Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Bitter Sweet Blacks Beach Rambling






don't get down to Blacks
much anymore. its just weird
paddling out a place you've been
surfing for 39 years to find
150 guys out...and they all seem
to know each other...and then
they hustle you like you're a
new jack. like...who the fuck is this guy???
you ain't USCD surf team, dude.
Old age is tough.
Blacks is still beautiful
though. i know the names
of all the trails...and i know
who named them...so what, right?
now they've got a name for every peak on the beach.
middle peak? south mids? huh? proper Blacks is three things:
The Road, The Point, and THE NORTH PEAK.
lemme tell you about October '74...September '75
10 foot Southern Hemi reverse Honolua with a 95 degree Santa Ana
for a week straight. it has NOT happened again,
so when you miss it, you really do miss it.
i can't imagine what a swell like that would
look like now...5000 people in the water?
'76...'77...1980 was good. '83 would kick your ass no matter
who you were. Pascuales with cold water.
Freight Trains.
geez...its 2009...what do i expect?
uncrowded Blacks? the world
was supposed to end a while ago
anyway. all this stuff is gravy.
this session with Bracker
wasn't too bad. it was much better
at the Shores this day. Oh, and in '74 all
the old guys told me how crowded and shitty it was.
thanks Anthony Ghiglia for the pics.

6 comments:

Clams said...

This was previously quoted on an earlier post but I'm just trying to keep it real as a reminder to all those new jacks with stink eyes.

"1979 - The first Stubbies Trials is held at Blacks Beach and Canyon rider Richard Kenvin takes down many of California's top riders, Including Tom Curren"

Thats legendary.

Respect your predecessors.......

hydrodynamica said...

correction Clams:
Tom was not in the '79 stubbies contest,
he was still an amateur.
by 1980 he was surfing pro-ams
and slaughtering all comers.
He could have EASILY won
that Stubbies contest at Blacks though.

Clams said...

ohh I just quoted someone else in a previous post on the hydro blog. You're "The Modest Shredder". I'm sure you would've given him a run for his money.

Either way. This is still a lesson to all. Respect your predecessors. Stay in School. Don't do drugs (Weed is not a drug) and do everything in moderation (except surfing, surf as much as you can).

Thats all.

Talk to you soon homes,

clams

borntoloser said...

Great post.

reverse Honolua:)

I believe you were mistaken. Shores is not good, ever.

Anonymous said...

Once inscribed on the sandstone near the slot arroyo on the Minh trail...
"Bernoulli mapped, Bob built, Gloom shared, Maddog embraced."

It was signed, "Pepe," but sure looked like Mellow Cat's hand.

Anonymous said...

I was there in 75 on a Lis kneeboard .It was that good.I was going as fast as I have ever gone. Pulling out of waves doing complete flips in the air, had Rex doing a few too.