When did you start surfing?

1982 at the Avalon pier on a 1961 Hobie, had to be pushed in by my dad as my arms were not long enough for me to paddle that beast. and a few times since.

 

6 months old: Grabbed first hand full of WB sand and promptly deposited in mouth.

3 years old: Riding the surf mat with my Grandfather, Dad, Aunt, Mom and anyone else I could convince to take me out... with a lifejacket on of course.

5 years old: Surfing my Uncle's McCoy pin tail single fin behind the boat.

6 years old: Parents surprise me with a used 5'2" Natural Art twin fin, and that was that.

 

Erock, I would expect no less greatness from your origin. Feel free to continue through listing the chronology of your prosperous gromhood.

 

I was always a good swimmer and body surfer and skateboarder when I was young (7 years old till 15). All my buds started surfing, but I wasn't allowed to have a surfboard - "You'll put your eye out!". I bought an old 7' green Nomad anyway from my paper route $. This was in 1974.

Me and two friends went camping up at Hutchinson Island north of the nuclear plant. I wanted to learn to surf away from crowds so I could kook out without ridicule. It was a clean chest high day, and after about two hours I got the popup down and rode a few. Totally stoked.

That night, as we were camping out and fighting skeeters, a white robed figure appeared out of the sea mist. He said he was following the life of Jesus and we offered him a burger. He declined, explaining he was vegetarian, but asked if we could give him some bug repellent, which we did. He continued to walk north along the shore and soon disappeared into the gloom.

An hour or so later, a pickup truck pulled up a little bit away and parked. Now this spot was known for a grisly ritual murder committed by an ex-Sheriff officer. I think his name was Schaffer. He killed and dismembered his victims and placed their parts in a pentagram in the woods there.

So my two buddies are freaking out about the truck and who may be in it. They both lock themselves in the car. I walk up to the pickup and say hi. There are three rednecks in the cab, drunk. Two bigguns, on little guy. The little guy with crazed eyes says to me "You know your fire is right where we had our fire the other night. Did you know this place is where all those murders happened, blah blah blah. I said yes I did. He said that when they were camping out there a car pulled up, and they shot off a gun just to let them know that they were armed. He was trying to scare me, and he was scaring the **** out of me with his weird eyes, missing teeth and his Deliverance demeanor., and all we had was a machete. I told him we had a .357 but that was a waste of bullets since they go for a buck each and I had to get back to the tent before my buddies got nervous and started real shooting. They left. I went back to the car and cussed out my ***** friends.

The waves were breaking in clean peeling chest high lines the next morning, and by the end of the day I knew how to turn.

 

Not sure of the exact age, but was at the beach by the time I was two week old. Youngest of six, born in June, my mother couldn't handle another minute in the house with all the kids going crazy.

Have vague memories of being thrown on front of a longboard around 5 or 6 by my older bros. Got proficient standing on the styrofoam boards that were wrapped in that cloth that would chafe your skin to shreds. The styrofoam would always break, but the cloth would keep the board intact.

First real boards were used hand me downs passed through the family, with my favorite being my first one. A 5'2" squatty little pig that had a single fin that was just slightly bigger than a twin fin. that board is in safe keeping in the basement as a family relic. Went strictly fiberglass probably around 9 yrs old.

Have quite a few dings and scars on my head because of those bungee cord leashes from back in the day. Late 70s.

Had my best day ever surfing Hurricane Gloria in 1985 at 16. Was on my first new board, a 5' 8" **** Brewer twin fin. Best thing that happened was getting worked early in the session to get rid of all the nerves and fear. Wish I still had that board.

Been surfing ever since, and just as into it now, if not more, as I was in 1985.

 

My mom says I could swim before I could walk. Don't know if I believe that, but my earliest memories are of a canvas mat, rented from Steger's Beach Service in Cape May. Started surfing on borrowed boards in 6th grade ('74?), and got my first board, a Challenger Eastern single fin, the summer between 7th and 8th grade. Got full winter gear that year for Christmas, and have been surfing year round since then. I'm coming up on 50. After the Challenger, I got a G&S fish, then an MR twin, then a G&S quad when I was a sophomore or junior in high school. After that I had a Surfboards Hawaii 6 channel thruster, and before I graduated high school I was building my own boards. And still do.

 

1977 in Daytona on a rented board, got worked all day long but still had a blast. Shortly thereafter bought a used 6' 10 Sebastian Surfboard swallow tail, soon traded that in for a 6'4" stinger single from Granada Surf shop.

Been at it ever since, turning 55 in April. Still having a blast -caught great waves last Fri/Sat in OBX, surfed a good bar with only my 5-6 buddies out , got some barrels, snapped a board, so much fun just like it has been the last 35+ years
Jim

 

it is pretty amazing how much longevity surfing has (unlike, lets say, skateboarding, where you find yourself at 35 spending way too much time behind a walmart or whatever). Yeah, ya gotta stay in shape to surf, but I see some guys out here in what looks like their 70s, on fishes, and they're surfing pretty damn good

 

1963...50 years ago Lanai Kai 9'6" orange popout

 

...when I was 13...42 years ago... Still at it, just a bit slower these days.....

 

I Started Surfing at the age of 19, and i love to do surfing. I first do surfing in the Goa beach. It was wonderful, and i love it.

 

Wild tale. Didn't you hear the banjo music?

 

I graduated from high school in '73 in Ohio and got a swimming scholarship to Florida State. Some of the guys on the team surfed and I started catching rides to Panama City Beach and Cape San Blas with them. I never went back to Ohio and moved from Tallahassee to Jacksonville in '79. Been surfing ever since.