Got to meet him once during some warmups at the OP Pro. I was 16 he was like 22 and easily at the height of his game with plenty of fame. Putting is stuff away into his pick up, I got the courage and said "Hey Tom!' He said "Hey how you doing?". He ended up spending about 10 minutes chatting and discussing the conditions with me and asked me about my thoughts on conditions, my surfing, where did I grow up...The guy is still the most legendary surfer and human on the planet. As great as a surfer that he was, he is that much better of a human.
Awesome story dude. He was my hero growing up for sure and stills stands out as my all time favorite surfer ever. I love that he left the scene on his terms as he saw how the pro circuit was just turning into a frat party. He was and is a living legend and pioneer of our sport. Long live the King.
Born 1974 and raised surfing here in the Ocean Beach/Sunset Cliffs area we grew up where the keel fin fish and different versions were the norm. I still ride my mothers 5"5 Lis fish. I was 6 the first time she had me surfing Newbreak. Tom is a legend as far as I'm concerned.
Spent a lot of time here in the early 90's and again just before the Tsunami quake. First trip was in 91' I was a keen 16. We surfed Bawa, Asu and Babasalo alone having arranged hire of a fishing boat back in Teluk Dalam, it was a real adventure and a paradise with perfect waves. Went back many times over the following years as the huts appeared and yacht charters started mooring up. A bunch of us English and French barrel fiends hooked into it well early living together for months in a basic shack, cooking on an open fire, shitting in a gap in the reef and enduring hot, insect ridden nights sleeping on your board bag. It always was, and still is, a hell of a trek and feat of endurance to stay out there for 3 months at a time.
I’ve been wanting to grow up & be like Tom Curren, my whole life!!! Still do & I’m 48 yrs old. All this guy does... Is shine!!! His surfing to me, is like a bar fight by candlelight!!! Fearless, frothing, ridiculous, unpredictable, insane, powerful, yet smooth as silk, fluid & majestic, with all the subtle flare that lights up every wave he surfs & every SAF maneuver he throws down & sets it all on fire!!! 🤙🔥👊💯
MR surfer ...Mark Richards made them famous in the 1970's. I rode one at overhead Rights & Lefts on the Ranch in 1976. A sub 5' ? foot Fish that was actually con cave through the belly. It was a 1976 Reno Abellira style Hawaiian twin fish from Maui my buddy brought back from there. It was a dare and I had to make that first wave or else I would have been done for the day. Rights & Lefts Ranch was unforgiving localism to the max in those days. I made the wave while everybody else was surfing 7'-8' guns. Made a BFD for a day. I was 20 years old. I went back to my 7'-8" Bradbury with soft rails and a ton of nose rocker for Winter reefs and SB points. Big Drakes, Zoomers, Razor Blades, El Capitan, Jalama, Hazard Canyon and Rincon. I will always love John Bradbury and the 1970's in SB County. Before Tommy Curren, you couldn't give away an Al Merrick without grief. Tommy Curren changed everything as did Simon Anderson and Energy surfboards. My all time favorite surfer? The one and only unreal ...Michael Peterson, the ultra legend from own Down Under.
I bought that Search II video VCR cassette movie in highschool, and when I saw Tommy going so fast and loose on that fishy little board it stoked me up for sure.
amazing to watch this in 2022 and notice that now in the water these days the fish/short board hybrid is a favourite in double over head surf, very popular board now... Seems Tom really was channelling the future.
Watched him surf indicators at nias in 94. It was mind blowing nobody surfs it. It breaks about 2 meters infront of a dry wall reef. Legend. By the way Bawa is not a smooth roll in!
I found a yellowed out Fireball Fish poking out of a trash can years ago and fixed a couple dings and rehabbed the tail tips. Took it out on a few days when the peaks were rollers well overhead and the inside was chest high and thumping. For such a weird board, it worked surprisingly well.
Tommy, knew that if you got him on those rollers the rest of the way for him was an empty canvas. Tim, was onto something they're only Tom could utilize. That was history in the making.
Aa far as riding thicker, wider, shorter shapes in good waves, its a fair argument that this was the start of that movement in surfboard design (which is still being applied today, performance hybrids everywhere). The stuff Kelly/Tomo etc are at today tends more towards planing hull design (Google the Mini Simmons) more so than combining two tried and tested shapes, like the shape in the this video. Im no shaper, just a board design fan so apply pinches of salt liberally : )
You mean the one from one of The Search movies at J-Bay where he totally comes off his board, slides down the wave on his back, finds his board at bottom of wave then stands back up on it and finishes the ride? I remember and will never forget.
About ten years or so before that I was out at Indicator (Rincon) riding the four channel winged fish I made for myself at Bruce Fowler's shop in the Radon boat yard on Santa Barbara Street by the railroad tracks. In twelve foot wave faces Tommy kept thinking I was in too late and way too deep, but i caught up to him every time. The little jerk still kept snaking me though.
Good point. Really just the tail (you could argue its a swallow though) and the length/width. Everything else (rocker, rails, outline, foil) look like a performance board. Still, huge influence on what many of us are still riding now.
Got to meet him once during some warmups at the OP Pro. I was 16 he was like 22 and easily at the height of his game with plenty of fame. Putting is stuff away into his pick up, I got the courage and said "Hey Tom!' He said "Hey how you doing?". He ended up spending about 10 minutes chatting and discussing the conditions with me and asked me about my thoughts on conditions, my surfing, where did I grow up...The guy is still the most legendary surfer and human on the planet. As great as a surfer that he was, he is that much better of a human.
Awesome story dude. He was my hero growing up for sure and stills stands out as my all time favorite surfer ever. I love that he left the scene on his terms as he saw how the pro circuit was just turning into a frat party. He was and is a living legend and pioneer of our sport. Long live the King.
Born 1974 and raised surfing here in the Ocean Beach/Sunset Cliffs area we grew up where the keel fin fish and different versions were the norm. I still ride my mothers 5"5 Lis fish. I was 6 the first time she had me surfing Newbreak. Tom is a legend as far as I'm concerned.
Spent a lot of time here in the early 90's and again just before the Tsunami quake. First trip was in 91' I was a keen 16. We surfed Bawa, Asu and Babasalo alone having arranged hire of a fishing boat back in Teluk Dalam, it was a real adventure and a paradise with perfect waves. Went back many times over the following years as the huts appeared and yacht charters started mooring up. A bunch of us English and French barrel fiends hooked into it well early living together for months in a basic shack, cooking on an open fire, shitting in a gap in the reef and enduring hot, insect ridden nights sleeping on your board bag. It always was, and still is, a hell of a trek and feat of endurance to stay out there for 3 months at a time.
cool story!
I’ve been wanting to grow up & be like Tom Curren, my whole life!!! Still do & I’m 48 yrs old.
All this guy does... Is shine!!!
His surfing to me, is like a bar fight by candlelight!!!
Fearless, frothing, ridiculous, unpredictable, insane, powerful, yet smooth as silk, fluid & majestic, with all the subtle flare that lights up every wave he surfs & every SAF maneuver he throws down & sets it all on fire!!! 🤙🔥👊💯
49 and I still want to surf like Curren too. I've been wanting to get out to Bawa since the original Search video came out too.
True art on a wave. The most graceful and elegant surfer I'd ever seen and still to this day.
Curren still my fave, my GOAT
No better surfer, ever. Twenty years on and his carves are still peerless.
not better, but check out torren martyn. very cool style, conparable. rides cool boards too.
nice guys attitude is the best in surfing and something we can all learn from
MR surfer ...Mark Richards made them famous in the 1970's.
I rode one at overhead Rights & Lefts on the Ranch in 1976.
A sub 5' ? foot Fish that was actually con cave through the belly.
It was a 1976 Reno Abellira style Hawaiian twin fish from Maui my
buddy brought back from there. It was a dare and I had to make that first
wave or else I would have been done for the day. Rights & Lefts Ranch
was unforgiving localism to the max in those days.
I made the wave while everybody else was surfing 7'-8' guns.
Made a BFD for a day. I was 20 years old. I went back to my
7'-8" Bradbury with soft rails and a ton of nose rocker for Winter reefs and
SB points. Big Drakes, Zoomers, Razor Blades, El Capitan, Jalama, Hazard Canyon and Rincon.
I will always love John Bradbury and the 1970's in SB County.
Before Tommy Curren, you couldn't give away an Al Merrick without grief.
Tommy Curren changed everything as did Simon Anderson and Energy surfboards.
My all time favorite surfer?
The one and only unreal ...Michael Peterson, the ultra legend from own Down Under.
I have been to Bawa. He is friggin nuts.
I bought that Search II video VCR cassette movie in highschool, and when I saw Tommy going so fast and loose on that fishy little board it stoked me up for sure.
Still gotten original on VHS gold !!!!
I knew Tom in high school, at 14 he was blowing my mind at rincon.
amazing to watch this in 2022 and notice that now in the water these days the fish/short board hybrid is a favourite in double over head surf, very popular board now... Seems Tom really was channelling the future.
Tom is Rock n Roll long time a go! Tanks man!!!
Watched him surf indicators at nias in 94. It was mind blowing nobody surfs it. It breaks about 2 meters infront of a dry wall reef. Legend. By the way Bawa is not a smooth roll in!
I found a yellowed out Fireball Fish poking out of a trash can years ago and fixed a couple dings and rehabbed the tail tips. Took it out on a few days when the peaks were rollers well overhead and the inside was chest high and thumping. For such a weird board, it worked surprisingly well.
Three legends.
I never seen someone ride the ocean like this
very intersting
Triple overhead Bawa. Heavy.
unbelievable...beautiful waves.
Reminds me of Rogers rights in Hawaii! Same type of roll in.
Tom Curren : Une légende vivante.
Tommy, knew that if you got him on those rollers the rest of the way for him was an empty canvas. Tim, was onto something they're only Tom could utilize. That was history in the making.
this was an experience. very nice!
greatest all time man
my goodness a 5'7 in a big wave
"Because the waves were so smooth and really easy to catch". Man...
cause they were pfff
Felipe Stefani because it’s Tom Curren
lulz
Amazing surfer. Tom can ride anything
Wow. Looks like Bruce towing in At Zicatela.
Pure Epicness!
So fast.... I like that kind of speed.
He was even using fanning fins before fanning fins were cool!!!????!!!!
he's the best surfer tom curren some of these hawaiians who are out there punching people out there not really surfers. Currens god
John Morgan yeah but hawaiians brought surfing to the world, its the sport of kings our ancestors. Fyi we "hawaiians" dont surf, we wave slide.💯👊🇬🇧🔥
Crowd control
Historic
0:16 the dreaded widow maker.
Game changer.
Is this board a basis for Kelly Slater's new ride?
Sort of? I am a newbie...
Aa far as riding thicker, wider, shorter shapes in good waves, its a fair argument that this was the start of that movement in surfboard design (which is still being applied today, performance hybrids everywhere). The stuff Kelly/Tomo etc are at today tends more towards planing hull design (Google the Mini Simmons) more so than combining two tried and tested shapes, like the shape in the this video. Im no shaper, just a board design fan so apply pinches of salt liberally : )
Legend
I surfed bawa 1991 about 10'
Fun times
True pioneer
これみてたの30年前か。。。
Bawa one of the few places that was made lesser from the earthquake. It still works but nothing like this.
does anyone remember the tail slide he pulled off?
You mean the one from one of The Search movies at J-Bay where he totally comes off his board, slides down the wave on his back, finds his board at bottom of wave then stands back up on it and finishes the ride? I remember and will never forget.
yeah bro that one he grabbed it with his big toe lol then they edit in the flames in true old school fashion
Colin i
? 3 fins equal size its a thruster fin setup
About ten years or so before that I was out at Indicator (Rincon) riding the four channel winged fish I made for myself at Bruce Fowler's shop in the Radon boat yard on Santa Barbara Street by the railroad tracks. In twelve foot wave faces Tommy kept thinking I was in too late and way too deep, but i caught up to him every time. The little jerk still kept snaking me though.
Sounds like you might have inspired him.
How high are those swells?
Where is this place ???
Zepster77 Bawa Island , west of Nias Island in North Sumatera.
Watch. 22adaynoway
whats fishy about that board ?
koro287 not a true fish
Good point. Really just the tail (you could argue its a swallow though) and the length/width. Everything else (rocker, rails, outline, foil) look like a performance board. Still, huge influence on what many of us are still riding now.
It’s a hybrid fish/short board... To tech for your pee brains...
@@restrictedcult5449 now,now..more of a swallow,something u would be familiar with
Mason surfs like him 😊
swallow tail.thruster..
hey surfline... less beach cameras and more old time uploads please!!!!
Looks like a little swallowtail to me.
Has tons of channels on the bottom and a step bottom. Crazy design. Rode one once. Very quick and super loose.
First surfer Bawa1981 🤙 @surfnias @kabunohi still surfing Nias we can get you there in style comfort 👏👍🤙 Rck.