Hey, one of those cars could easily have been mine. It often had many more boards on it than this. And yes, I remember most of those clips from Severson, B. Brown, G. Noll and other '60s surf films shown in school auditoriums. That's just one reason why I did the "Surf Rods" articles in The Rodder's Journal. Pat Ganahl
Cool! I have to get a copy of that magazine. My Merc was owned by Phil Sauer and was his surf transportation. He owned Inland Surf Shop in Downey and supplied boards for movies and television. I wonder if he knew Greg Noll?
Very cool post! Iconic photo by John Severson who went on to start Surfer Magazine. While Greg Noll was also the first to surf the outer reef at Pipeline (1964), seven years before that he surfed Waimea Bay at 25+ feet (1957). At the time that was even more remarkable. So remarkable that a grainy black and white video made it onto the evening news. I remember it clearly, on our B&W TV, more than 150 miles from the nearest ocean, and halfway around the world. I was 3 years old and had never heard of surfing. It absolutely terrified me. Da Bull!!
He basically peer pressured his buddy, Mike Strange, to be the first to paddle into one... But yeah, he lead the charge for sure... I like to believe Hawaiians conquered those waves first though.
A bit more detail…..In ‘43, Woody Brown and Dickie Cross were caught in a rising swell at Sunset, down from Waimea. They paddled to Waimea to try to get in and were met with 40’ close outs sets. Cross was never seen again. Brown washed ashore naked, barley alive. No one surfed Waimea for 14 years until Noll and Strange were the ones to break the taboo the Hawaiian’s held at Waimea….
You’re hunch is right, Ryan. There is oral history of Hawaiians surfing Waimea Bay, way, wayyyy back. Surfing is a thousand years old and early equipment and techniques were much more advanced than previously understood. It’s important to remember that surfing nearly died out after the pressures of Western contact and a lot of the old ways were lost. The surf revival of the early 1900’s was starting nearly from scratch and a home grown affair. Respect to the feral Mainlanders that arrived from the 1940’s onward, however. They certainly charged hard, adapted to Hawaiian culture and contributed technology wise; Hollow boards by Tom Blake, early balsa, later foam and fiberglass BUT by the 60’s the Mainland guys visiting had the magazines and movies going and wrote the stories from THEIR own point of view. Mostly for a Californian audience. Of COURSE they were the stars of their own show. Ha.
Hello, At 1:10 in the movie, the I-5 freeway or back then the San Diego Freeway (South) going over the dirt road underneath that leads to the world famous Trestles surf spot. The road at the middle top is the dirt road inside of the Camp Pendleton Marine property. Only to be used by the Marines. Yeah right! https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-6-1-18.1109574/#post-12590643 At 1:10 the very early parking for those that walked down on the dirt road between the U.S. Marine Jeep patrols to get under the freeway and out on the trail to the waves. Being caught on the trail or any property of the U.S. Marines was instant confiscation of surfboards. The surfers were taken to the Oceanside Provost Marshall’s Office to call the local police or what was known as the “dreaded” parents, to come and get their kid(s). https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-surf-transportation.326942/page-6#post-12512092 Jnaki The white station wagon looks like our friend’s station wagon from the same early time period. Leo H. photo This parking location next to the freeway did not last long as the CHP decided it was too dangerous and leads directly to the U.S. Marine base. So, the lot was closed, forcing all surfers to start parking their cars a block or two near the old homes on that side of the freeway. Nothing but a dirt property, no development as yet. (Past where the Carl’s Jr. location is today.) As far as Greg Noll Surfboards is concerned, the last time we drove down the coast, the Noll surfboards shop that opened in 2009 in San Clemente, is now closed. His history is always associated with the surfboard shop in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, not South Orange County, like Huntington Beach (34 Miles south), Dana Point (65 miles south) or as in the film, Camp Pendleton (70 miles south)
I went on a safari to so-cal in the summer of 64. Mom,pop,bro & me to Disneyland etc. We stayed on Balboa Island. Had my pop drive the 52 Buick up and down PCH. I stopped in every surf shop I could spot. Stopped at Greg “ da bulls” at closing. Mr black/white stripe baggies was really cool and chewed the fat with me and Pop for a half hour or so. He was a really solid dude. Even scored some bagwells what a day also met Hobbie Alter and mr. Toes on the nose Dewey Webber. Thanks for reality check and clearing the cobwebs out Ryan!
Fun old surfer ride, with what looks to be a wooden board. Can’t quite read license plate to find location. Obligatory Hawaiian surf wagon from Maui
I grew up about 300 miles from the ocean so the only surfing I ever did was " Side walk surfing" on a skateboard. When we went on vacation at Pawley's Island I tried surfing, I was in my late teens at the time and I swear I stayed under the surf more than on the board, I tried again a few years later but realized I wasn't cut out for surfing. HRP
I had a buddy back in the day with an "expensive" Noll board.....(only 9-4 cause he was "small). Beautiful board, only it had a spider imbedded in the resin. I guess it was common that Noll would find spiders and things around the shop and purposedly display them in the resin.
Hello, Sorry for your memory of So Cal from back in the day. But, if you were on Balboa Island, it was approximately 44 miles to Greg Noll’s Shop, North, in the South Bay of Los Angeles. Dewey Weber's Shop was also in the South Bay of Los Angeles, which was near Greg Noll’s Shop. (as well as Jacobs Surfboards, too.) Another 44 miles North on PCH . Hobie Alter's Shop in Dana Point was another 25 + miles down South on PCH from Balboa Island. This old sedan delivery saw plenty of those So Cal coastal miles between the South Bay to the North, the South Orange County surf spots and even longer road trips to San Diego County. For us So Cal locals, those were all day road trips going North from our house in Long Beach. It was closer to go to the South Bay as we were only 15 miles away. But there was no reason to go up there as it was not the best surf during the summers. Only when a big South Swell hit, a few days later, North of the South Bay Area of Hermosa Beach/Manhattan Beach was the prime spot, Malibu. But only in the Summer swells. That was definitely an all day road trip as it was 45 miles from our house. A lot of visitors to So Cal get confused as to location and history. The odd thing was as the years rolled on, after being away from surfing, Noll's Surf Shop did move to South Orange County, run by he and his son. Then the shop permanently closed. Jnaki Not to lessen your So Cal vacation, but your dad must have put on 1000s of miles during your stay. Perhaps your stay in Balboa Island kept giving the surf shop visits along Coast Highway along the Orange County coastline. From Seal Beach down to Laguna Beach, where there were a lot of local surf shops all along the highway, through Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Those road trips were feasible. Even today when we go back to Long Beach from South OC, it is an all day road trip. It takes a long time getting there as well as visiting locations and then the return down the coast takes twice as long due to the traffic along the major cities mentioned. Especially, the mass of humanity/traffic in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach. YRMV
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