Back before the internet, before digital photography And Go Pro cameras. And the hundreds of Surf media outlets. You had to be a very good wave rider to get any attention. You needed to be a proven talent , to get the Surf Photographers film and developing were not cheap. So the Photo guys were picky. Picky with wave quality lighting and location. In the 70s Pipeline was known as Kodak reef. Of course there were those that buttered up the Photographers. Hoping to get a shot in the magazine. Others were just had massive talent that when they paddled into a wave lots of cameras were focused on them.
Today is a different story. The cost of photo equipment has gone up while the cost of processing has gone down Digital Photography and video, have made a Hugh difference in a lot of sports. With all the new outlets they need quality content to capture eyeball that translate to $$$. Every those surfers that don’t seek out fame. If they have skills the talent they will get noticed. Someone will take their Photo or shot some video of them. You don’t need to be a “Pro Surfer” entering contest winning prize money having big name Sponsors or seeking the spotlight. Those of exceptional ability will be noticed. Even if they don’t seek to make a living out of Surfing.
Tales of Local Legends
- Thread starter houseofsuffering
- Start date
Sax-son
Well-Known Member
The difference between today's sport and that of say the early 1960's is so different, it's almost beyond words. Most of the surfers that I grew up with, were from low income blue collar families. To purchase a "new" surfboard was a big deal. Most that I knew had to settle for used boards because that is all they could afford. I remember having to pony up a dollar to chip in for gas money so we could travel up north for waves. Nobody I knew could ever afford a camera let alone having money to develop film. Most pictures that I have in my possession today are due to others sharing what they had back in the day. That is what makes them so special.
In the beach community that I grew up in, there are now an abundance of "trust funders". Children of people with money who don't really have to work for a living and have all the time in the world to surf and hang out on the beach. That was never an option that we had. You could do it, but you had to live like a pauper to have that experience. I personally do not have any ill will for folks with money. However, it is not even a fair comparison of today's surfing lifestyle to that of 60 years ago. Completely different era's.
Most of the top surfers that I knew were sponsored by board builders by being team members. They were not paid any money other than good deals on surfboards and the prestige of being on a roster of top talent. That all changed once short boards came into the picture. Todays' sport is becoming a contrast of the "Haves and the have nots'. It wasn't like that when I started surfing.
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Bruce Fowler
Well-Known Member
The first time I ever saw Raisin was on an overhead day at Deveraux Point. Being a goofy foot, I took particular notice when this blond adonis looking guy went vertically straight up the face and smacked the lip with unusual ferocity. He was on a Weber shortboard, part of the team I was told.... super good surfer.
It wasn't long before he was my friend along with other NJ transplants, Tom and Chuckie Barfoot. All these guys could surf, and none of them were shoulder hoppers knowing full well that they had to mind their manners to get us natives to give them full respect. If memory serves me right, he married one of the most lovely blonde Montecito maidens we had all lusted for, and I seem to recall going to the reception at the Miramar. A bit after that, I'd heard he had picked up a video camera and took to it like a duck to water, maybe shooting for a brief time for our local station KEYT before his wife's daddy had some pull and he ended up shooting for the White House in D.C. . That was many years ago, and I've never seen him since!
Speaking of local legends. Here's one guy the surfing world has never heard of, but we all know this fin out bottom turn foto of Jeff Boyd taken at Rincon by Steve Bissell. How could you forget it once you've seen it? The top foto is an even more rare foto of my old partner and friend, Jeff White.
It wasn't long before he was my friend along with other NJ transplants, Tom and Chuckie Barfoot. All these guys could surf, and none of them were shoulder hoppers knowing full well that they had to mind their manners to get us natives to give them full respect. If memory serves me right, he married one of the most lovely blonde Montecito maidens we had all lusted for, and I seem to recall going to the reception at the Miramar. A bit after that, I'd heard he had picked up a video camera and took to it like a duck to water, maybe shooting for a brief time for our local station KEYT before his wife's daddy had some pull and he ended up shooting for the White House in D.C. . That was many years ago, and I've never seen him since!
Speaking of local legends. Here's one guy the surfing world has never heard of, but we all know this fin out bottom turn foto of Jeff Boyd taken at Rincon by Steve Bissell. How could you forget it once you've seen it? The top foto is an even more rare foto of my old partner and friend, Jeff White.
Sax-son
Well-Known Member
Yes! There were many of these great surfers who were into the sport for the right reasons in my opinion. You didn't see their photo's in the monthly surfing mags, but we all knew who these people were in our local areas. Now you see these people with their little entourage packing high definition video cams shooting video of surfers whose skills are no better than the average good surfer on any given day. It's all about marketing yourself to the general public. The more you are visible the more successful you will be trying to make a living doing it. It's OK in the short term, but all pro surfers have their expiration date. Like my dad always told me, it's a young mans game. That was his favorite cliché when it came to athletic professions.
Well said. The unknown surfers who surf well and are better people because of their time spent in nature are unsung heroes. Pros and famous surfers are intimidated by the unknown and underground guys
jdogger
Active Member
Raisin is back in SB I believe. A friend sent me a group Christmas party photo from last year or the year before and Ray was present. Barfoot is in New Jersey during the summer and in Florida during the winter. He had a quad bypass about 2 or 3 years ago. We are in touch sporadically. Ask Raisin about the time he was surfing up north and some very aggressive sea lions chased him out of the water and had him cornered on a rock pile. He was in fear for his life and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. Great story. The guy was poetry in motion on a wave.
Bruce Fowler
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the updates. Still sad & shocked by Tom's early demise. Chuck told me about his close call but I didn't know he moved back home.
Yeah Sea Lions ..... and the Elephants are bad ass too. When I used to split tend a couple ab divers before I dove urchins myself, we'd have Sea Elephants express their, uh, localism out in the Channel Islands. Definitely not creatures to be messed with, they could split your head open like a ripe watermelon...
Yeah Sea Lions ..... and the Elephants are bad ass too. When I used to split tend a couple ab divers before I dove urchins myself, we'd have Sea Elephants express their, uh, localism out in the Channel Islands. Definitely not creatures to be messed with, they could split your head open like a ripe watermelon...
jdogger
Active Member
Yeah, I was pretty shocked when Tom passed. He always kept himself in pretty good shape. I worked for him for a long time and he was always very good to me so I was very sad.
Another funny story involving Raisin: When the second Star Wars movie came out, my girlfriend and I were standing in line at the Grenada Theatre when Raisin comes up to me and asks if I had an extra pair of shoes. It seems that he was with George Greenough who was barefoot and wasn't allowed into the theatre. He ended up having to wear a pair of fishing waders to get in. He looked ridiculous and got some strange looks from people who were not familiar with his eccentricity.
Bruce Fowler
Well-Known Member
That is damn funny!
Yes George was always barefoot. I enlisted him for a project to film a friend of mine, Bob Plank, who wanted to break the world speed record for barefoot waterskiing. Steve Bissell joined us to do the still shots, GG the motion. We were all good friends and Bob was a hell man water skiier.
It was determined the best time to get perfect surface conditions for the attempt, which required making a run & back in excess of 100 MPH, was to go to Lake Nacimiento in the dead of winter. As an O'neill dealer, and close to the family, I talked to Jack about what Plank was doing and we needed a wetsuit that wouldn't blow apart. He had to stand up from a laying down position, then make his run and lay down at the end of each run. We had also discussed special booties for the high temperature his feet would experience from the friction, but ended up duct taping his feet for the actual runs. I put my hand out on the water at lower speeds, around 75 mph and it was definitely HOT ...!
We got there at dawn and it was freezing cold. That problem explains why there was only ONE other boat on the entire lake, and it was some old guy fishing. "Perfect" we thought. "No boat wakes".
At the end of a very long day, we celebrated with Bob taking everyone to the Chart House. George didn't have shoes, of course, so someone gave him an extra pair of flip flops to gain entry. I remember askin him what he does when he goes to the snow and he told me he had a pair of UGG boots. That was decades before they became a fashion item.
Definitely a fond memory for me.
Yes George was always barefoot. I enlisted him for a project to film a friend of mine, Bob Plank, who wanted to break the world speed record for barefoot waterskiing. Steve Bissell joined us to do the still shots, GG the motion. We were all good friends and Bob was a hell man water skiier.
It was determined the best time to get perfect surface conditions for the attempt, which required making a run & back in excess of 100 MPH, was to go to Lake Nacimiento in the dead of winter. As an O'neill dealer, and close to the family, I talked to Jack about what Plank was doing and we needed a wetsuit that wouldn't blow apart. He had to stand up from a laying down position, then make his run and lay down at the end of each run. We had also discussed special booties for the high temperature his feet would experience from the friction, but ended up duct taping his feet for the actual runs. I put my hand out on the water at lower speeds, around 75 mph and it was definitely HOT ...!
We got there at dawn and it was freezing cold. That problem explains why there was only ONE other boat on the entire lake, and it was some old guy fishing. "Perfect" we thought. "No boat wakes".
At the end of a very long day, we celebrated with Bob taking everyone to the Chart House. George didn't have shoes, of course, so someone gave him an extra pair of flip flops to gain entry. I remember askin him what he does when he goes to the snow and he told me he had a pair of UGG boots. That was decades before they became a fashion item.
Definitely a fond memory for me.
shapewright
Well-Known Member
You speak of Raisin, Ray Dufreen ? From LBI