Author’s Note

The premise of this book is to give the reader a glimpse into what it was like to be a young surfer in the 60s and early 70s. These are the stories of what happened to my surfing buddies and me but more importantly they are the stories of the everyday surfer, the guys and gals who were out there going to the beach enjoying being young and living the lifestyle of that time period. Everyone who surfed or went to the beach has similar stories to tell. Over the years I’ve shared my surfing stories with people and listened to numerous stories as well. These are our adventures, experiences and the crazy things we did.

The front and back cover design was done by Garry Birdsall of Australia. He was a top touring competitive surfer during the 60s, 70s and 80s in Australia and competitions around the world. He was the first person ever to do Air Brush artwork on a surfboard. And now it is about the only way boards are designed.

I was born and raised in Pomona, Southern California during the 50s, 60s and early 70s. I always enjoyed going to the beach on our family trips and vacations and would sometimes notice people standing up on large boards while being pushed along on the water. It looked like fun but I didn’t really know what they were doing because I was too young. Eventually when I understood that what they were doing was surfing I became interested in it and was hoping to one day give it a try. The 60s ushered in the beach and surfing music by the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean and numerous other groups. The music along with all the beach and surfing movies of the time only helped to spark our interest in surfing. By the mid 60s I finally got a chance to try my hand at surfing while on a beach trip with some friends and found out it wasn’t as easy as they made it look. After countless hours of determination, many wipeouts I finally stood up and caught my first wave. Even though it was the soupy white water it still felt pretty neat. After that I couldn’t get enough. I’d go as often as I could especially on nice weekends and during the summer. Then a group of guys at school were talking about going to the beach to go surfing and so one day we all went on our first surfing trip together.

The title of the book “Surfing Adventures of the 60s, 70s and Beyond” refers to our adventures, experiences, misadventures and the wild, crazy and funny things that happened to us during the 60s and early 70s when we were going to the beach and surfing. The part “and Beyond” refers to not only a few other time periods and places other than Southern California but a few funny things that happened that had nothing to do with surfing.

Music was an important ingredient in the surfing experience especially Beach and Surfing Music. A few of the lyrics of these surfing songs have been inserted throughout the book, including a few instrumentals. (But you’ll have to use your imagination to hear the music for these though.) While in High School I began writing poetry and have written about 300 poems over the years. Some of the poems have been about the beach or surfing. I’ve included about 20 of these poems throughout the book as well.

This book has been a lot of fun to write and I’m very pleased to share these stories and our adventures with you and I hope you enjoy them. I’m also hoping to put together another surfing book with your help. So if you have any funny, crazy interesting or hair raising stories that you’ve told over the years and would like to share with others then send them too me. I’d love to hear from you, as I’ve mentioned in other parts of the book. Send your stories to me at: alf000777@yahoo.com.

Everyone who sends in their stories, if it is used, will receive full credit, acknowledgement and compensation (to be determined later) for their stories and will retain the rights to reuse their stories as they see fit. I believe there are a lot of people out there who were surfing during the 50s, 60s, 70s and on up to the present that have some great stories to tell and would like to share them. I’m sure that other people would enjoy reading about your stories, I know I would. I ran into a guy this past year (March 2008) surfing at Seal Beach, California. He had been surfing since 1960. Think of all the stories he has, wow. I also ran into a guy, his wife and dog at Balsa Chica who was there from the San Francisco area on a business trip and was able to fit a couple hours of surfing into his busy schedule, he commented that he just needed the exercise. One of my old neighbors grew up in Hawaii in the 50s and 60s and has told me some of his stories and these will be in my next book. There is also a friend in our local Jimmy Buffett Chesapeake Parrot Head Club who was surfing in Florida during the same time period. The stories are out there we just have to get them in print for all to enjoy. You can find stories in all the surfing magazines, and other books, but most are about the high profile surfers, professional surfers, prominent media events or the people that make the surfing movies or that are featured in the movies. Most of these are great stories and I enjoy reading them and watching the movies. But there are not a lot of stories about us, the everyday average surfer, having fun, getting into trouble while just trying to get to the beach to go surfing and do our thing with the waves.

Check out my website: www.surfingadventures60s70sbeyond.com

Note: If you are buying internationally you need to call Xlibris and order by phone or email them directly.

Surf’s up and stayed stoked. Andy.

Author’s Note

The premise of this book is to give the reader a glimpse into what it was like to be a young surfer in the 60s and early 70s. These are the stories of what happened to my surfing buddies and me but more importantly they are the stories of the everyday surfer, the guys and gals who were out there going to the beach enjoying being young and living the lifestyle of that time period. Everyone who surfed or went to the beach has similar stories to tell. Over the years I’ve shared my surfing stories with people and listened to numerous stories as well. These are our adventures, experiences and the crazy things we did.

The front and back cover design was done by Garry Birdsall of Australia. He was a top touring competitive surfer during the 60s, 70s and 80s in Australia and competitions around the world. He was the first person ever to do Air Brush artwork on a surfboard. And now it is about the only way boards are designed.

I was born and raised in Pomona, Southern California during the 50s, 60s and early 70s. I always enjoyed going to the beach on our family trips and vacations and would sometimes notice people standing up on large boards while being pushed along on the water. It looked like fun but I didn’t really know what they were doing because I was too young. Eventually when I understood that what they were doing was surfing I became interested in it and was hoping to one day give it a try. The 60s ushered in the beach and surfing music by the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean and numerous other groups. The music along with all the beach and surfing movies of the time only helped to spark our interest in surfing. By the mid 60s I finally got a chance to try my hand at surfing while on a beach trip with some friends and found out it wasn’t as easy as they made it look. After countless hours of determination, many wipeouts I finally stood up and caught my first wave. Even though it was the soupy white water it still felt pretty neat. After that I couldn’t get enough. I’d go as often as I could especially on nice weekends and during the summer. Then a group of guys at school were talking about going to the beach to go surfing and so one day we all went on our first surfing trip together.

The title of the book “Surfing Adventures of the 60s, 70s and Beyond” refers to our adventures, experiences, misadventures and the wild, crazy and funny things that happened to us during the 60s and early 70s when we were going to the beach and surfing. The part “and Beyond” refers to not only a few other time periods and places other than Southern California but a few funny things that happened that had nothing to do with surfing.

Music was an important ingredient in the surfing experience especially Beach and Surfing Music. A few of the lyrics of these surfing songs have been inserted throughout the book, including a few instrumentals. (But you’ll have to use your imagination to hear the music for these though.) While in High School I began writing poetry and have written about 300 poems over the years. Some of the poems have been about the beach or surfing. I’ve included about 20 of these poems throughout the book as well.

This book has been a lot of fun to write and I’m very pleased to share these stories and our adventures with you and I hope you enjoy them. I’m also hoping to put together another surfing book with your help. So if you have any funny, crazy interesting or hair raising stories that you’ve told over the years and would like to share with others then send them too me. I’d love to hear from you, as I’ve mentioned in other parts of the book. Send your stories to me at: alf000777@yahoo.com.

Everyone who sends in their stories, if it is used, will receive full credit, acknowledgement and compensation (to be determined later) for their stories and will retain the rights to reuse their stories as they see fit. I believe there are a lot of people out there who were surfing during the 50s, 60s, 70s and on up to the present that have some great stories to tell and would like to share them. I’m sure that other people would enjoy reading about your stories, I know I would. I ran into a guy this past year (March 2008) surfing at Seal Beach, California. He had been surfing since 1960. Think of all the stories he has, wow. I also ran into a guy, his wife and dog at Balsa Chica who was there from the San Francisco area on a business trip and was able to fit a couple hours of surfing into his busy schedule, he commented that he just needed the exercise. One of my old neighbors grew up in Hawaii in the 50s and 60s and has told me some of his stories and these will be in my next book. There is also a friend in our local Jimmy Buffett Chesapeake Parrot Head Club who was surfing in Florida during the same time period. The stories are out there we just have to get them in print for all to enjoy. You can find stories in all the surfing magazines, and other books, but most are about the high profile surfers, professional surfers, prominent media events or the people that make the surfing movies or that are featured in the movies. Most of these are great stories and I enjoy reading them and watching the movies. But there are not a lot of stories about us, the everyday average surfer, having fun, getting into trouble while just trying to get to the beach to go surfing and do our thing with the waves.

Check out my website: www.surfingadventures60s70sbeyond.com

Note: If you are buying internationally you need to call Xlibris and order by phone or email them directly.

Surf’s up and stayed stoked. Andy.

This book is a must read for all East Coast surfers who may have felt at sometime that they should apologize for where they are from. The stories and pictures in this book are sure to make the East Coast surfer proud, while sharing a universal story line with surfers all around the world. These stories could very well have taken place in Hawaii or California… but, they didn’t. The major theme is an eighteen-mile barrier island off the New Jersey coastline known as Long Beach Island (LBI). Every individual in this book is somehow connected to the island. Through a series of short stories from the 1930s to the 21st Century, you will be moved by what these individuals have accomplished in the surfing community as well as the “real world.”

Turn the pages to find out who is an innovator of snowboard technology; a photo editor for Surfer magazine; writer/producer of a Nickelodeon cartoon; and an award recipient from the president of the United States. Meet local surfing legends: Wimpy, Tinker, and Huckleberry. Find out what surfing pioneers did in the days before surfing wetsuits and wax. Travel around the world and through time for: Surfing in Vietnam – during the Vietnam War; Running a surf hostile in Puerto Rico in the 1990s; Capturing storm surf on film for the last twenty years from all over the globe. Learn what unique surfing product came to a local surfer in a dream and how the internationally known franchise - Ron Jon Surf Shop, got its start on LBI.

You’re sure to enjoy the “Why We Surf” section with unedited material from our local surfers, ages fifteen to sixty-three. Hear about some of their most memorable surfing experiences and gain their deepest insights about this incredible sport and lifestyle.

The book has over one hundred pictures from family collections, 60s surf magazines, and professional portfolios of some of the top surfing photographers. Surfing collectors will especially enjoy some of the vintage material.

“Surfing the Web” will give you the links you need for everything from weather information to lodging on LBI. For those of you who are still learning about LBI, “Local Breaks” gives you the “low-down” about surfing conditions and even parking.

There is something in Surfing LBI for surfers of every age and level of expertise. It’s a “feel good” book that will leave you stoked every time you open it.

This book is a must read for all East Coast surfers who may have felt at sometime that they should apologize for where they are from. The stories and pictures in this book are sure to make the East Coast surfer proud, while sharing a universal story line with surfers all around the world. These stories could very well have taken place in Hawaii or California… but, they didn’t. The major theme is an eighteen-mile barrier island off the New Jersey coastline known as Long Beach Island (LBI). Every individual in this book is somehow connected to the island. Through a series of short stories from the 1930s to the 21st Century, you will be moved by what these individuals have accomplished in the surfing community as well as the “real world.”

Turn the pages to find out who is an innovator of snowboard technology; a photo editor for Surfer magazine; writer/producer of a Nickelodeon cartoon; and an award recipient from the president of the United States. Meet local surfing legends: Wimpy, Tinker, and Huckleberry. Find out what surfing pioneers did in the days before surfing wetsuits and wax. Travel around the world and through time for: Surfing in Vietnam – during the Vietnam War; Running a surf hostile in Puerto Rico in the 1990s; Capturing storm surf on film for the last twenty years from all over the globe. Learn what unique surfing product came to a local surfer in a dream and how the internationally known franchise - Ron Jon Surf Shop, got its start on LBI.

You’re sure to enjoy the “Why We Surf” section with unedited material from our local surfers, ages fifteen to sixty-three. Hear about some of their most memorable surfing experiences and gain their deepest insights about this incredible sport and lifestyle.

The book has over one hundred pictures from family collections, 60s surf magazines, and professional portfolios of some of the top surfing photographers. Surfing collectors will especially enjoy some of the vintage material.

“Surfing the Web” will give you the links you need for everything from weather information to lodging on LBI. For those of you who are still learning about LBI, “Local Breaks” gives you the “low-down” about surfing conditions and even parking.

There is something in Surfing LBI for surfers of every age and level of expertise. It’s a “feel good” book that will leave you stoked every time you open it.

This book is a must read for all East Coast surfers who may have felt at sometime that they should apologize for where they are from. The stories and pictures in this book are sure to make the East Coast surfer proud, while sharing a universal story line with surfers all around the world. These stories could very well have taken place in Hawaii or California… but, they didn’t. The major theme is an eighteen-mile barrier island off the New Jersey coastline known as Long Beach Island (LBI). Every individual in this book is somehow connected to the island. Through a series of short stories from the 1930s to the 21st Century, you will be moved by what these individuals have accomplished in the surfing community as well as the “real world.”

Turn the pages to find out who is an innovator of snowboard technology; a photo editor for Surfer magazine; writer/producer of a Nickelodeon cartoon; and an award recipient from the president of the United States. Meet local surfing legends: Wimpy, Tinker, and Huckleberry. Find out what surfing pioneers did in the days before surfing wetsuits and wax. Travel around the world and through time for: Surfing in Vietnam – during the Vietnam War; Running a surf hostile in Puerto Rico in the 1990s; Capturing storm surf on film for the last twenty years from all over the globe. Learn what unique surfing product came to a local surfer in a dream and how the internationally known franchise - Ron Jon Surf Shop, got its start on LBI.

You’re sure to enjoy the “Why We Surf” section with unedited material from our local surfers, ages fifteen to sixty-three. Hear about some of their most memorable surfing experiences and gain their deepest insights about this incredible sport and lifestyle.

The book has over one hundred pictures from family collections, 60s surf magazines, and professional portfolios of some of the top surfing photographers. Surfing collectors will especially enjoy some of the vintage material.

“Surfing the Web” will give you the links you need for everything from weather information to lodging on LBI. For those of you who are still learning about LBI, “Local Breaks” gives you the “low-down” about surfing conditions and even parking.

There is something in Surfing LBI for surfers of every age and level of expertise. It’s a “feel good” book that will leave you stoked every time you open it.

The fact that water skiing will soon be elevated to Olympic status, is reason enough to celebrate the 80th birthday of water skiing. Another reason is that the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF), under Graziano Tognala, will bring water skiing to new heights.

Graziano, who estimates that there are over 50 million water skiers around the world, has concerns, “Water skiing is a very attractive, athletic and spectacular sport, but we found out, that before 1997, it was not well known.” Water skiing is now recognized by the Olympic Committee (IOC).

We have retrace the history of water skiing over the past 8o years. It is an “American Original”. The sport of water skiing was invented in July, 1922, in Minnesota. It was promoted in exhibitions around the country and exported to Europe, where it prospered. The French performed on water skis at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. That was the year that the American Water Ski Association was formed, and the first water ski tournaments were held.

“A lot of water has gone over the dam” since the French showed us that water skiing had world-wide appeal. It is only fitting that the Committee for the Olympic Games - Athens 2004 (ATHOC) has proposed to the IOC to include water skiing at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

The fact that water skiing will soon be elevated to Olympic status, is reason enough to celebrate the 80th birthday of water skiing. Another reason is that the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF), under Graziano Tognala, will bring water skiing to new heights.

Graziano, who estimates that there are over 50 million water skiers around the world, has concerns, “Water skiing is a very attractive, athletic and spectacular sport, but we found out, that before 1997, it was not well known.” Water skiing is now recognized by the Olympic Committee (IOC).

We have retrace the history of water skiing over the past 8o years. It is an “American Original”. The sport of water skiing was invented in July, 1922, in Minnesota. It was promoted in exhibitions around the country and exported to Europe, where it prospered. The French performed on water skis at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. That was the year that the American Water Ski Association was formed, and the first water ski tournaments were held.

“A lot of water has gone over the dam” since the French showed us that water skiing had world-wide appeal. It is only fitting that the Committee for the Olympic Games - Athens 2004 (ATHOC) has proposed to the IOC to include water skiing at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.