Instant adrenaline junky. Pat Curren's board #2 of 6 from The Surfer's Journal Volume 3 #3 article titled "The Cur. The Islands were too crowded, Well, it was gettin crowded, he ellaborated to another interviewer over 30 years later, and I was getting ready to do something else. Peter Cole quoted. As Pat was heading down the coast to a new life in Mexico, his son, in 1980, won the World Amateur Junior Championship. 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. 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. Full documentary coming March 2. Pat Curren was born (1932) in Carlsbad, California, the son of a surveyor, and grew up in San Diego's Mission Beach. He just said the hell with everything else. Pat Curren , one of surfings most enigmatic characters has passed away. New terror emerges on Australia's surf-rich beaches as posh European-style cabanas implicated in potential deaths! I taught school for 34 years, and over that time I probably surfed less than Pat in the five or six years he spent in Hawaii. 1950s. At the end of the 50s, Curren and his La Jolla crew settled into what would come to be known as Meade Hall. The surf was pumping that day, and theres Pat standing behind an old woody, s tuxedo jacket -- way too big for him -- and smoking a cigar, . A excellent condition Pat Curren Newport. He along with a few other surfers of his time, anchored in the prominence of big-wave surfing from scratch. She said she could tell just by the way I was holding it. And for everything he did for surfing and surfers, we thank him. Away from the glam and glitzy world, he led a humbled life with his wife and daughter. 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. Until On one of the years I was introducing the invitees to the Eddie at Waimea, I invited Harry to join me on the trip (at Quiksilvers expense) and introduced him at the opening banquet to all the current day heroes. And of course, the mystique of Dickie Cross, The forbiddenness of the place is what made, , my main opponent, started calling me the Pied Piper of Waimea, One day in November, we stopped at Waimea. Thats what happens when you get caught up in the magic joy of chance encounters with people you look up to. Born in 1932 in Carlsbad, California, Curren grew up mostly in the Mission Beach area of San Diego. Once up and riding, Curren kept his feet and legs fairly close together and used a medium crouch, with a ramrod- straight back, his arms swept out like wings., A post shared by Bruce Brown Films (@brucebrownfilms). (1963). The thing looked scary just sitting on the floor. It was Harry Schurch, a mild-mannered history teacher [and lifeguard] originally from. Jenkins, 1995, pp. 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! Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Its definitely hitting home very hard., He lost his life to a gruesome encounter while surfing at Nazare on January 5th, Kelly Slaters IG following Shows He Still Follows Supermodel Ex Girlfriend Gisele Bundchen As Well As Former Hubby Tom Brady. It was 1955 by the time Curren made his first visit to Hawaii, and it would change the trajectory of his life. Pat Curren (far left) was the archetypal surf pioneer of the 1950s: a dedicated big-wave explorer, an expert board builder all mixed with a bit of good, old-fashioned pirate. Very purposeful. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Pat Curren, a big-wave pioneer on the North Shore, and father to 3x World Champ Tom Curren, has passed away. Besides, it looked as though it broke exactly on the rocks, a definite board racker. The look on his face is so classic. It was a three-bedroom, fully furnished place for $65 a month across from Ke Iki Road, . Watch: Surf Films Are Hard, Featuring Jai Glindeman, The Dream Of Owning An Affordable Home Near Good Waves Is Not Dead. Pat Curren made the finest big-wave boards in the late '50s and early '60s, AND caught the biggest heaviest waves, AND was arguably the coolest surfer alive. His big-wave boards such as the Elephant Gun are among the Holy Grail of surf collectibles, selling for as much as $25,000 USD. Ive seen and heard how Mary and the family have supported him as best they can, but this family is weary. The first year, a handyman from Colorado won a thousand bucks (world champ CJ Hobgood placed second). He was named one of the top 20 surfers in the world by the first SURFER magazine Poll in the early 1960's. His was what you would call a "big name." But he was not comfortable in the limelight and kept to himself. I had paddled for one outside and missed it, so I took off on a small inside wave. Copyright a360media 2023. Pat was considered the top big wave rider of the first crop of big wave riders. They slept on the beach when all else failed, and occasionally got to rent an actual building. The waves in the Bay are almost flat for about 90% of the year. If they paid in advance they had to wait. Queue up three of your favourite tunes and press play. Your information has been successfully processed! The 87-year-old was living in a Chevy Tahoe and trailer with his wife Mary and their special needs daughter. Heres What You Need, Six Exercises to Improve Your Surfing Today. Top-10 most influential, surely. My husband, Pat Curren, is in it and he would love to take a look. Jenkins, 1995, p. 78. rowjimmytour Tom Curren status. Just tore the insides out of it. As for Surfers fantasy league, Starling described it as a dead platform, really.. He was 90. Among the first to stake a claim on Oahus now-famed North Shore, it was in the big surf of Hawaii that Curren really seemed to have found himself. So were all down there one day and Pats sort of standing around, smoking a cigarette, , a bunch of us would hike up to Waimea Falls, , Noll recalled the first time Waimea Bay, It was the beginning of Pat Currens enduring reputation as King of The Bay., Downing and Trent had helped establish Makaha, This was not entirely correct. In 1950, George Downing produces the first big-wave surfboard.'Rocket' was a 10 foot surfboard; narrow, streamlined and with a pointed tail inspired by the 'Hot Curl design', but constructed from balsa, fibreglass and resin, it allowed Downing, Wally Froiseth, Woody Brown and others to push the limits of big wave surfing. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. He was characteristically quiet, and carried himself with an utterly distinct and captivating blend of dignity and humility. He and Peter Cole, Some said Pat made a science of Waimea, that he was the ultimate craftsman, Nevertheless, all those who rode with him in those days remember Pat Curren as a quiet, brooding presence, . I dont think anybody made a wave., . At 16, he dropped out of high school. Jake Howard is a local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. Check out the forthcoming racing odds for 16:55 Dundalk 6f Claim Stks on 3rd Mar 2023. I think it really impressed him that I went out there. . Jenkins, 1995, p. 83. A couple of years back, Pat was living in the carpark at Swamis with his wife and special needs kid, drowning in poverty as Paul Schmidt, a shaper from Rockaway Beach in New York, described it. Gotta surf big waves tomorrow! Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network. Un resumen de los mejores das de 2023 en Cabo Blanco realizado por el filmmaker Daniel Bacigalupo. 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. Pat Currens death is a tough pill to swallow for the surfing public. Does anybody teach anybody? Sign Up, Sean Doherty on why a widely protested and formerly canceled oil exploration plan in Australia. This is in good part because Bud Browne was there to film Nolls crew riding Waimea and crowds of people watched from the road. Definitely not made for big waves. As Accin. Pat Curren (1932-) will move on. , Curren said of his board making days in Hawaii. Advertisement Coins. From the arts and culture of Melbourne to the meat pies of Nyngan, Sydneys iconic opera house to Kirras reeling tubes, it might just be the greatest country on earth but a dark menace lurks. Yes, for me, walking up that beach, safe for another day -- alive -- is the payoff. Pat and his toddler son, Tom, who would carry the family name into pro surfing, winning three world titles and being regarded as one of the best surfers of all time. He was not, however, interested in any sort of fame. Schmidts story of meeting Pat post-surf will jerk a few tears out of anyone who knows the legend of Curren. 84-85. As Ive grown to better understand the depth of Pats indomitable spirit and determination to continue building boards, regardless of age, multiple near death experiences over the past year, a pandemic, lack of proper space and materials and finances, the effect has been both inspiring and difficult to accept. Fred has it in October, but it was November 1957. For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an Insider member and continue to get Local News You Can Use from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County. If you get the biggest wave out there, youve won the day. Pride can be a beautiful thing. To be good, solid Waimea, it has to be the type of break that rolls around the point, with a good, strong, twenty-foot-or-bigger swell. Supernaturally talented pro surfer from Cocoa Beach, Florida; a record-breaking eleven-time world champion (1992, 1994-98, 2005-2006, 2008, 2010-2011 ) who reinvented virtually every aspect of high-performance surfing. Pat Curren made his mark on this world, and it wont ever be erased. Because the sport was not developed at the time, the surfer had a keen interest in making the sport a proper sport. The . All that and a great sense of humor too! Pat Curren streaks down the face at Waimea Bay. A surf lifesaving carnival was cancelled and beaches along Sydneys prized northern beaches were closed today after a pretty lil dolphin, those goofy ready-to-play golden retrievers of the sea, was mauled by a pack of bull sharks at Manlys Shelley beach. Paul set up a GoFundMe with a hundred k goal and even created a limited edition tee for donors. 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. Diffenderfer. In 1955, Pat moved to Hawaii in search of bigger waves. I was the first to catch a wave. He was 90 years old. , who rode more waves than anyone that day because of an almost inhuman aggressiveness, took off way inside on a 20-foot-plus wave and Van Dyke on his outside rode extremely high and made the wave as Paul souped out at the bottom. -- I believe it was the original, I pretty much started following him around after that. A few friends and I rented a Westfalia and spent two weeks surfing and camping in San Diego. We simplified and in the BeachGrit way, made a fantasy surfer game that was simple and anti-depressive! In 1964, Tom Curren was born. We were the first [of our group] in the water. He shall forever be looked upon as an iconic athlete. Watch the trailer of Are You Serious? Thread starter r32; Start date Jan 22, 2023; Forums. high school and college days, Tiyasa looks up to Michael Jordan as her idol, and (Written by Matt Warshaw) . RIP., I Remember EVERYTHING He Did; Legend/Epic! Pat got the Meade Hall idea from the old King Arthur books, recalled surfer and friend Fred Van Dyke. And Pat had that over all of us. But when Curren finally arrived and we met him at the airport, I was disappointed. Australia is a great land of wonder, as anyone who has had the privilege of visiting knows. Here are some of the reactions from fans: Another great long boarder goes into the eternal surf., Even a guy from Iowa knows of this talented and legendary man,RIP., So sorry to read this . Pat's surfing experience speaks for itself. 70 years and hardly a penny to show for it. Surfing from an Historical and Cultural View, part of the SHACC Collection, by Malcolm Gault-Williams. Of course I was well aware of Pat Currens name, his beautiful gun shapes and legendary first-day-out at Waimea story, but otherwise, I knew nothing of what he had been up to in his later years. Image: Screenshot/EOS. Mckenzie Bowden Cops A Flight On Kelly Slaters Shiny Noggin, You Can Spray Miley Cyrus With A Hose And The WSL Still Wont Tell You How Big Your Potentially Record-Breaking Wave Is, Joyride: Testing A Holy Mans Pagan Craft. The fans hold nothing but love for the iconic athlete. Unfortunately it is one of those things you cant explain what happened. All the time, I was trying to build up my own confidence. A little bit of wind coming out of the valley, pushing the waves back, holding them up a bit.. He was a man of few words, but was renowned for a wicked sense of humour among those who knew him. 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