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  bob evans : surfing world magazine, 1963. 

Bob Evans : Haliewa, England, Rincon and Bluey Mayes : Ulladulla, 1963.
Bob Evans and Bluey Mayes:
Surfing World
Volume 2 Number 2,  April, 1963.


Introduction
Several articles, with photographs, mostly by Bob Evans from his largely self produced Surfing World magazine from 1963.

An article on surfing in England and riding the Severn Bore is largely based on a letter with photographs from visiting Australian surfer, John Campbell.
The Bore is said to be first ridden by Colonel  John
(Mad Jack) Churchill in 1955, following his introduction to surfboard riding around Newcastle, Australia.

Entries in the Photo Contest include a extremely unusual "body surfing" photograph and a vicious shore-break at Neilsen Park, normally a safe bathing beach inside Sydney Harbour which is rarely surfed as it only breaks when the outside swell is huge.

In conjunction with the Australian release of Desmond Muirhead's Surfing in Hawaii, there is a extract and several photographs under the title The Big Surf, pages 25-27.

Famed Bondi surfer, Jack Bluey Mayes, presents an article, with photographs, on the Ulladulla Bombie, just south of the lighthouse, pages 28 and 29.
Lastly, Evans writes of a trip
with Midget Farrelly to California's Rincon Point.

Haliewa - England - Sydney Harbour - Ulladulla - Rincon

Page 10
Haleiwa
(It's a hot-dog surf)

 
WHEN you say that the surf wasn't any good as the wind was too strong off the ocean and there was too much chop on the surface for good waves, people in-variably say, "what about the other side of the island, the wind would be offshore there".

I used to think this and often said the same thing myself.
And, in fact, when the wind is a normal KONA wind and blows on to the land, this is mostly possible.
For instance, when Sunset is blown out, you can usually drive 10 miles around the island and find offshore wind at Kupuku or Lakia.
Unfortunately early in 1963, many of the adverse winds were spawned by storm centres which hung directly over the Hawaiian Islands and in this case, the wind normally blows in a changeable circular pattern.
Saving grace during this period was a surfing beach near a country town called Haleiwa, and as Haleiwa is the most popular north shore surf, particularly with the native islanders, everyone was most pleased.

Weekend the beach is usually heavily crowded with boards, but during the week we Aussies and a few Californians had it all to ourselves.
Several of the days the south wind blew so hard that wind conditions were really unusual, and during this gale period the waves were the hollowest, heaviest and certainly the wildest rides we encountered.

Haleiwa is situated under the north side of a mountain range which extends out into the sea at Kaena Pt., where, incidentally, it is considered the highest waves in the world move against its forbidding lava.
Estimates of 50 feet and over are not uncommon.
Between Kaena Pt. and Haleiwa is another famous big surf called "The Avalanche" (self explanatory), about which is told the hairiest surf story ever.
We will relate this in Surfing World shortly.

The shifting peak waves at Haleiwa pick up on a good day about 300 yards out from the south end of the beach and then, following the bottom contours, the peak crabs sideways a little for about 100 yards towards the mouth of the Haleiwa River and then turns slightly and breaks directly towards the shore.
A good surfer will pick up the wave outside, slide left for a while, stall a little before turning right, then turn full right and drive hard.

You can guarantee there are very few waves anywhere that hollow out more, or break harder for their size than here.
The last 20 yards of the right cut is dangerous because of shallow water over the lava, and alert surfing is necessary.
Several riders have been killed at this spot.
Many fine days were ridden here in January and February and "S.W." will show you.
How are these shots for a starter? -


Here's a beautiful tube ride for Johnny Peck at Haleiwa.
Peck builds up the ride by reaching out to hang five.
Page 11


Curly Haleiwa with
George Downing
inside an unidentified surfer
with Phil Edwards and
John Peck making four.


Multiple lines of heavy swell kept over
50 surfers busy on this particular sunny
 day at Haleiwa beach.
Page 12

More on Haleiwa

A typical Peck surfing position hard up on a hollow.







Fighting to the last Butch is about to become lunch.


Page 13

Right:
With the wind howling off the mountains "Chollie" Cardiff of Dee Why drives right with "LJ" Richards.

Left:
Conrad Cunha plays it real cool at Haleiwa and drops down while Mick McMahon decides to go for broke.


Page 18                                                                                                                                            Centrefold : Pages 18-19





"Chollie" Cardiff of Dee Why, well back against a beautiful Haleiwa curl, receives a hefty "rooster tail" from "Midget's" board as he swings hard.



Page 17
Ride down the river
Here's a chatty letter (or part of it) which will result in a lot of Australian surfies developing itchy feet.

LONDON: Four young Australian surfers recently became the first board riders ever to ride the famous Severn tidal wave - a normally huge wave which sweeps 50 miles inland of the English coast.
The four young Aussies, Ian Tiley, John Campbell, Bob Head and Warren Mitchell all 21, spent the past season as lifeguards on the north west beaches of England.
The boys, well-known in top Australian surfing circles, have been on a surfing holiday in England and from reports from John Campbell in a letter to Surfing World it sounds like the holiday of a lifetime.

"Conditions haven't been too crowded here with about six of us spread over eleven beaches which include Crantock, Fistral, Towan, Great Western, Tolcarne and Lusty Glaze.
"Don't get the wrong idea from these photos, the surf is really good about every three weeks, but the rest of the time it is usually blown out.
When this happens we all go to Towan and ride along the harbour wall which throws up four-footers on the right-side," John reports.
"We have made quite a few English cobbers and have converted most of them into surf fans."

John enclosed a clipping from an English newspaper which heralded their adventurous ride down the Severn.
"We travelled overnight from the north Cornwall coast to try out this tidal wave," John said.
"Everyone in the district we spoke to had talked about waves 12 to 14 feet high so we dived into the river with our boards and waited for the rise.
"The local farmers thought we were stark raving mad and promptly called the police.
The coppers came along and told us to leave the river but we explained that we were experienced surfboard riders who had ridden in the Atlantic and Pacific and thought we could handle an inland river.
"So they left us alone convinced they would have four bodies to identify later on.

"When the rise did come it was only four-foot high, quite easy to ride so Ian Tiley and I rode the wave for a mile.
We couldn't swing either way but it was a long, long ride.

"At the end of the ride I got out of the river on the left hand side and ended up in a paddock full of bulls.
They started to move toward me so I bailed out and paddled over to the other shore and got out," John said.

When John wrote his letter he and the gang were putting the finishing touches to their surf van.
An apparently colorful waggon with all sorts of gremmy signs splashed all over it.
Then they were heading for continental surfing resorts for a demonstration tour of surf riding

Warren Mitchell rides this 11-ft balsa board
which was made by
the members of the
Channel Choppers Board Builders Club
- Watergate Branch.

Christened "Billabong Bill" by his four Aussie mates
newcomer to the surf Bill Bailie "goes home"
as he slips along a neat wall at Fistral.
John concluded his London report by giving Australian surfers a word of exciting advice.
"If any Surfing World readers are thinking of coming over this year they would certainly have a ball.
"There's tons of jobs around the beaches as surfing instructors, deck chair attendants and lifeguards.
They throw in free transport and all sorts of goodies."

Page 22                                                            More Photo Contest Entries

Normally a safe bathing beach inside Sydney Harbour, note the shark-net cable, and
only breaks when the outside swell is huge.




Ian Nicol stops this unknown rider at Nielsen Park.

 
.


 

Graham Warr opened out to f 11 at 500th to get this  unusual
action shot of  Peter Scott at Wollongong.
An extremely unusual "body-surfing" photograph; the surfer most probably launched from his surfboard, out of shot.

Page 28
ULLADULLA IS GOOD
By Jack ("Bluey") Mayes

Most week-ends some Bondi riders and myself head north to our usual surfing grounds around Moonee, Nine-Mile or "Ghostie" and have been well satisfied with our results.
But they say a change is as good as a holiday so we shifted orbits and went south.
It was a good move as we found another new set of waves and, what's more, it's a good summer surf.
Nowadays, with the way some of the crowds hit the suburban beaches it's enough to drive a man crazy having to fight for a place on a wave; and most of the new riders have little regard for the rules of surfing—it's no wonder so many are getting hurt.

So we formed a solid team to look for quiet beaches with good humps.
Camping out has become a regu¬lar feature for me and my surfing mates and we go hunting waves about three week-ends every month, so the long weekend of just a while back gave us a real holiday.


Things get pretty tough for Bondi boardman Ray Cooke
 as the inside reef approaches and the wall steepens.
Hearing about a few new board areas down south we drove past Wollongong on to the Kiama road and sat back to enjoy the scenery.
The wind wasn't very encouraging, being fairly strong from the south, but we live on hope.


At Geroa and Gerringong there was a fair swell but the wind was turning to the east so it didn't interest us and we just drove on quietly through Berry to Nowra and, not too certain of the whereabouts of the well touted Green Island, decided to carry on to Mollymook.
There were travelling boardsmen everywhere, but most wore long faces because of the poor weather and the majority were heading back to Sydney.
Mollymook was small, as usual, but the reef outside was breaking a good-sized swell and John O'Donovan, who had sighted a good wave


Page 29

just south of the Ulladulla Lighthouse one day, suggested we drive in along the long bush track and have a look.

What we saw was rewarding.
Nearly 500 yards offshore a swell bombora was setting up a promising wave - the coast takes a fair turn here and the east wind was almost parallel to the shore.
It was late in the day and the boys (Ray Cooke, Johnny O'Donovan, Tony Rule, Terry Logue, "Wheels" Williams and myself decided "this must be the place."

One of the all time great boardmen "Bluey Mayes".
We set up our camp, boiled the billy, and settled down for a quiet night in the bush; actually I've come to appreciate this camping but as half the fun in a surf safari.
The next day, Sunday, the weather was easing though still east, but the waves were O.K. without being exciting and we just filled in time.
Tony Rule caught a few lobsters and as the day wore on into evening, the wind dropped altogether.
Next morning the north-easter came with the sunrise and as it is an offshore breeze here things were good - surf conditions though not big were interesting at 5 to 8 feet and under the lee of Lighthouse Hill we finished off the holidays with some hollow reef waves which were real compensation for our patience.
I consider Ulladulla Lighthouse Bombie a valuable summertime find.

"Wheels" Williams turns back into a five-foot swell.

Ray Cooke turns away from the peak on the outside reef.

Page 30
Rincon

The Los Angeles smog comes down like a yellow haze and if you are a newcomer like myself it catches you in the throat and makes your eyes sting.
Up on the 16th floor of the Tatler Hilton, where I was staying, the scene outside was reminiscent of a light duststorm with the sun just a dull yellow blob and the tiny people below almost invisible.
However, the people of L.A. seem immune to all this.

American surfer Bob Cooper who had been in Australia for most of last year, was generously driving-up from Summer land (about 70 miles away) to pick me up and I was frankly impatient to move out of this smog fog.
Bearded Bob arrived right on time and in his characteristic relaxed way, greeted me as though it was only yesterday and five minutes walk from our last meeting.
After spending a very pleasant one night stay at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gil Cooper, we moved down
to the coast at Tobanga Canyon; ate breakfast with surfing historian Professor David Stone and at the same time noticed an increase in the swell size at this really unusual wave location, right outside the "Prof's" front door.

A young Santa Barbara surfer has the rare pleasure of
seeing the sun reflected on this straight-topped wave.
Cooper mentioned the magic word "RINCON" and we were gone for the thought of The Rincon with a surf "on" was really inviting.
Cooper's Kombi burned up the miles northward and, as we passed Sekers, Oxnard and California St., we were pleased to note the swell seemed a little stronger.
Venture Overhead was lining up without breaking, a good sign, then past Carpentaria, the Oil Piers and Rincon was in sight, instantly recog­nisable because of the many photos I had seen of it.

The heavy clouds and lack of sun couldn't dim my enthusiasm for there, some 400 yards out, were moving in probably the best-shaped small waves I have ever seen.
It was low tide and the familiar stony bot
tom was well exposed.
Creaming along the edge of the stones was the hollowest of hollow waves.


Bob Cooper had been telling me it was easy for your fin to fall out of the wave even on a two-footer which seemed a tall story, until I noted that it would be quite possible to do just that on any one of these tiny tubes.

Midget arrived the next day.
Surf of this shape was designed for his style of riding.
Every day the swell gradually increased in size until on the fourth day it was a good 8 ft. and we surfed ourselves silly in the cold 52° water, with Midget and I becoming increasingly more at home with every ride.

By the weekend the swell was still up and the many surfers had re­sponded to the call of "The Rincon".
By Sunday, up to 100 surfers were in-and-out of the long rides at the one time.
Just past the first point is the normal take-off area, but there is a second point further out, which is named "The Indicator".
This point


Page 31

is aptly named because the swell hits there first and warns surfers on the inside point of the closeness and size of an impending session.

Some good surfmen were in the water and Johnny Fain, Paul Strauch Jnr., Lance Carson, Mike Doyle, Kemp Aaberg, and Mickey Munoz, amongst others were carv­ing things up.
But general opinion among the onlookers was that Mid­get more than held his own.
Wipe-outs are relatively frequent here because a surfer will tend to move so far back inside the curl that he stretches his chances of making the tube.
Fortunately the stony bottom has been smoothed out by countless years of surging oceans; though after seven days of continuous waves and wading in and out the feet became somewhat tender.

At low tide one day, while trying to do the impossible the collapsing tunnel threw me off the board to land on my back on a rock just under the surface.
I'm still sore.
Neither Midget or I can speak too highly of the friendly way in which we were received, and we are both grateful for the experience of a wonderful week at "The Rincon", with our old mate Bob Cooper.
- Bob Evans.

A Japanese-American surfer lets this completely hollow tube fall flat
his feet and comes through real late in a typical top Rincon fashion.


Rincon from any angle looks great. This is a four foot winter swell at dead low tide with a small crowd.

Page 32

Salty Characters
...

The boil from the previous wave leaves Dave Jackman
with a tangled track to negotiate on this Waimea giant.








Back Page
Morris 850 and surfboards.






Surfing World

Volume 2 Number 2
April 1963.




Midget Far
relly swings into the shore break
at the end of a long run at Rincon Beach, California.
 


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Geoff Cater (2020) : Bob Evans : Surfing World Magazine, 1963.
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