84-85. While posh and colorful, the cabanas block the view of lifesavers, We have to keep moving the patrol down, Fisher continued, in order to find open patches of view. Curren was the next rider, planing the monster perfectly, making it after doing everything right. It has to have a certain look and feel. Pat went in there like always, checked it out, didnt say anything. Noll was always the stoker, the initiator, and Stange, Mike went with me, continued Noll. , The Bay was challenged for the first time by a group of Californians. RIP., I Remember EVERYTHING He Did; Legend/Epic! "The reason I've stuck with Breadsoda is because Christian has done such an awesome job," says Curran. We have an opportunity to lift up and support someone who has devoted his entire life to being the very thing others have commodified, and packaged, and sold, and made millions feeding to the surf-hungry masses. As a La Jolla youngster, Curren didn't start surfing until the age of 18, in 1950. That second one broke the speed record!, BIPOC Queen of Crazy Mason Ho, beautiful and fat Noa Deane and surfings greatest virtuoso Clay Marzo deliver a masterpiece in contemporary surfing, A penetrating glimpse into sports most exciting talents!. Maybe a 15 day, just beginning to crumble on the outside. At 16, he 'dropped out' of high school. If they cant do their job, its not good for anyone.. Revered because he, in an age when surfing was young and not an industry quite yet, embodied the life that surfers now have put on a pedestal. Does the beach cabana plague make you think twice about planning your next surf trip to the Lucky Country or are you more devil may care in your approach to life? A new era was coming in, with a lot of hype, , and once Hawaii started to change, it was no longer his first love., In a dramatic turn of events, just as the Currens family life began, Pat gave up Hawaii for good. al. There isnt enough room for Mary to sleep in the trailer with their special needs daughter and Pat, so shes been making her bed in the back of the Tahoe for the past year. Nobody savored that life, or typified it more, than Patrick King Curren. In 1955 Curren moved to Hawaii to surf the larger waves of the North Shore of the island of Oahu. By then the other guys had come in too. To this day, Ive never seen anybody get bigger, cleaner waves or ride them so well. -- Peter Cole. We move to Pat Curren, the eighty-eight-year-old big-wave surfboard designer who was revealed, yesterday, to be living in a van near the beach with his wife and special needs daughter. At 88 years old, and with a lifetime of ups and downs behind him, a group text of friends lit up with a GoFund me for Pat, who it turns out is in a bad way. DP Times Daily Its kind of like learning how to ride a bike, . Bruce Brown The Nelson brothersAl and Fleetare well-camouflaged insiders from surfing's 1960s-1980s trade routes, and suitable examples of such referenced-by-the-bigs hidden treasures. Tommy Zahn was a real fanatic [when it came to fitness]. Pat Curren's board #2 of 6 from The Surfer's Journal Volume 3 #3 article titled "The Cur. Great sense of humor to go along with those big sad Buster Keaton eyes. My first couple of winters out there, Pat gave me an inferiority complex., In the early days, remembered Bruce Brown, About his shaping, Curren admitted his most favorite surfboard wasnt self-shaped: The best board Ive ever owned was made by Freddie Noah, It was the right time, Curren declared. Jenkins, 1995, p. 83. And now here I was, standing with Pat Curren, Tom's 18-year-old son, trying figure out how to get his dad out of the house and to the surf photo shoot at Uluwatu that he was an hour late for. He was gaunt and pale, with a pointed chin, sunken cheeks and worried eyes. Surfing from an Historical and Cultural View, part of the SHACC Collection, by Malcolm Gault-Williams. From Saturn to Dump to Nozvid, the Academy award for best supporting role in a. The views . A late, over-budget project delivered with zest and candor. Needless to say, Meade Hall, , the whole thing. That was a brave moment that proved t The rest of us were running around, you know, Did you get that picture? while hed just sitting way outside, and all of a sudden the set of the day comes, and hes on the damn thing. Im sure some of them came from rich families, but they rejected that kind of life, ridiculed it. Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. My dad dove with him at La Jolla cove and partied at Maynard's with him in the late 50s. Pat Curren was one of surfing's most revered and mysterious figures. My husband, Pat Curren, is in it and he would love to take a look. 76-77. After he told his story they stood and gave this older scholarly looking gentleman a standing O, then the evening wound down, the crowd went home, and that was that. The quiet stoicism and knack for putting themselves on the biggest, best waves of the day are hallmarks of both surfers. I remember that we would drive by Waimea Bay. Bob Sheppards last name incorrectly spelled Shepherd. Corrected. He had younger friends that looked up to him, but he was close to older guys like, , not even known for their surfing, people who could come over, bring the whole family, make dinner, clean up, then leave and just say thanks. While surfers around the world were glued to the best Eddie Akau Invitational ever, being streamed from massive Waimea Bay a couple of weeks back, one of the pioneer surfer/shapers who put the Bay on the map was quietly breathing his last. At 18, two years after dropping out of high school, he moved to La Jolla and began surfing; he later became an original member of the La Jolla-based Windansea Surf Club, the loudest and rowdiest group of its kind in the nation. Today, August 9th, Pat turns 88 years old. A wave which is only 8 to 10 feet when it hits the reef may rise to 25 feet in a few seconds, wrote Desmond Muirhead, . Pat Curren, a big-wave pioneer, legendary shaper, and father to three-time world champion Tom Curren, has passed away. Likewise, the first week into 2023 also marked the demise of another big-wave surfer, Marcio Freire. If they paid in advance they had to wait. Lets check out some of them. Then I stopped, turned around and looked across the lot. Fred Van Dyke quoted. Pat Curren , one of surfings most enigmatic characters has passed away. Pat charged big waves in Hawaii in the 50's, pretty much lived life off grid before it was cool, and is the archetypal mystic surf guru. 27 years after first exploring Alaska's coast, Josh Mulcoy returns to find a Watch the fourth and final episode of Torren Martyn's "Lost Track: Atla Recapping a historic day of competitive surfing, The epic biopic about the 2019 World Champ and Olympic gold medalist is finally here, Nic von Rupp and Nate Behl score all-time Ments, These 14 contestants are vying for $100K and a spot on the 2022 WSL Championship Tour, Egg Guru Devon Howard provides guidance on ordering a 7-foot-plus surfcraft, Money cant buy happiness, but it can buy cool shit. (Written by Matt Warshaw) . I have a thing for beautiful damaged surfers, and the Currens to me have always felt like a two-for-one deal.. He loved skateboarding, but after age 13 the waves drew him away from the wheels. Pat Curren was an avid surfer tackling Waimea Bay & surfboard shaper. Jenkins, 1995, p.p 77-78. But one unique lot that I'm personally excited about combines a surfboard and a leather jacket. In the 90s, Curren settled down in a beat-up old trailer down in southern Baja Mexico. The takeoff was nearly impossible, jacking up ten feet after you dropped in, and the wipeout in deep water so thick that you were held down long periods and pushed along for a hundred yards in thick soup, One thing we found out on that first day -- it being over twenty feet -- was that when you lost your board most of the time it popped out in the rip and drifted right back to you. Three years back, we interviewed Shane Starling, a forty-eight-year-old cycling enthusiast, who picked ten of the eleven event winners that year and his victory came and went entirely unremarked and unacknowledged by the WSL. Pat considers Hawaii is where he first got into shaping. I think it really impressed him that I went out there. Yet, he had a sense of humor, They lived out of cars and panel trucks, Bruce Jenkins, . Its affecting a lot of people in the community. Wherever Pat was sitting, I didnt want to be. Jenkins, 1995, p. 80. It was a three-bedroom, fully furnished place for $65 a month across from Ke Iki Road, . I even caught wind that he may have been doing a bit of shaping out there too, despite having no shaping bay to work in. The whole wall exploded over at one time from point to channel in one giant cataclysmic nightmare. Most of us, even these with a severe nostril for surf historical past know simply the Cliff's Notes model. Pat Curren, a big-wave pioneer, legendary shaper, and father to three-time world champion Tom Curren, has passed away. reveres the Mamba Mindset. General. We always checked it because it looked so glassy and clean, but then [usually] drove on to Makaha. Later I tried to start up some legitimate shops a couple of times, but they never really did much., s recollection, they did well because Windansea, Curren was a little older than most of the coast, He molded it into a state-of-the-art lifestyle,, , probably the shittiest car of all time, and the cops gave him a bunch of crap about having the front windshield knocked out. A former editor at Surfer Magazine, The Surfers Journal and ESPN, today he writes for a number of publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. Besides, it looked as though it broke exactly on the rocks, a definite board racker. Pat Curren, According to Van Dyke, They all hit the water and Munoz was first to paddle by the deep spot where the point swings in on top of you and it looks like a mountain ready to break, and then it heads back to the point because of the deep spot. Id done everything I wanted to do there., Its funny, I saw him in Hawaii, recalled Van Dyke, pinning the year as around 1976, , and he had this board that looked like a replica of his old Waimea guns. Pat Curren passed away at the age of 90 after being unable to overcome a long illness, leaving a great legacy and total respect for the pioneers of big wave surfing. We got a big surprise when we got out there. They gave you a chance at survival., Pat was putting rocker in his boards, which really set him apart, Fred Van Dyke, , was in that one strip of Masonite that recorded the rail curve of his rhino guns. Similar to how Phil Edwards is credited for being the first to ride the Banzai Pipeline because it was shot on film. Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map, Ocean Institute to Host 20th Annual Jazz Festival Fundraiser, Local Entrepreneur Pitches Product on Shark Tank, Local Jiu-Jitsu Studio to Host Womens Self-Defense Class, Dana Wharf Whale Report: Gray Whale Migration Begins Northbound Turn, Pet Project Foundation Provides $350K for Renovation to Local Animal Shelter. Dont get the DP Times delivered to your home? Used to drive me insane. He returned to La Jolla and dedicated himself to making specialized big-wave equipment, wrote Matt Warshaw in the Encyclopedia of Surfing, and before the end of the decade hed become the acknowledged master of the big-wave board.. Jenkins, 1995, p. 83. Jeez, it looks like a mountain. Curren, To Currens recollection, no one really made a wave successfully that session. In 1964, Tom Curren was born. Just tore the insides out of it. Were not sure whether [the dolphin] was ill and died of natural causes or was attacked and died of those injuries. Pat Curren was born (1932) in Carlsbad, California, the son of a surveyor, and grew up in San Diego's Mission Beach. That era of men were built different. I had paddled for one outside and missed it, so I took off on a small inside wave. He also shaped the finest big-wave guns, . Pat Curren Pat Curren, Legendary Surfer and Shaper, Dead at 90 | Flipboard Flipboard Home Landscape version of the Flipboard logo Newsletters Search Sign up Log in Home #Central America He tied these to the top of his battered car and secured his board to the new rack. A post shared by Birds Surf Shed (@birdssurfshed). I must have mistaken her, I thought. Image: Screenshot/EOS. What is said to be the golden era of surfing, Pat Curren was an eminent fragment of that age. rowjimmytour Tom Curren status. This past January, I hopped on a flight for a quick trip to California. Curren tena 90 aos. By signing up you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Easily one of the most talented chargers of the '50s and '60s, Curren was a pioneer in the world of shaping at the time, specializing in the craft of big-wave guns. For the next three hours, we looked over the boards I had brought with me, talked tools, travel stories, and his early years of board building with Velzy. Reluctant legend passes on. We thought it was maybe 12 feet. Open Thread: Comment Live on the Eddie Aikau Invitational as world's most prestigious surf contest runs for first time in nearly a decade! After marrying Jeanine, the couple returned to Santa Barbara. "Imagine how much vodka he could buy," notes Charlie, referring to the GoFundMe account setup by a New York shaper to help the old guy out. Luckily, a swell had arrived on the last morning of the trip; I paddled out at Swamis, caught a few fun ones, and then ascended the long flight of stairs back to the parking lot. And Pat had that over all of us. Bruce Brown quoted. Pat always had this way about him, getting from Point A to B, Pat Curren was a classic character, Australian surfer Nat Young, , recalled Noll. As Pat was heading down the coast to a new life in Mexico, his son, in 1980, won the World Amateur Junior Championship. Before moving to Mexico to chase a quieter pace of life in the late 80s, Curren was featured in the films Surf Crazy (1959), Barefoot Adventure (1960), Cavalcade of Surf (1962), and Gun Ho! Surfistas: Gustavo Reategui, Stefano y Lucca Mesinas, Joaqun Gonzales, Felipe Bernales, Augusto Villarn, Ryan Coelho, Cristbal de col, Gabriel Villarn, Miguel Tudela y Jonathan Gubbins entre otros. Today, August 9th, Pat turns 88 years old. Far too often it seems like the emphasis is on the partnership itself, and not the end product. "In the early '50s I moved to La Jolla and got really serious about it. Van Dyke, 1989, pp. Just tore the insides out of it. Jenkins, 1995, pp. But when Curren finally arrived and we met him at the airport, I was disappointed. Curren was born in 1932 in Carlsbad, California. Stay in the know and top of the action from pro surfer Patrick Curren. He lined up everybody for a meeting and the plan unfolded. Subscribe to I was the first to catch a wave. Pat Curren shaped surfboards and dove for abalone. In 1978 he bagged the Boys' U14s Western Surfing Association title, and the following year became Boys' National Champion. At 18, two years after dropping out of high school, he moved to La Jolla and began surfing; he later became an original member of the La Jolla-based Windansea Surf Club, the loudest and rowdiest group of its kind in the nation. , no one really made a wave making it after doing everything right of another big-wave surfer Marcio! The end product big-wave pioneer, legendary shaper, and father to three-time world champion Tom,. Llp 2022 | All Rights Reserved zest and candor ; in the 90s Curren. Was an avid surfer tackling Waimea Bay & amp ; surfboard shaper it... Keaton eyes golden era of surfing & # x27 ; 50s I moved to to! Had come in too late, over-budget project delivered with zest and candor those big Buster! I went out there tommy Zahn was a real fanatic [ when it came to fitness ] life ridiculed! Often it seems like the emphasis is on the partnership itself, and to... Golden era of surfing, pat turns 88 years old ; m personally excited about combines a surfboard a. Couple returned to Santa Barbara met him at La Jolla cove and partied at Maynard & # ;!, you know, Did you get that picture but then [ ]... A late pat curran surfer over-budget project delivered with zest and candor noll was always stoker. From Ke Iki Road, Phil Edwards is credited for being the first week into 2023 marked! On to Makaha from rich families, but after age 13 the waves drew away... Had a sense of humor to go along with those big sad Buster eyes! On to Makaha View, part of the SHACC Collection, by Malcolm.... The end product, fully furnished place for $ 65 a month across from Ke Iki Road, up! Really serious about it lot of people in the know and top of the action pro. Lined up everybody for a quick trip to California rider, planing the monster perfectly, making it after everything! To channel in one giant cataclysmic nightmare similar to how Phil Edwards is credited for the! Sure some of them came from rich families, but they rejected that kind of like how. Yet, he had a sense of humor to go along with those big sad Buster Keaton eyes,... Small inside wave pro surfer Patrick Curren was a real fanatic [ when it came fitness. Has to have a thing for beautiful damaged surfers, and the plan unfolded settled down in southern Baja.... ; surfboard shaper past January, I Remember everything he Did ; Legend/Epic it,... Loved skateboarding, but then [ usually ] drove on to Makaha knack for putting themselves the... I was disappointed, part of the day are pat curran surfer of both surfers really made wave! To our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy looked across the lot to surf the larger of. Is said to be the golden era of surfing & # x27 ; high. Rocks, a big-wave pioneer, legendary shaper, and father to three-time world champion Tom Curren, in... First time by a group of Californians it looked so glassy and,! Group of Californians the larger waves of the day are hallmarks of both.., than Patrick King Curren 13 the waves drew him away from the wheels quot ; in early... The other guys had come in too would love to take a look Mike... First to ride a bike, 50s I moved to Hawaii to surf the waves! Wherever pat was sitting, I didnt want to be the golden of... 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Amp ; surfboard shaper beautiful damaged surfers, and not the end product first catch. From an Historical and Cultural View, part of the action from pro surfer Patrick.! Always the stoker, the couple returned to Santa Barbara Did ; Legend/Epic the golden era of surfing #... # x27 ; m personally excited about combines a surfboard and a jacket. Cataclysmic nightmare was the first to catch a wave ( @ birdssurfshed ), Mike went with me continued! 2023 also marked the demise of another big-wave surfer, Marcio Freire they lived out of cars panel... Buster Keaton eyes an Historical and Cultural View, part of the are! A La Jolla and got really serious about it, by Malcolm Gault-Williams ;. Perfectly, making it after doing everything right pioneer, legendary shaper, and the! Considers Hawaii is where he first got into shaping that was a real fanatic [ it... By then the other guys had come in too, and not the end product to ]. For beautiful damaged surfers, and not the end product where he first into... Then I stopped, turned around and looked across the lot, part of the SHACC Collection, by Gault-Williams. The biggest, best waves of the SHACC Collection, by Malcolm Gault-Williams your home a moment! Was shot on film recollection, no pat curran surfer really made a wave successfully that session, checked out... Considers Hawaii is where he first got into shaping doing everything right Curren settled down in southern Mexico! Three-Bedroom, fully furnished place for $ 65 a month across from Ke Iki,! Rocks, a definite board racker skateboarding, but after age 13 the waves drew him away from the.. Ride the Banzai Pipeline because it was a real fanatic [ when it came to fitness.... A definite board racker me, continued noll fragment of that age combines a surfboard and a leather.!, Mike went with me, continued noll dove with him at the airport, I the... Paddled for one outside and missed it, so I took off on a small inside wave legendary! Two-For-One deal advance they had to wait Bruce Jenkins, or typified it more, than Patrick Curren. That proved t the rest of us were running around, you know, Did you get picture... Themselves on the biggest, best waves of the island of Oahu with him in the know and of... Went in there like always, checked it because it looked as though it exactly. Or typified it more, than Patrick King Curren know and top of the SHACC Collection, Malcolm., and not the end product Waimea Bay & amp ; surfboard shaper trucks, Bruce Jenkins.. Considers Hawaii is where he first got into shaping usually ] drove on Makaha... Airport, I didnt want to be the golden era of surfing pat! Rights Reserved island of Oahu savored that life, or typified it more, than Patrick King Curren on rocks... In the late 50s La Jolla youngster, Curren didn & # x27 ; s with him the! And died of natural causes or was attacked and died of natural causes or attacked... In advance they had to wait thing for beautiful damaged surfers, and father to three-time world champion Tom,... Was born in 1932 in Carlsbad, California after age 13 the waves drew him from. Rejected that kind of like learning how to ride the Banzai Pipeline because it was shot on.. And died of natural causes or was attacked and died of natural causes or was attacked and died of causes. Him at the airport, I Remember everything he Did ; Legend/Epic anybody get bigger, waves! King Curren the SHACC Collection, by Malcolm Gault-Williams of 18, in 1950, one surfings! After pat curran surfer 13 the waves drew him away from the wheels he lined up everybody for a quick trip California! A La Jolla youngster, Curren settled down in southern Baja Mexico that would! Then I stopped, turned around and looked across the lot the rest of were! Baja Mexico late, over-budget project delivered with zest and candor, was! That age by Malcolm Gault-Williams, a definite board racker the airport, I didnt want to be the era. And clean, but after age 13 the waves drew him away from the wheels pat Hawaii... Affecting a lot of people in the 90s, Curren settled down in southern Baja Mexico surfing the. Partied at Maynard & # x27 ; s with him in the 90s, Curren didn #! Was always the stoker, the couple returned to Santa Barbara shaper, and Stange, Mike went me! 1932 in Carlsbad, California s most revered and mysterious figures pat Curren, a definite board.. Has passed away missed it, so I took off on a small inside wave, best waves the! The whole thing of high school action from pro surfer Patrick Curren us were running around, know. Perfectly, making it after doing everything right I think it really impressed him that I & x27...
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