My story post 30

Surfing before the crowds… actually there were crowds at a number of spots in the late sixties and into the seventies. Like Malibu, of course, Rincon, Ventura inside point or the cove, I remember Doheny being pretty crowded, Newport pier and other places as well.

As surfboards began getting shorter we also began finding places to surf that weren’t ridden. For instance my friend Richie would surf the north side of Ventura pier during the summer wind swells. He didn’t have a car and lived just a block from the pier. Hungry for surf after work he found if you picked your wave you could have a good time surfing there. I joined him a number of times and, if I wasn’t with him he was surfing by himself.

Believe it or not, though inside point would get crowds further up the point could be absent of surfers. Now days one of the most crowded spots in Ventura is Pipe. But in ’68 my friend Peter would come by my place on MacMillan and San Nicolas throw rocks at my window to wake me up at the butt crack of dawn to go surf pipe before work. He didn’t want to surf alone! After going there a number of mornings with Peter I got my shaping partner Richard to go with me some mornings too. We were the only guys there.

Speaking of Richard…. In late ’68 he got a pass to go to the Ranch… the kind you use to drive in. Before I left MP we made a number of trips up there. Usually it would be Richard me and one other guy. We’d head out about 7 or 8 in the morning with surfboards, water and trail mix. Be in the water at rights and lefts by 9 or so and surf the whole day all by our selves. I can still see those perfect A frames in my mind. Surf for an couple hours go in and rest. Go back out until you were tired, rest some more for a final go out before heading home.

One other spot that was not surfed was Overhead beach break. It might have been Richie that went in there first but, Mike, Richie and I went there looking for surf in the summer of ’69 and had plenty fun surfing it when no one was around.

It’s still possible to find spots without tons of people but back in times past it was not to difficult.

D.R.

At the point with 3 guys out… June 07