I think you can find examples of knee paddling going way back. Main reason? No wetsuits back then. Kept you a tad drier.
Yeah-now you have the same people per wave when there are 40 people on it. I guess people per wave is not necessarily proportional to people in the lineup.
What caught my eye was the turn at 1:15 on the left. Quite the cutback around the paddler for a big ol’ heavy plank.
I had a board come back up and hit me in the mouth. Put my teeth through the skin below the lip. I’m under water and I stuck my tongue through the hole. Whoops. End of session.
Watch the back foot of the surfers on thier frontside turns. Several of them employ the ‘‘dip turn’’ technique. Slipping a portion of the rear foot over the rail, to more quickly bring the board around. I also saw one fellow put his whole foot, well above the ankle, off the rail to initiate his turn. The technique is still valid today. I’ve used it at Sunset, on big days, to keep from pearling on takeoff, as the wave jacks up. Slipping some toes off the rail, and maybe a quick hand dip can instantly set both your direction and the rail in the wave face, and get you rapidly ‘‘out of Dodge.’’ It can change a pending disaster, into one helluva ride!
Bill
My grandpa would always say that they were stoked to share waves back then. There were so few surfers at the time, it was a treat to surf with your buddies. Plus if you lost your board someone could grab it for you!
There’s a couple more videos that might be of interest my uncle posted:
Here’s a two part video of when Bud restored Skeeter Malcom’s plank and gave it to him as a surprise at San O.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeDjBXGEPxs&list=UU8xet202huJ-VF8MT4ovoZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cju__0R6_C4&list=UU8xet202huJ-VF8MT4ovoZQ
A three part video that’s the raw footage of a news story they did on the old time surfer’s at tourmaline in the 80’s. Some local legends in there for sure!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS4boOFXZxs&list=UU8xet202huJ-VF8MT4ovoZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zebf771QHTg&list=UU8xet202huJ-VF8MT4ovoZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwox5tNlkAM&list=UU8xet202huJ-VF8MT4ovoZQ
You will not find a group of guys that loved surfing more than these guys. I grew up on the coat tails of some of these guys. Mouse is still in the warer almost everyday. I got to make Skeeters last board. He was pretty sick and his friends helped carry the board for one of his last surfs at the cliffs. It was a pretty big day and shifty not easy surf. As he was passing me at the top of the stairs I asked " how was it?" " Magnificint" . Blackie was a pretty good friend before noon. Tough SOB with a heart of gold. Get all these guys together in the same room you better have some thick skin.
One of Buds last surfs at the cliffs I hooted him into a wave he was off to the side mostly just being out there watching. He got the wave in way in front of some flailing shortboarder who had to flop around Buds tail. As the kid came paddling out he was bitching about the old guy. I went over to the kid and said “that old guy gets any wave he wants”. Bud was kind of struggling with his big board at the bottom of the cliff. I asked if he needed help, he said if he was to old to carry the board he was to old to surf You can still find these guys at the south beach lot in the south beach parking lot in the AM.
Scotty I went to school and surfed with Alex.
These guys were SURFERS
Check out the SD skyline. Tallest building El Cortez hotel…those old PC class wooden sailboats were some of the most beautiful boats ever. Some of them are still being sailed. Grrr internet sucks down here but 85 degree water and no crowds is a nice trade off.
Aloha Ace,
In the mid/late 60’s to early 70’s, I surfed the Cliffs alot. An old surf buddy, Jim Fisher, had moved to OB, and through him I met and surfed with both Mouse, and Blackie frequently. Most often at North Garbage, and a few times at the pier. Great guys, both!
Bill
Blackie had opinions on everything always interesting coversations. One was to hold your nose during a big wipeout. He said it stoped the panic sesation, it works. Never back down never apoligize take no prisoners. One of the last conversations was at the pier. He was really sick and was in his car it was a beautiful day he was staring at the ocean and said “you know what I am going to miss, this” Surfer till the end.
Bumped up for reference purposes.