It`s Santa Cruz, in 69 or 70., 26th ave. and out paddles Steve Russ at with something flopping around on the deck. He showed us. He had taken surgical tubing from his biology lab, attached one end to his board with a suction cup and the other end to his wrist. He said this was a great invention that was going to catch on. When he ate it, he wouldn’t lose his board like us. We started laughing because Russ tended to eat it a lot. I bumped into him maybe a year later. He was saying that he had been on the verge of patenting the tubing thing, which he called a “shot cord,” but that Pat O’Neill had stolen the idea, out-maneuvered him, and was now marketing it. Was he pissed! Where Steve is today I don’t know. I heard he just sort of sailed off into the sunset. But fast forward to the present, and check the link- if this new leash lawsuit is successful, I can see other lawyers salivating as they look in the direction of O’Neill’s deep pockets, while Pat starts saying it was Steve Russ that invented the leash, not him. Perhaps, finally… poetic justice? http://www.surfingthemag.com/pulse/07_30_03_unleashed/
I truly feel for the loss of a loved one, but what is happening to this country? Lets face it surfing is inherently a dangerous sport, and we should all know our abilities and limits and not blame our misfortunes on someone else. I’ve been surfing for over 37 years and on my second go out I got hit in the chin with the rail of my board and receieved three stiches the afternoon of 8th grade graduation. Should I sue the manufacturer of my board 37 years later? No way it was my mistake and I just sucked it up. To the widow my condolences, to the lawyer go find a case where someone was truly negligent.
Here in France(Biarritz) we say Georges Hennebute in the 60’s (when the boards became a bit lighter) was the first guy to put a rope through a bridge of resin on his board and attached it to his ankle with one of these old leather strip used on old rollers (you known 2wheels in front and 2wheels in the back). Everybody said he was crazy because they thought he would have his leg teared out his body !! We after used some thick elastic stuff instead of rope, that’s when it become real dangerous when the bord came back flying on you when the white water released it. Good old days !!! Cheers man! http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jeandubois.nane/
Maybe Jack O’Neill should sue his son Pat because a leash caused him to lose his eye.
So the lawyer plans to prove that it’s safer to surf without a leash!? The idiot should be in jail for accepting the case! Think of what it would be like paddling out in the line up at major point breaks today on double overhead days today if nobody wore one. Mahalo, Rich
As far as I understand they want to sue the SURFSHOP and the MANUFACTURER cause the leash broke! OK, where can I sign up to sue for broken boards, leashes, torn wetsuits [smile] I am also a kakao (Suchard Express exactly) addict, I don’t want money, just a house by the sea and lifelong Suchard Express supply… 
…Cadillac had the first modern urethane leashes of today.I still have one of the originals from 1977.It sports a red and blue collar and the urethane is clear(more like yellow now).Surfmore was the first to use velcro collars in leashes back in 73-74. …Even though leashes exsisted in the early 70s ,if you were caught with one in Hawaii back then,you were ran out on a rail!Herb
Another guy who decided to depend on a piece of technology instead of his own water skills and good judgment on whether he should have been out there alone or not in the first place. Before leashes no one drowned surfing because, unlike today, everyone could SWIM. Now, with leashes, similar stories as this are all too common.
Georges Hennebutte came up with the idea in 1957, but never patented it. However, it may be possible that someone else had the same idea at about the same time. Here’s an article mentionning Hennebutte : http://www.surfermag.com/travel/europetr/ http://www.surfermag.com/travel/europetr/
In resonse to Halcyon’s comments (with no malice intended Rich), Think of what it would be like, “paddling out in the line up at major point breaks today on double overhead days today if nobody wore one …” Perhaps we’d be surfing with a fraction of the crowd. So many surfers are in the water these days without fundamental watermen’s skills and respect for their peers in the surfing community. Many of these surfers would think twice about even trying surfing in the first place if they’d have to swim to retrieve their boards. We certainly can’t turn back the clock, eliminate the leash altogether, or reinvent history, BUT it’s a certainty that the leash is a double edge sword. As much as it appears to be a safety oriented surf accessory, it is also a fools tool in many situations. Perhaps the greatest and purest motivation for using a leash is just to keep your board from being trashed by cliffs, boulders, jettys, and other shoreline hazards to a board’s health Being in the water without your board can be an essential part of the surfing experience and the development of a surfer’s skills. Try surfing without a leash from time to time in double overhead waves or any conditions for that matter. You’ll probably notice yourself surfing with more focus and attention to your surfing and the conditions and challenges the surf presents. AND if you lose your board a few times, ENJOY the swim. It will only make you a stronger and more fit (physically, mentally, and spiritually) waterman.
Hey Vince, My compliments on your observations. I agree completely. It’s true that it would be less crowded and there would be fewer novices in the water because you’d have to be a strong enough swimmer to handle the surf conditions without your board. Also consider that few things if any have helped the surfboard industry grow more than the surf leash. The surf population would be much smaller without them and I feel certain that surfboard design wouldn’t have evolved as quickly as they have. As a personal perspective – I started back in '68 on a 9’6" log and there were no leashes. These days, even though I always wear one so that I’ll error on the side of caution, I’m disappointed in myself when I loose control of my board and have to depend on it. Two edged sword on the foot of many surfers? – Absolutely! – And in more cases than not a “Fool’s tool,” though the same might be said of their board in many cases. If only all surfers were required to learn how to surf at a beach break without a leash the sport would be far safer and ignorance of surf etiquette would be much less of an issue than it is today. I feel that asking what if to encourage projections can be helpful and encourage us to put things in perspective. It’s an excellent educational tool for the few who will read. Unfortunately reading is a mandatory prerequisite for becoming a surfer. Richard Schmidt has written some very important things about learning to surf and surf etiquette. I have it on file and it’s available on Surfline as well if anyone is interested. Off to the fin shop, Rich
Man it would be great, think of how many waves that you would get, no one would drop in and most blokes would only get about 5 waves before they were exhausted from swimming after the board, also no one would paddle out through the take off zone, you would paddle outside of the break so as not to loose your board. Over all we would all be fitter and better surfers, the leash has made us all weak to some extent and we depend on it far too much. All beaches would be a lot less crowded and there would be a big industry for board repairs. Have you ever tried surfing without one, you sure as hell are conscious about were you are and what your doing with your board as its a long swim. I think they should ban the leg rope. think about it.
I drove to Cardiff Reef one day with my 10 footer in tow, thinking it was chest high. I never wear a leash longboarding, and never longboard when it’s overhead. Well, it was overhead that day…way overhead. I want to be fair, so I’ll be conservative and call the waves eight foot on the face. Easily. It wasn’t twelve…no way, but there were a few sets I thought might be ten on the face. Current running like crazy. Deep water all the way out. Sideshore drift like a river. Well, like I said…I don’t longboard with a leash, but since the board had a leashplug, I thought I should use it. Opened the trunk of the car…no leash. Checked the inside of the car. No leash, so I drove home. WAIT! That’s not what happened, no siree. I paddled out. I let several waves go by before some guy (who was wearing a leash) told me, “Ya gotta want it to catch it.” Well, I have an ego, so I took off on a big set, paddled like crazy to get in early. It was about an eight foot wave, and was perfect. On the inside there was a flat spot, so I cut back. Well, it wan’t really a flat spot, and by the time I came around I realized a sizeable section was ahead of me (about five feet in height, but powerful). So instead of straightening off, I gunned it for the shoulder…Didn’t make it, wiped out, swam for a while, and retrieved my board off the rocks (no dings…yeah!). So I paddled out again. The next wave, easily eight foot again, jacked up on me, and I was dropping in too deep, too vertical. So, instead of falling off, I dropped to the deck to wipeout in a prone position. Well, the board and I took quite a beating before the wave decided we needed a divorce. This time I swam for a longer time. By the time I walked back up the beach (a few hundred yards), grabbed my board (again, on the rocks and no dings), I was tired AND stoked. So I went to the car, put the board on the racks and WHAT!!! The entire glass job on the bottom was shattered like a broken windshield from the twisting and turning of being held onto while I was twisting and turning under an eight foot wave. Damn, I love that board. I still ride it a lot, but it is thrashed. What’s my point? Be a good swimmer. My suggestion: Get some comfortable swim fins and body surf for a half hour each time you surf. It’s a really good workout and will build your upper body swimming muscles. Plus, it feels soooooo gooooood. After you feel like you are totally in control drop a fin. You will notice a small difference and still have fun. Then, again, when you feel on top of your game, drop the other fin (don’t actually drop it. Put it in the car, silly). Then, before you know it, you’ll be body surfing naked (well, almost naked). And if you are still too freaked out about swimming in the ocean without fins or a surfboard, then stuff an inflatable life ring in your trunks or wetsuit so that you won’t give up and drown. Or, do what the pros do. Use a tow rope, several waverunners, a helicopter, cameras, etc. Then you’ll be safe. Oh, wait, I forgot about Mark Foo. He had all that stuff (except the tow rope). Only God can guarantee your safety in any circumstance. And even he won’t do it. Sooner or later you’ll be on your own. Be ready or be deady.
among everything else, it definitely improves your wave selection ability…
Before I tried surfing, my friend’s dad made sure we could swim by having us swim around the end of the Hermosa Pier. The scary thing for me was looking up, seeing the fisherman and thinking I could get a hook in me. Some of us are old enough to have started surfing before leashes were invented and learned basics like kicking out, straightening off, going prone, holding on to board, etc… and ding repair!
Man this brings back a lot of memories. Here in NJ back in the 60’s at certian beaches (most beaches are run by associations in NJ) you had to prove that you could swim befor they let you surf. At the time I thought it was rediculous. Then the leash came and things changed. Young kids with no idea about water safety or ettiquete. The 60’ were a good time!
Phil Castignola-Select Surfshop P.B. R.I.P. Bungy cord leashes early 70’s, take out an eye in one tail shot to the head!
…A man by the name of Herb Brucker…if that ain’t a kick!Herb
Steve Russ, of Santa Cruz California, should be credited for inventing the Modern Leash.
Once introduced to the Steamer Lane Crew in 1970/71, it has been used consecutively every day since.
Jim Overlin was the first to copy Steve Russ and sell his leashes…
How hard was it to buy a box of suction cups from sears and a roll of surgical tubing from the medical supply house, screw the suction cup to the surgical tubing and tie a loop in the other end!
Steve was a kneeboarder and unlike a stand up surfer, could not put the leash on his foot, so he put it on his hand. Laying down on the kneeboard left the nose for the suction cup.
It took a while to move the leash to the tail and onto the foot.
People made attempts at making leashes since the tom Blake days, but it was only temporary.
Once Steve Russ’ leash was used that day at Steamer Lane, leashes became a permanant part of surfing and have been used every day since.
With the leash, not only did you save your board, it allowed unsurfable high tide breaks to be ridden.