. When I left, I didn’t have a place to do them anymore, so I stopped. In the early 2000’s I built a house on the beach on mainland Mexico and started a business taking in surfing guests. One of these was an artist who did acrylics. When he left, he gave me a small acrylic set and I tried out a few canvases to see how I liked it. It was fun and I started doing a few simple ones. I put them on the wall, and people started asking to buy them. It became a side hobby to go along with the surfing and music (am still doing some gigs there in the local area.). In the fall, just before Covid hit, I got diagnosed with a-Fib. This led to a number of surgeries and a pacemaker. Also a tremendous drop in energy level. I started to get very out of breath when I surfed and my heart rate would get very high. Then Covid hit and I wound up spending about six months in the house, not surfing, and doing nothing but gaining weight. When I finally got back in the water I found I was only good for about one or two waves at a time before I started to get light headed and dizzy. So, that is where my surfing is at the moment. A wave or two when the conditions are good. This is where the art kicked in. With time on my hands, I started painting more and more. I have this thing that has always driven my friends nuts, I tend to focus on one thing super intensely. At the expense of everything else going on. It is like that with the art. I am totally consumed with it and it is keeping my “stoke” alive. My thought is if I can’t ride waves then I can still paint them. And I do, lots of them. About a year ago, after weighing the pros and cons with my beautiful wife Raquel, I decided to totally dedicate myself to making art my new full-time career. I mostly do what you would call “surf” or “tropical” paintings. A lot of waves and palm trees. And, when it’s right I still am able to paddle out and catch my wave or two. This is keeping me very happy and motivated. A lot of days, if the conditions aren’t suitable for me to go in the water, I will hang out and watch the surf and friends out there doing it. Then go back to the house and paint the rest of the day. I always check the surf, it’s a lifetime habit, and I always stay attached to what’s going on in the surfing world thru my surf company, BLUE MANGO SURF, which I own with my partner Joel Saltzman.
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will notice that I really do a lot of paintings. This is because I love doing them so much that I can bury myself into it for hours and hours every day. A lot of times I have more than one going at a time, a great way to not waste paint. If I can convey the “feel” of what I am painting, like how a wave looks to me in my mind or a certain scene, onto the canvas then it gives me the same “rush” as coming out of a raging barrel in surfing. I am far from a master painter, not even close. But if one of my paintings on a wall someplace puts a smile on somebodies face when they see it then I have accomplished what I set out to do. Each one is personal; they are all my children and I love them. So, I hope that answers the questions on how I phased from surf to surf art and have kept the stoke intact. If you want to see some of the paintings go to www.bluemangosurf.com. Or check me out on Facebook. Thanks. |