Don’t Miss a Thing!
By Athena Sasso

 The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum has a great time displaying, preserving and making surfing history. Below is a refrigerator-ready list to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

April 7: Florida State Paddleboard Championship. Beach registration begins at 8 a.m.; race time is 10 a.m. Registration closes at 9:30 a.m. 

April 7: Easter Extravaganza, 7-10 p.m. Don’t miss the Easter party! New exhibit, music, and food. Renew your membership or become a new member and support the programs of the CBSM. Admission is $20 at the door. Museum Members get in free!

June 2-3: 11th Annual Waterman’s Challenge and Luau. Don’t miss a laid-back couple of days of surfing, paddling, eating, dancing, and seeing old friends! International Palms Resort. Registration June 1 from 5:30-7 p.m. Luau at the Cocoa Beach Pool Pavilion at 6 p.m. on June 2.

September 28-30: 3rd Annual Florida Women of the Waves Weekend. Check out the Facebook page for all the latest updates — Florida Women of the Waves! Harvest moon compliments of Mother Nature. Waa-hoo!

October 2012 (TBA): 6th Annual C2C Paddle Challenge. Causeway-to-Causeway on anything you can paddle: SUPs, prone paddleboards, OC-1s, kayaks, surfskis, surf dories, Cayuco canoes, and more.

December 2012 (TBA): Holiday Party and Cocoa Beach Holiday Parade.  

And that’s not all! We have a six-film “Bruce Brown Retrospective” coming up at the Cocoa Beach Public Library on these dates at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Free refreshments compliments of Sunseed Food Coop.

April 21: “Slippery When Wet” (1958)

May 19: “Surf Crazy” (1959)

June 16: “Barefoot Adventure” (1960)

July 21: “Surfing Hollow Days” (1961)

August 18: “Waterlogged” (1962)

September 15: “Surfin’ Shorts” (a ’60s collection)

Not to mention Volunteer Meetings every first Wednesday at the museum, 7 p.m., where you learn more about the behind-the-scenes projects: imaging, oral histories, and more.

See you there.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located in the Ron Jon Watersports Bldg. Call 258-8217 or visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org. Volunteer meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All are welcome to attend. Programs are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance.

By Dan Reiter

Years ago, Cocoa Beach stretched out as a broad expanse of fine, white compacted sand. Before condos armored the shoreline and the Port Canaveral jetty extension interrupted the north/south littoral sand flow, Cocoa Beach was a perfect place for surfers, where waves would snap over the outer sandbars and peel cleanly all the way through to the inside.

Longtime resident James MacLaren remembers those days. He says the years have not been kind to Cocoa Beach’s sandbars, and he attributes much of the troubles to the beach renourishment projects of 2001 and 2005.

The sand dredgings, MacLaren says, “encouraged the development of a deep trough, as well as a steeper beach slope.”

While this has long been the popular conception among the surfing community, it has never been supported by scientific fact.

Until now.

John Hearin, Vice-Chairman of the Cocoa Beach Surfrider chapter, has just completed his doctoral dissertation on the effects of the sand dredgings on Cocoa Beach’s waves. And while his findings won’t come as a surprise to surfers, they might stir up the sands a bit.

In 2001, as part of Federal reparations for the jetty extensions and port projects, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock sucked 3.1 million cubic yards of sand out of the Canaveral Shoals and discharged it onto Cocoa Beach. In 2005, Weeks Marine pulled another 1.3 million cubic yards out of the shoals. The combined cost: $29 million.

FDEP standards require imported sand to “maintain the general character of the beach,” including grain size, color, and mineral composition. Hearin’s analysis found that the sand from the shoals was not a good match for our beaches. The renourishments altered the seafloor and transformed Cocoa Beach from a “dissipative” surf zone (which broke at all tides) to an “intermediate-reflective” one, effectively a tidal dependent beach with a narrow surf zone and more closeouts.

“The sand looked like it came out of an ashtray,” MacLaren recalls. “They said, ‘Give it time, it will bleach out,’ and told us that the beach would be just like it used to be. Overall, it was a disaster for Cocoa Beach surfing and I am not amused with it, not one bit.”

Mike McGarry, of Brevard County Natural Resources, says that the sand from the shoals was approved and permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers. He cites outside factors, including sea turtle nesting sites, sand availability, and erosion control as factors in determining the borrow site.

Hearin, a longtime waterman, recommends an investigation of a permanent sand bypass system at Port Canaveral, which he says would “promote a more natural flow of sediment, and reduce the need for disruptive dredge-and-fill projects.”

He will be presenting his research on April 18 at the Cocoa Beach Library, at 6 p.m. Surfers, wave forecasters, and beachgoers in general would do well to attend.

Also coming up:

3/24: Surf Movie: “Tubular Swells” at the Cocoa Beach Library.

4/7: Florida State Paddleboard Championships in the morning, followed by an Easter Extravaganza at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum that evening.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located in the Ron Jon Watersports Bldg. Call 258-8217 or visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org. Volunteer meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All are welcome to attend. Programs are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance.

C U at C2C

By John Hughes; Photo by Georgette McWilliams

Our 5th Annual Causeway to Causeway (C2C) is coming up. This will again be an 11- or 22-mile non-trophy event, but we will track participants’ finish times. Any paddle craft is invited to attend. If you can paddle it, you are welcome.

The challenge will start at Lee Wenner Park in Cocoa at the base of the SR 520 Causeway bridge. The course will parallel the Intracoastal Waterway in the Indian River and continue south for 11 miles to the bridge at the Pineda Causeway (SR 519). For the 22-mile race, turnaround will be just prior to the bridge at a Manatee “No-Wake Zone” sign that will be marked with a buoy. There will be a maximum of four hours for paddlers to reach the turnaround point at Pineda Causeway. Any paddlers not meeting the four hours will exit the water at POW-MIA Park adjacent to the turnaround. Any one exiting here will be provided a ride back to Lee Wenner Park.

For the 11-mile race, the turnaround point will be midway at 5.5 miles and will be marked with a buoy or boat. Paddlers will round the boat/buoy and return to the starting point to finish the race.

Escort boats will follow the paddlers and escort stragglers to the finish line. There will be water on board the boats for paddlers, but plan on bringing your own sufficient supply. A hydration pack or equivalent is recommended. Reef shoes are also recommended for water entry and exit.

Registration starts at 7 a.m. and the race starts at 9 a.m. This year, you can pre-register through November 4 at: www.eventbrite.com/event/2232399166. You can also register on the date of the event. Entry Fee is $25 per person and includes lunch and event shirt. The Cocoa Beach Air Show is the same weekend. Stay overnight to see the show on Sunday.

This event is organized by the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and all proceeds benefit the operation of the museum and its community programs.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located in the Ron Jon Watersports Bldg. Call 258-8217 or visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org. Volunteer Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All are welcome to attend.Our programs are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum

The Hook 
By Athena Sasso

Do you know what a “hook” is?

Here’s one: “It was a dark and stormy night…” This one may be the most ridiculed attempt at a hook ever written, but if you’re honest you might admit it is suggestive and sinister enough that you’d continue reading.

Here at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum we have our own literary tradition in the form of Wave Lengths, our quarterly newsletter. Over the years, Wave Lengths has been a source for surf news, upcoming events, historical research, travel writing, poetry and even some pretty fine hooks, like these:

“What do you get when you mix a thousand miles of coastline with tree-climbing goats, an ancient Muslim culture, rocky desert and three crazy Frenchmen with an American in tow?” — Surf Morocco by John Hughes (Winter, 2008)

“Admit it. When you picture surfers talking story, you see a group of older men holding forth about the glory days. They talk about the biggest wave, the nastiest wipeout, the crocodiles in the pass, the uncrowded lineup. But you wouldn’t hear them talk about ‘breaking in,’ or having to wear helmets in contests, or being offered money to surf in the nude.” — An Incomplete Education by Athena Sasso (Summer, 2010)

“Young J stepped off his board about 25 yards from shore after riding a decent wave over the offshore rock reef, and found himself in a predicament. He’d hit bottom, and his foot had become lodged in a hole. He was stuck, and the neck-deep water kept rising over his head as waves passed by. He hung on to his board as he worked to free his foot, getting breaths between waves, until the board slipped from his grip, tombstoned at the end of its leash and then (talk about bad timing) broke free.” — Out & Back by Tom Fucigna (Fall, 2010)

“The Naish Ave Gang grew up in the Convair Cove neighborhood in Cocoa Beach in the ’60s and ’70s. The epicenter of the gang was the garage at 455 Naish, home of the Sansbury Clan and D&S surfboard ‘factory.’ With a pool table, ungrounded fridge that shocked anybody unfortunate enough to open it barefoot, dangerous multicolored resin stalagmites, and a fine coating of resin and foam dust, it was our hangout.” — The Naish Ave. Gang Rides Again by Jim Dale (Summer, 2009)

“I moved into a small apartment that had previously been occupied by an amazing long-legged blonde and inherited an unfinished work of art.” — Work in Progress by Tom Fucigna (Summer, 2011)

If you’re wondering where these stories went next and want to read more like them, you can have Wave Lengths delivered “hot off the presses” into your e-mail box by becoming a member of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum. It’s the only way to get Wave Lengths as soon as it is released. (Past editions of Wave Lengths appear on our website, but are not posted until the following quarter’s edition is released to members.)

We welcome you to enjoy all the offerings of The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum. Volunteer meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m., at the Museum.

Museum programs are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance. The Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Volunteer meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. All are welcome. Call the Museum at (321) 258-8217, or visit them online at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or on Facebook: “Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.”

Historic Surfing Film Series
By Athena Sasso

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s program director, Sharon Wolfe Cranston, gives us a preview of upcoming films presented by the Museum and the Cocoa Beach Public Library. Free popcorn, sodas, and admission, though donations are welcome and benefit museum programs. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Saturday, 9/24: “Five Summer Stories” “Heralded as ‘the finest surf movie ever made,’ ‘Five Summer Stories’ is a cultural icon, a time capsule from a watershed era when the world was at a critical crossroads and its reflection was clear in the emerging sport/art of surfing. The movie portrays a young outlaw sport at a strategic point in its creative evolution — and at a historic crux in time.”

Saturday, 10/15: “Ticket to Ride” “”Ticket to Ride’ is a 16mm film for everyone who has dreamed of getting away to the lure of the South Seas. Filmed in many new, never before seen locations including Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Mainland Mexico, Rarotonga, Hawaii, New Zealand, Maui, Samoa, Tonga, Pennsylvania, and California’ … ‘One of the last from the generation of big budget, made for the theater, surf movies.’”

Saturday, 11/19: “Children of the Sun” “‘One of the best longboard movies, bar none, from Australia’ … ‘A visual masterpiece’ … ‘Not since ‘Endless Summer’ has a surf film projected such dazzling crisp and beautifully executed images of the longboard lifestyle.’”

Saturday, 1/21: “Storm Riders” “Experience the excitement, the terror, the sheer force of the ocean as ‘Storm Riders’ travel to five continents to discover the exotic jungles of Hawaii, Sumatra, Java and Bali; brave the treacherous coastline of Africa and the blistering desert outback of the Great Australian Bight in the greatest ocean adventure ever filmed. ‘Storm Riders’ is action-packed, professional, varied and stoking … the best surf flick we’ll get to see this year (1981) and perhaps for some years to come.”

Saturday, 2/18: “Longboarders” “Hal Jepsen has assembled a pure gem, with traditional surf humor and music and some of the greatest surfers of all time. Still the best longboard movie ever made.”

Saturday, 3/24: “Tubular Swells” “The most unusual film of the ’70s that explores the limits of performance surfing at that time. A group of imaginative young surfers radically changed our concept of wave riding. These surfers perform their dance on tubular swells that even today’s heroes might not have attempted.”

Museum programs are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance. The Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Volunteer meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. All are welcome. Call them at (321) 258-8217, or visit them online at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or on Facebook: “Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.”

Prejudice & Pride

©Tom Fucigna, Hobe Sound, Florida. May 2010

Not too long ago, upon emerging from an after-work surf session, I encountered a strange creature along the shoreline. It was a migratory male of the species, with a long wavy mane and a loping gate. He stared at me as I approached, and then, after I greeted him with a smile and a nod, uttered something unexpected. “I never seen a real surfer person before, and you sure don’t look like what I was expecting.”

Apparently, he was a lifelong resident of some oceanless region and was newly arrived at the edge of the continent. I considered his statement with an incredulous stare, as I thought about how to reply, and in what language (answering in an unexpected, or perhaps even completely unintelligible, language can be a good way to gain the upper hand in situations such as these).

Full disclosure: I am no longer the manly equivalent of Pamela Anderson at her Baywatch peak, but I didn’t think, at least at that point, that I’d yet descended permanently into total trolldom. I had also been, just moments before, actually surfing — being a real surfer person. After taking a moment to assess his physical countenance — taller than me and about 30 years younger, with that damned mane, but no David Hasselhoff either — I decided upon a retort. I spoke the truth. “You know,” I told him, “I used to have your do.” That seemed to throw him. Perhaps in his waveless land of origin “do” implied something fecal. I expounded: “Your locks, your curls, your bushy, bushy blond hairdo.” I left off the part that goes “and I was in much better shape than you when I was your age, and I could still, no doubt, drag your skinny ass into the swash and administer a thorough trouncing right now, sonny.” I didn’t say it, but I sensed that he understood it to be true.

All this took place in the space of several seconds, after which his countenance shifted through two quick phases, as his middle-of-wherever upbringing first cast him a furtive sideward glance, then stared him straight in the face with arched eyebrows, and he suddenly realized that he had unwittingly accosted and insulted a (now slightly irritated, and potentially dangerous, based on that look) total stranger. He stared, involuntarily, at my head, perhaps trying to envision the past I’d described, then caught himself and commenced backpedaling and yammering with purpose, interspersing “sirs” and a variety of apologetic facial expressions. I let him sweat for a moment, then told him, “It’s OK — I understand what you’re saying.” I’d rather deal with a bewildered alien’s honesty than some snotty local kid’s snigger behind my back. “If you wanna surf, it doesn’t matter what you look like. What matters is what you do.”

If only I’d been thinking a little more clearly, I would have told him that his penance, and only sure route to redemption under the watchful eye of Mother Ocean, consisted of picking up at least one piece of trash every time he visited the shore for the rest of his life, but it had been kind of a long day, so I just backed off and told him to enjoy his stay, then ran off into a splendid sunset, the way that only we real surfer persons can do.

Tom Fucigna is a regular contributor to the Museum’s quarterly newsletter.

The programs of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance. The Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Volunteer meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. All are welcome. Call them at (321) 258-8217, or visit them online at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or on Facebook: “Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.”

Photo: Eddie Gelles; Photo by Lisa Parkes

COCOA BEACH SURF MUSEUM – 1st Timers
By Athena Sasso
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

The “new  thing” at the Waterman’s Challenge this year was the Skip Savage 1st Timers’ division, a co-ed open. One of the entrants was Eddie Gelles of Cocoa Beach, who started surfing a couple of years ago when a yoga instructor invited him to surf with her to boost his spirits. At the time, he was staying with his mother and his father, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and Eddie needed a little picking up. “It was amazing, spiritually,” Gelles said, but he had never considered surfing in a contest.

AS: Any particular reason you never surfed in a contest before this year’s Waterman’s Challenge?

Gelles: I really consider myself a “soul surfer,” but the same yoga instructor and very good friend, Yumi, asked me if I wanted to enter with her. It was also her first contest and we decided to have some fun

Did you surf in more than one category at the contest?

I did, I surfed in the Men’s 36-49 shortboard and longboard as well.

(Laughs) Were you nervous?

A little excited, but I don’t usually get nervous about things. I was a little off. I saw my first heat would be around 1:15 p.m., and I hadn’t been on my shortboard for a few months, so I thought I would go out about 9 a.m. and get comfy. So I did about an hour and caught some good ones, a little rusty. So I get to the Waterman’s Challenge about noon and I am holding two boards and all my chairs and towels, etc., when I hear my name being called and they say, “Hurry, you’re in the water in two minutes!” So I went from pretty mellow to rushed, and I really didn’t catch any good waves that heat.

Will you surf in a contest in the future?

Maybe the upcoming NKF and next year’s Waterman’s Challenge. It was a fun event.

Other 1st Timers who competed were Kate Newton, Zion Hernandez, Gavin Weathers, Jamie Henderson, John Harvey, Brett Henderson, Evan Jones, Mike Ennis, Scott Hawley, Karen Hawky, Ronnie Beddia and Eddie’s good friend, Yumi Ishizuka. We hope they’ll all be back next year.

The programs of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance. The Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Call them at (321) 258-8217, or visit them online at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or on Facebook: “Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.”

The 10th Annual Waterman’s Challenge, June 11-12, 2011

COCOA BEACH SURF MUSEUM
By Athena Sasso
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

When we lived on the West Coast, we went to Santa Cruz a lot and every time we went, we saw the car parked on the approach to the surf museum overlooking Steamer Lane. The car itself was an entire protest movement, a relic of the anti-contest sentiment of the late ’70s. We never saw anyone near it who looked like they would claim it. Yet every time we went, there it sat, covered with proclamations of surfing as art, surfing as religion, surfing as succor for the soul — and decrying the contest industry that would certainly obliterate a way of life and being. You just had to love the passion that went into decorating that thing. And the town that wouldn’t tow it.

I’ve never felt that passionate about surf contests, one way or the other. But there is a contest we really like around here. In its tenth year, the Waterman’s Challenge is older than most of the menehunes who will be surfing in it, old enough to be its own little slice of Cocoa Beach surfing history. This year we have a new division called “Skip Savage 1st Timers,” open to anyone who has never surfed in a contest but wants to for the first time. (You’ll only get one chance to surf in that division — think about it!) Other divisions include longboard, shortboard, SUP, bodyboard, the Rodeo and the Real Retro.

On Saturday night, the Waterman’s Luau will be at the Cocoa Beach Pool Pavilion, so bring your paddleboard for a friendly race around that island. You can get tickets for the luau and sign up to surf at pre-registration on Friday, June 10, 5:30 p.m. by Mambos at the International Palms Resort. If you’re passionate about surfing and friends, you’ll find we take our fun pretty seriously around here.

The programs of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance. The Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach. Visit them online at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or on Facebook: “Cocoa Beach Surf Museum.”

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum celebrated a busy Easter weekend: the most successful Florida State Paddleboard Championship ever and the opening of “Kelly Slater . . . the Exhibit.” You’d think a little rest for the volunteers would be in order, but we are already planning the next events.

First, don’t miss “Surfing at Summer’s End – A Documentary,” showing at the Cocoa Beach Library on Saturday, May 21, at 7 p.m.

Then, get ready, because the 10th Annual Waterman’s Challenge is coming your way June 9-11, 2011. For more information, check our website for updates.

In the meantime, go to the CBSM and check out the new exhibit. You’ll be happy you did.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
Ron Jon Watersports Building
4275 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A)
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
321-258-8217
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

Rite of Spring
By Lani Mucha

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum has developed its own Rite of Spring: new exhibit openings and the Florida State Paddleboard Championship. Both are happening on Saturday, April 23.

This year’s Florida State Paddleboard Championship will have major changes to its race divisions, reflecting changes occurring in the sport. Be sure to take note when registering early. FSPBC is a World Paddle Association-sanctioned points event for SUPs and an East Coast Paddle Board Association Points Series event. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Shepard Park (end of SR 520 in Cocoa Beach). Race time is 8:30 a.m. King/Queen of the Beach competition begins after completion of the race (approximately 11 a.m.)

The competitor with the best combined time in the 7-mile race and the King/Queen of the Beach race will receive the Grand Champion trophy. Also the top two finishers in each category get their names engraved on the Perpetual Trophy. The FSPBC is a seven-mile race and the King/Queen of the Beach is a paddle, run, swim, sprint event. For full information and registration information, visit our website or contact John Hughes at: jhughes@cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

Take a nap after the race and join the party from 7 to 10 p.m. for the opening of “Kelly.” This event is the Museum’s spring friend/fundraiser. Admission is $20 per person, or better yet, purchase or renew your Museum membership. As always, Museum members get free admission. We’ll have music by Honey Miller and the Aquanuts, as well as food and drink. You know everything there is to know about Kelly and his 10 world titles, right? Maybe not! Come join the fun and see.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
4275 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A)
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
321-258-8217
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

Footprints
By Lani Mucha

About an hour before sunset last Sunday afternoon, I spent some time walking on the beach with my friends Jacqueline and Don. The crowds were leaving the beach, the condos casting shadows, when I noticed among the deserted sand castles thousands of footprints left behind. I looked at my friends and said, “God must have had a busy day!” I later thought a lot about those footprints. How many surfers have left they’re footprints in the sand since the surf craze began here in Cocoa Beach in the early ’60s?

Most of those steps were taken by everyday surfers enjoying a day at the beach, some by missing class or work to catch the latest swell. But even the famous have placed their prints in the sand, like actors placing their feet in concrete on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We have our own in Cocoa Beach. The earliest, known as ”The Three Horsemen,” included Gary Propper, Mike Tabeling, and Claude Codgen. Then came Rich and Phil Salick, Sharon Wolfe, Matt Kechele and Todd Holland, with whom I surfed the pro tour in California when I lived in Newport Beach. As surfing became a national and international phenomenon, so did Cocoa Beach’s own Kelly Slater, who, after winning his 10th world title is back at it, surfing in the Quicksilver Pro at Snapper Heads Rock in Australia.

Whose footprints will be there tomorrow? No doubt the likes of Cory Howell, Savannah Bradley, and even a seven-year-old ripper named Noah Dovin, who amazes me every time I’m out surfing in the lineup with him and his dad, Scott. How many more footprints will there be? Only the sands of time will tell. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to add your own.

In March (date to be announced), The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will open its exciting new exhibit: “Kelly.”

All are welcome to attend monthly volunteer meetings on first Wednesdays, 7 p.m., at the Museum.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
4275 North Atlantic Ave.
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org
Facebook: Cocoa Beach Surf Museum

The programs of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum are supported in part through a grant sponsored by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners and managed by the Brevard Cultural Alliance.

The sun was out on November 7, at the A1A split just a few blocks north of downtown Cocoa Beach. There were many familiar faces and some faces unfamiliar to me, all of whom have been witness to Kelly Slater’s 30-plus years of surfing. Car honks could be heard, while some just silently passed by with a friendly wave or thumbs up. It was Kelly Slater Day in Cocoa Beach and the unveiling of the new statue honoring his contribution to the sport we all live to love.

We’ve all seen Kelly’s amazing surfing abilities on television, videos and in magazines, but we rarely get to see him speak. So when Kelly finally got to the mic that November day, we were ready for something profound. He cracked a joke. “I never thought they would stop traffic for me,” Kelly said.

Kelly does say something profound from time to time, though, and surfing history comes alive in the words of its pioneers and of the legends who continue to lead its evolution. Like this:

“Every day of the year where the water is 76, day and night, and the waves roll high, I take my sled, without runners, and coast down the face of the big waves that roll in at Waikiki.” So said Duke Kahanamoku, the surfing world’s Christopher Columbus. Columbus wasn’t the first to sail the oceans, but he dared to sail off the edge of the Earth in the name of exploration. Like Columbus, Duke Kahanamoku blazed a trail that generations would later follow.

And this:

“The forbiddenness of the place is what made Waimea Bay so compelling. I wanted to try it but didn’t have the balls to go out by myself. So I kept promoting the idea of breaking the Bay. Buzzy Trent, my main opponent, started calling me the Pied Piper of Waimea. He said, ‘Follow Greg Noll and he’ll lead you off the edge of the world. You’ll all drown like rats if you listen to the Pied Piper of Waimea Bay.’ One day in November, we stopped at Waimea just to take a look. I finally jerked my board off the top of the car and did it.” That’s Greg Noll talking about November 5, 1957, first riding the legendary waves at Waimea.

And this:

“In the tropical Hawaiian lifestyle, the bare necessities didn’t include much more than a few pairs of shorts, some tee shirts, papayas, bananas, brown rice and fish.” That’s Gerry Lopez on living the surfing lifestyle.

And in the words of Kelly Slater:

“It’s like the mafia: once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no getting out.”

“Not to sound too deep or weird, but I think the times when you really appreciate surfing are the times you’re really sort of becoming one with nature. Surfing’s as raw of a sport as it gets.”

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will open the 2011 Season in early March with its Kelly Slater exhibit. We’ll be planning the execution of the exhibit at our volunteer meeting on February 2, at 7 p.m. at the Museum. All are welcome. Bring a chair!

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, 4275 North Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
(321) 258-8271
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org
Facebook: Cocoa Beach Surf Museum

More Fun in 2011
By Tony Sasso

What does it take to be “in” the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum? This past year, dozens of talented museum members contributed to building the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum into one of the preëminent surf museums in the country. What we currently lack in actual space, we make up for in substance.

In 2010, we produced four major exhibits: Florida Women of the Waves, the Dick Catri exhibit, Surf Art exhibit, and The Big Board Show (over 70 rare boards!). We also offered four movie premieres, the Ninth Annual Waterman’s Challenge, the Florida State Paddleboard Championship, the C2C Challenge, our newsletter, and other great events. We developed collaborations with UCF, FAU, and Surfrider Foundation, obtained approval for our first grant through the Brevard Cultural Alliance, and set up our imaging and archive lab. We added a staff historian, who also represents us on the Cocoa Beach History Committee. And yes, we also had great parties. It’s a simple but effective strategy: respect the past, look forward to the future as we preserve and exhibit the culture and sport of surfing, and have fun doing it.

So what’s next? Come on, you know. KS10, of course! After extensive renovations to our bricks and mortar, thanks to Ron Jon Surf Shop, we will reopen in February with an all-new Kelly Slater exhibit, which Florida Today has graciously agreed to co-sponsor. Later in the year, we have another major exhibit planned: Surfing Vietnam. Doesn’t that pique your interest? Plus other exhibits, all the surfboards, movies, lectures, openings, member newsletters, movies and other events you’ve come to expect from us. You’ll find more information on our newly re-fashioned website and on Facebook. You are welcome at our meetings on the first Wednesday of the each month, 7 p.m. at the Museum.

Talent comes in many forms. If you surf the way I do, you can claim to have the most fun, but you’ll never have a photo – let alone an exhibit – in a surf museum. Even so, you can be part of our wonderful surfing heritage. So join us in 2011!

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
Ron Jon Surf Shop Watersports Building
4275 North Atlantic Ave.
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
(321) 258-8217
www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.com

By Lani Mucha

With Hurricane Tomas throwing its wind and waves, punchy head-high-plus right-handers peeled across the reef at Middles. In the water, Brazil’s Adriano de Souza and Cocoa Beach’s very own Kelly Slater battled in the quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Search. With the sound of the horn and Kelly lifting his arms after winning the heat, his unprecedented 10th ASP World Title was now at hand.

It was Somewhere, Puerto Rico.

Kelly said after his win in Puerto Rico, “I used to come here a lot. This was like a second home to me. It was like my little Hawaii. I used to come here in the winter. It’s the closest event ever to my home, so it feels like home.”

Over the past 20 years, Somewhere for Kelly has been all over the world, be it Bells Beach in Australia, Pipeline in Hawaii, or Trestles in California. The beaches of Brevard County are a part of that list, for it was his playground, a place to hang with friends and family, a place to hone his skills before taking it to the world stage. “At the age of 12, I put a set of fins on his boogie board while his older brother Sean surfed on my team. I saw a world champion at 12,” said Dick Catri, Kelly’s first surf coach.

Sentiments were shared by many on November 17, 2010, when a new bronze statue was unveiled to honor the accomplishments of Cocoa Beach’s favorite son and hometown hero, Robert Kelly Slater. With hundreds of friends and family in attendance and proclamations from the Mayor and Governor, Kelly said, “I never thought they would stop traffic for me,” getting a laugh from his many followers.

Among the followers were Slater’s former Cocoa Beach High School classmate and artist of the bronze statue, Tasha Drazich. Tasha and her brother Sam Drazich, another Cocoa Beach surfer, have been working on the project for the past four years. “I just wanted to get it right. I think it’s awesome,” said Tasha. The bronze statue is located at Triangle Park on A1A as you enter the downtown area from the north. As I overheard someone in the crowd say, “Kelly is permanently our Official Greeter now.”

So you know where the statue is located — Somewhere is Cocoa Beach.

CBSM News

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will be closed to the public until mid-January due to renovations and repairs. The Museum will open up the 2011 season with an exhibit honoring 10-time World ASP Surfing Champion Kelly Slater. You can still visit our website to check out more of the area’s surf history or to check into volunteering for our 2011 Exhibit Season: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.com

Crossing Currents

By Lani Mucha

The westward journey of Hurricane Earl took a northward turn just east of Puerto Rico. Here along the sand of Cocoa Beach, we began to see hints of Earl’s arrival day one, out of the southeast. As Earl’s march north continued, we felt the full force of his eight- to ten-foot swells directly out of the east. The surf was huge, but the eastward direction of the swell closed things out for the most part. On the third day, we began to see the swell pushing from the northeast as Earl made its way by North Carolina. On this magical third day we had Earl’s swell hitting us in three different directions. The surf conditions became very peaky and fun. I found myself surfing head-high conditions at Jetty Park. There were no problems paddling out due to the peaky conditions. I was in heaven, and so were many others enjoying what Mother Nature was throwing at us.

The same crossing currents can be found at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum during the latter part of this fall. There are so many different exhibits currently going on at the CBSM that it reminds me of that third day of Hurricane Earl’s swell — great conditions with easy access.

So what are these crossing currents at the CBSM? The “Florida Women of the Waves” exhibit is still going on, featuring the stories of over 125 remarkable Florida women surfers. The exhibit will close in November with a free movie at the Cocoa Beach Library on November 12 (7 p.m.), a Ladies’ Surfing Social on the beach at International Palms Resort on November 13 (10 a.m to Noon), and a closing party at the Museum on November 13 (7 to 10 p.m.).

Meanwhile, CBSM is also still exhibiting surfboards from “The Big Board Show,” featuring classic boards from the Roy Scafidi Collection. Also exhibited are surfboards that local — and world — surfing legend Kelly Slater used during his early years on the ASP tour during the late ’80s and ’90s. A really unique board on display is the Laird Hamilton tow-in board used in the movie “Riding Giants.” I will never forget the drop in the opening sequence as a monster wave rises out of the ocean.

On December 8 at 7 p.m., CBSM members and guests will have their annual Holiday Party with Cocoa Beach Chapter of Surfrider at the new Café Surfinista, located at 1st St. N. and Orlando Ave. (A1A South). And on December 11, look for the CBSM float in the annual Cocoa Beach Holiday Parade.

The Surf Museum is going through some changes just like the various directions of the swell Earl gave us. From November 14 through mid-January, CBSM will be closed for major repairs and renovations. Expect to see an even cooler place to showcase the surf history of Cocoa Beach starting in January of 2011.
If you’re interested in more information about the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum or our many volunteer activities, please visit us.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Call 258-8217, or log on to www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

Credit: 2nd Light

COCOA BEACH SURF MUSEUM
Help us capture the past

By Lani Mucha

Outside my living room window the banana leaves lay still. The squirrels are back to running circles high up in the palms. After five days of stiff onshore winds, Igor and Julia have finally moved northward. The storms brought waves 6- to 12-feet high, but the winds really made much of it unsurfable. I was able to hit up a secret spot for two sessions of head-high waves protected from the winds. Of course, during windy conditions you also get a lot of down time.

Using 2004 as a measuring stick for storms, the Cocoa Beach area this year is looking very good. We’ve had at least four decent swells roll through from hurricanes that didn’t give us fits by approaching to close. The pattern of moving westward and then making a northward turn 500 or so miles off our coast has finally made this summer hurricane surfing season a memorable one.

As a surfer along our area beaches, you can help us document this season. The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum now has an archival system in place for you to share these moments.

CBSM has just completed installation of one of the most sophisticated “Document/Media Management” software systems available. This software package will provide for storage and retrieval of documents as well as static images such as photographs, slides, and newspaper clippings. The system will also allow the capture and storage of streaming formats such as digital video and film.

The benefits of this system are the ability to capture information from contributors without risking damage of materials and avoiding the necessity of owning or permanently housing the materials. The software also reduces the consumption of costly floor space while providing dynamic indexing capabilities so that materials can be researched instantly when needed. For our members and the public, this system will eventually provide access to this valuable information online. Most important of all, it will allow archival storage and duplication so that valuable information is safe in the event of a disaster and available to future generations.

This is an opportunity for all of our readers to help us record this summer’s hurricane season. So please check out our website for further information on this new service.

Coming up next, CBSM will be sponsoring the Annual C2C Causeway to Causeway 22-Mile Paddleboard Race on October 9, 2010. See our website for more details on how you can participate. You’ll also find volunteer opportunities and our full calendar at our website.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Visit them online at: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org.

COCOA BEACH SURF MUSEUM
Oral history project at CBSM
• Lani Mucha •

“In their rememberings are the truths.” — Studs Terkel

“I never felt the bite. The teeth were so sharp I thought a turtle had hit my foot. I let out a really short scream. When I laid back down on my board and looked back, there was just blood, so of course I knew it was a shark. The two guys who came to help me out said it was definitely a shark. They saw the dorsal fin behind me.” Those were the words of East Coast Surfing Hall of Famer Sharon Wolfe Cranston about surfing 2nd Light back in 1978.

Sharon’s shark bite experience was just one of many she shared recently with the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s new oral history project. The museum is working in collaboration with The University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University to collect oral histories from Florida surfers, surf photographers, shapers and industry leaders.

The histories will be housed at UCF and the CBSM database repository. FAU will use portions of these histories in their traveling gallery exhibit scheduled to begin touring Florida in the fall of 2011. The FAU project is named “Surfing Florida” and the UCF program responsible for the archives is called Regional Initiative for Collecting the History, Experiences and Stories of Central Florida (RICHES). Eventually these histories will be made available to the public for research on the Web and will be displayed in the museum at kiosks for public viewing.

Sharon’s oral history interview covered her early years, surfing the break at 4th Street North. Her friends pushing her to enter her first contest. A first-place finish at the JC Pier contest where she caught the contest bug. Her stories of the four U.S. Surfing Championships she won. She talks about all the jobs she did as a grom to earn money to reach her goal of surfing in the World Championships in France, even the disappointment of not going to the World Championship several years later in Australia.

“We would go out and surf mini heats together when we had waves. When you have Todd Holland, Sean (O’Hare) and then little Kelly (O’Hare) at the time, it was just fun to watch them surf,” said Sharon about coaching the Cocoa Beach High School surf team and their trip to Barbados.

The CBSM oral history effort is headed up by Dennis Bennett. The project was also honored to capture the oral history of surfing icon Dick Catri, arguably the greatest influence on Florida surfing history.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is looking forward to the opportunity to chronicle stories of more pioneers of Florida surfing. In the meantime, don’t miss our current “Women of the Waves” exhibit and make a volunteer meeting to hear more about the programs of the museum, first Wednesdays, 7 p.m. at the museum.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 4275 North Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. Visit them online at: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org.

Leah Dawson

New exhibit opens at CBSM
By Lani Mucha

On a July Saturday morning just south of Lori Wilson Park, head-high sets made their way onto the shore, and on this stretch of beach, several dozen women had the local sand bar all to themselves. The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s Women’s Surfing Social was just one of the activities in a full weekend opening the new exhibit, “Florida Women of the Waves.”

The weekend had begun the previous evening with a full house at the Cocoa Beach Library for the women’s surf movie, “Dear and Yonder,” and ended with the exhibit opening at the museum. Among the 129 Florida women featured in the exhibit are 47 Eastern titles, 22 U.S. titles, 18 N.S.S.A. titles, 9 world titles and 10 East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame honorees.

Spend a little time in the exhibit and you’ll see that women experience the surf no differently than men do. But spend a little more time there. Read the women’s biographies that are compiled in booklets and situated on pedestals accompanying each decade’s photographs, and you’ll begin to see why their time in the water may be a little sweeter — for the effort it took to be there, to compete there, to stand out there and, ultimately, to blend in there. The exhibit runs through the fall.

Next up, join us for the 4th annual Balsa Bill and Ocean Natural Paddle Challenge on August 21 behind Balsa Bill’s Surf Shop (1773 Hwy. A1A, Satellite Beach). Learn more at the next volunteer meeting, first Wednesday at 7 p.m. All are welcome.

For more information about “Florida Women of the Waves,” as well as all the other great museum opportunities, please visit our website at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org, or call Tony Sasso, (321) 258-8217. The Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
• Lani Mucha •

Reports of the first swell of the season got me up at sunrise. Standing there at the Johnson Street crossover, I could see three silhouettes bobbing in the surf. You can find the same three local girls most mornings, in the same spot, sharing a good time catching waves. I’ve always felt a better vibe out in the lineup when women were out surfing. They seemed to make us guys forget about the mano-a-mano battles for waves, if even for a moment.

But women have played a much larger role in surfing than tempering the temperaments in the lineup. Of the 93 members of the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, 14 members are women. Mimi Munro started it all back in the 1960s, winning several East Coast Surfing Championships, including a third place at the World Championship at the age of 14. You can still find Mimi surfing for fun or competing in the local area. And there there’s Frieda Zamba. While living in California as a grom, I remember hearing her name. Turns out, not only is she a four-time world surfing champion, but also from Florida. Lisa Anderson is another four-time world champion from the State of Florida. Lisa was the first sponsored rider for Quicksilver/Roxy surfwear and continues to work in the surf industry today. One of the newest inductees to the ECSHF is Cocoa Beach’s own Sharon Wolfe-Cranston, winner of four U.S. surfing championships spanning 12 years, in four different divisions –- and on three coasts.

Today, women are hitting the waves in ever larger numbers. At the 2009 Slater Brothers Invitational surf contest, which invites 48 of the best local and touring pros, Cocoa Beach local Lauren McLean was the first woman in the history of the contest to get an invite advancing to the semi-final round. There are too many up-and-comers to list, but they include Amy Nichols, Savannah Bradley, Nikki Viesins, Chelsea Gresham, Jasset Umbel, Michelle Au, and Hanna Claunch.

It appears the women at the forefront of surfing have left a great foundation for generations of surfer girls to come.

In July, The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum presents “Florida Women of the Waves,” an exhibit featuring Florida female surfers from the early 60s up to the newest up and comers in the sport. A weekend of activities starts July 23 with the surf movie “Dear & Yonder,” at the Cocoa Beach Library. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and organic popcorn will be served. Then on Saturday, July 24, it’s the Ladies’ Surfing Social, from 9 a.m. to noon, on the beach behind The International Palms Resort in Cocoa Beach. Expect a casual gathering of friends at the beach and maybe some surfing, too. All this is lead up to the Exhibit Opening on Saturday, July 24, from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum. We’ll enjoy live music and light refreshments. The Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, inside the Ron Jon watersports building. The opening is free and open to the public.

The exhibit carries at its heart surfing from a woman’s perspective. In a first for CBSM, the exhibit and its peripheral events are being managed by a female curator team: Melody DeCarlo and Sharon Wolfe-Cranston. The exhibit includes numerous photographs, newsprint articles, event memorabilia, boards, and more. Biographies showcase the accomplishments, depth of experience, and influence women bring the sport, and art, of surfing, locally and across the globe

For more information about “Florida Women of the Waves,” as well as all the other great museum opportunities, please visit our website at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org, or call Tony Sasso, (321) 258-8217. The Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building.

Paipo expression session … progression … at CBSM’s Waterman’s Challenge
• Lani Mucha •

“But a diversion the most common is upon the Water, where there is a very great Sea, and surf breaking on the Shore. The Men sometimes 20 or 30 go without the Swell of the Surf, & lay themselves flat upon an oval piece of plank about their size and breadth, they keep their legs close on top of it, & their arms are us’d to guide the plank, they wait the time for the greatest Swell that sets on Shore, & altogether push forward with their Arms to keep on its top, it sends them in with a most astonishing Velocity, & the great art is to guide the plank so as always to keep it in a proper direction on the top of the Swell, & as it alters its direction. If the Swell drives him close to the rocks before he is overtaken by its break, he is much praised.”

Those are words from the log book of Lt. James King, an officer aboard Captain Cook’s ship HMS Resolution, upon entering Kealakekua Bay in the Hawaiian Islands around 1779.

The use of the word “paipo” has evolved over the past 150 years. Its first spelling appeared as “paepo’o” meaning “night landing,” where spies would chose a rough night at sea to surf ashore in the dark and eavesdrop on activities. The literal Hawaiian translation was “ride a wave head first.” The 1950s brought about the modern era of paipo boarding. Hawaiian surfing legend Wally Froiseth coined the spelling phonetically. Having never seen the word “paepo’o” written, he spelled it the way it sounded when it made his decals, and the new spelling stuck.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum has a paipo board on display, I believe circa 1920. The first time I saw it, the shape reminded me of a modern day snowboard. It was one of the coolest items I’d ever seen there. Several years ago I saw an O’Hare paipo board shaped by local surfboard shaper Pat O’Hare. I’m hoping I get a chance to try it out next month at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s Waterman’s Challenge.

The Waterman’s Challenge, the contest with the best vibe around, started a non-competitive paipo wave riding division several years ago. The “Paipo Expression Session” as it’s been coined, was started in honor of the late local waterman Chris Harazda, a.k.a. Logjammer. Chris enjoyed everything on the water, and he and his wife, Jan, shared a passion for paipo boarding. Logjammer passed away in 2007, after a paipo boarding session in Jupiter, FL. The Paipo Expression Session is open for all wave riders, whether you’re used to body surfing, bodyboarding, paipo boarding or even standing up. The Waterman’s Challenge is a fundraising event for the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and will be held on June 5-6 at the International Palms Resort (formerly the Holiday Inn) south of Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach. Surfing heats will take place both on Saturday and Sunday. You can find an entry form at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org. Sign up on June 4 at the International Palms Resort deck from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. or on Saturday, June 5, before the heats begin.

The Saturday evening Luau will feature live music, a Hula demonstration, a silent auction, and food and beverages from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The public is invited for all events.

The Museum’s current exhibition is “Dick Catri: The Contests, The Teams, The Pioneer.” And opening July 24 is “Florida Women of the Waves,” featuring Florida women surfers from the 1960s to the present. The full weekend opening will include opening party, a women’s surfer movie and women surfers’ social. CBSM is also gathering material for an exhibit about surfing during the Vietnam War. Let us know if you have an experience to share.

For more information about the Waterman’s Challenge and Luau or any of CBSM’s other activities and exhibits, please visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or call 321-258-8217. The Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, in the Ron Jon Watersports Building.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum News
Spring at last!
• Athena Sasso •

Spring ushered in the weather we’d pined for, the promise of school ending and the busiest part of the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s year.

On Easter weekend, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum brought paddlers a memorable day at the Florida State Paddleboard Championships, an event at Ron Jon’s 46th Easter Surfing Festival. That evening, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum opened its new exhibit, “Dick Catri: the Contests, the Teams, the Pioneer.” Dick Catri himself was on hand to give perspective on the cache of photographs, boards and other memorabilia that comprise the exhibit. Many of his fellow East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame members attended to congratulate Dick for his indelible mark on East Coast surfing history. The exhibit will remain open through the summer.

On April 10, CBSM brought Mike DeTemple’s film “Picaresque” to the Cocoa Beach Public Library, the latest offering in CBSM’s ongoing film and lecture series. Then on April 17 and 18, CBSM was one of the many exhibitors at the well-attended 2010 Boards & Waves Expo in Cocoa.

Next up is CBSM’s potluck picnic at Picnic Tables on May 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members and prospective members are invited to bring food and drink and enjoy music and a relaxing day at the beach. Pray for surf.

And on June 5 and 6, CBSM hosts its 9th Annual Waterman’s Challenge Surf Contest and Luau at the International Palms Resort (formerly Holiday Inn). The lineup includes the usual board categories, as well as bodyboarding, a paipo session, Real Retro, Rodeo, SUP and Pro Longboard Open. The Saturday evening Luau will offer live music, an authentic Hula dance exhibition and great spread of food and beverages.

Although spring is CBSM’s busiest season, its volunteers work throughout the year to preserve surfing history through exhibits, lectures, and archiving activities. All are welcome to attend volunteer meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at the museum, 4275 North Atlantic Ave. in the Ron Jon Watersports building. For more information, call (321) 258-2817, visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org, or catch us on Facebook.

COCOA BEACH SURF MUSEUM NEWS
King and Queen of the Beach
By Lani Mucha

When the waves are lacking, I find myself looking for old surf videos on various video hosting sites. I happened upon “Ride the Wild Surf,” a title that didn’t sound like it came from some slick modern day marketing company. With a simple click of the mouse, up popped Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. During the 1960s, Annette and Frankie were the King and Queen of the surf movie genre.

These surf movies wouldn’t seem real without a little Hawaiian culture thrown in, so entered the term “Big Kahuna.” The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the 1959 film “Gidget,” in which “The Big Kahuna,” played by Cliff Robertson, was the best surfer on the beach.

Three years ago, I was at a surf contest where they had a King and Queen division. At first glance, I had no idea what that entailed. Thoughts of Kahuna, or King of the Beach, ran through my head. The division was actually a water triathlon, where competitors had to complete an ocean swim, a beach run, and an ocean paddleboard course. This was truly much more than beach blanket bingo.

Surprisingly, the contemporary version of the King and Queen of the Beach can be found as far back as the 1920s, way before the western world knew of surfing. The automobile allowed more people to travel to the beach for the day, and in response to the increased bathers, local lifeguards from both private and public beaches soon began competitions on the beach exhibiting their water skills.

The lifeguard beach competitions grew so rapidly that it became a demonstration sport at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. The chair of that event was none other that the father of modern day surfing, Duke Kahanamoku.

These King and Queen ocean endurance events also take place here in Florida. The Florida State Paddleboard Championship in Cocoa Beach is one place to view this type of contest. The event consists of a half-mile ocean swim, a half-mile beach sprint and a half-mile ocean paddle, all completed without any break between the three legs of the race. Past winners include JP Atherholt for the “King of the Beach” and Cynthia Aguilar for the “Queen of the Beach.”

Not sure how JP’s or Cynthia’s singing voices compare with Annette’s and Frankie’s, but they will be out to defend their titles as “King and Queen of the Beach” on April 3, 2010, at the Florida State Paddleboard Championship. The event supports the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and will begin at 7 a.m. with the paddleboard races and conclude around 11 a.m. with the King of the Beach event.

Also coming up:

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s Easter Extravaganza on Saturday, April 3, 2010, from 7-10 p.m., featuring the opening of a new exhibit — Dick Catri: the Contests, the Teams, the Pioneer. The evening will also feature food, drink and music. Admission is $25/person, free to museum members.

Then, on Saturday, April 10, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum presents “Picaresque, a Longboard Film” at the Cocoa Beach Library. The event is free and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more information on other Cocoa Beach Surf Museum news, check out our website at: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org. The Museum is located at 1475 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A) in Cocoa Beach. They hold monthly volunteer meetings on the first Wednesday of each month.

Looking Back to Find the New
By Lani Mucha

It’s been 40 years since man set foot on the moon, and we still have a lot to discover about our orbiting brother.

A lunar mission in 2009 brought to our attention a possible ice layer just inches beneath the surface. There are recent earthbound discoveries that are just as intriguing. Jeff Clark rode Mavericks — now a renowned big wave spot in Northern California — for nearly 15 years by himself. It was later discovered that three surfers and a dog named Mavericks surfed the area in 1961, even 15 years before Jeff Clark.

I’ve spent the last five years living in Cocoa Beach and discovering the history of the area I now call home. When I first heard the name Dick Catri, it didn’t ring a bell. Then, several years later, I met Dick Catri for the first time while setting up for the annual Ron Jon Easter Surf Festival, the contest Dick and his surfing partner John Griffin founded back in 1965.

It’s tough to have a serious conversation about surfing without Dick Catri’s name coming up. Several days ago, I was talking with my neighbor Skip Savage, who was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame along with Dick in 1996. Skip recalled seeing the Hobie surf team, captained by Dick, surf at the pier many years ago. That surf team included the likes of local surfing legends Gary Propper, Mike Tabeling, and Mimi Munro, to name a few. From the Pier to Shark Pit, Dick Catri and the Hobie team lit up the waves with their soulful surfing.

The word “Legend” gets thrown around alot these days. As a true pioneer, Dick falls well within the parameters of legend. He runs the granddaddy of all east coast surf contests, the Cocoa Beach Surf Festival, has coached, and has worked with more champions than Carter has pills, and charged Hawaii’s outside pipe at double overhead before any of us knew where Hawaii was.

Dick Catri made his mark on the big waves in Hawaii and on Florida’s East Coast, and the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum’s newest exhibit, “Dick Catri: the Man, the Teams, the Contests,” will tell the story. The exhibit opens with our annual Easter Gala on April 3, 2010, from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $25; free to Museum Members. The public is welcome to enjoy the exhibit, as well as live music, food and special friends.

For more information, please visit our website at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or call 258-8217.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 1475 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A) in Cocoa Beach. The Museum holds monthly volunteer meetings on the first Wednesday of each month. Join them!

After a surf session a couple of weeks ago, I ran into Dr. Lance Maki and his tandem surfing partner, Jacqueline Remrey. We talked about training and balance on a surfboard, especially with two people on the same board. Jacqueline brought out her new Indoflo board, the latest advancement in surfing-related exercise equipment. It uses an inflatable cushion as a balancing point versus the standard cylindrical rolling log.

An old Indo Board has been exhibited in the Kelly Slater display at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, proving even surfing exercise equipment evolves and has a history. Back in the mid ’70s, Melbourne Beach local Hunter Joslin first developed the Indo Board. This was really an era when the technical aspects of surfing were beginning to be developed. These technical developments also included how the body worked in unison with the surfboard. I remember transverse abdominus and external oblique exercises as a grom. They were such big words. I didn’t know where to begin to develop them. The term “six-pack” came around, and then the “core” concept used nowadays. With each new term, came new exercise routines to help the surfer develop the physical side of the sport of surfing.

Yoga on the beach, though still popular, has given way to pilates and other types of resistance exercises. Former World Surfing Champion Tom Carroll trains using yoga. Professional surfer Taylor Knox uses core training exercises with an inflatable ball, a progression of the yoga movements into developing pilates movements. Advanced balancing techniques beyond the sagittal plane limitations of the original Indo Board can be used to enhance your ability to push the limits while surfing.

The continued advancements in surfboard design will also push the physical side of the sport of surfing. So new arenas of physical development will open up. The great thing about surfing is that you can surf any technical style your heart desires, chillin’ relaxed style or full-out aggro. Some things are for sure: winter is nearly over, the water is warming up, and lineups will soon be full again.

Start that surfing exercise program now, you just might create the newest rage. Not to mention, the hurricane swells are almost upon us.

The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 1475 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A) in Cocoa Beach. Visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or call 258-8217 to learn more. They hold monthly volunteer meeting on the first Wednesday of each Month. Join them!

Back in 1999, local surfer Sean O’Hare founded the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum as a way to preserve the area’s rich surfing heritage. This year, the surf community found out that we are stuck with him for life. The CBSM board named Sean President Emeritus. The legendary Duke once said, “It’s a good thing.” Okay, I made that up, but it is a good thing for us as a surf community. At any local event, surfing or not, you can find Sean and his family helping support the cause.

Tony Sasso has been there nearly since the museum’s inception working with Sean. Tony serves as the executive director of the board. We recently had to share Tony with the rest of Florida as he was the area’s State Representative in Tallahassee. Tony is so intertwined in everything surf-museum related, you can find him in every nook and cranny. And his wife, Athena, keeps everyone updated with the latest information in the CBSM’s online newsletter, “Wave Lengths.”

Two of the museum’s most tireless volunteers are John and Marie Hughes, who were recipients of the East Coast Paddleboard Association’s inaugural Tom Blake Award in 2009. They run the Florida State Paddleboard Championship over the Easter holiday weekend and the Causeway-to-Causeway 22-mile paddleboard race in the fall. John was recently elected president of the board and Marie is membership and merchandise coordinator.

Bill Tweedie, our marketing director, brings needed funds from unlikely places, and along with Bill Yerkes, puts on the Annual Balsa Bill and Ocean Natural Paddleboard Challenge. Melody DeCarlo, the museum’s newest board member, is by far the board’s best surfer (sorry guys) and she’s ready to make every event run smoothly.

One of the biggest improvements this year has been catching up with the digital age. CBSM now has an awesome music and video system to provide our visitors with a great experience, and Jeff Cranston has developed a website to reach interested surfers across the world’s oceans. Jeff’s work has expanded our reach and brought the world’s surf communities to our fingertips.

So many people to thank for such a great year. Matt Bellina for directing the 2009 Waterman’s Challenge, CBSM’s biggest fundraiser and one of the best surf contests in the state. Shore-tip and Dr. Diana and Debbie Tweedie for all the photography. Regular and occasional contributors to the newsletter, including Tom Fucigna, John Hughes, Jim Dale, Doc Stewart, and Athena Sasso. Dave Miller, the Aquanuts, and the Banana River Band for all the music. Jim Dale for our new docent program. Sharon Wolfe-Cranston for the museum’s lecture series. Dennis Bennett for his work toward developing an archive program.

Mahalo to all the members and volunteers, so many that we can’t mention you all by name. It takes every one of you, and whether on the beach or at the museum, you’re all a part of this great surf community. We’re looking forward to another great year in 2010.
The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave. (in the Ron Jon Watersports building), Cocoa Beach. Contact them at 258-8217, or visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

The talk covered a wide variety of areas like surf forecasting, finding out the latest technical information and even watching live surf conditions half way around the world. It’s not the days I remember as a grom, when I had to wait a week to get back 35mm slides. You still had to mail them off to get them printed.

With advances in technology, the old pictures and film of yesterday are being reborn on today’s various internet video sites. This has become an important development in preserving surfing history and culture. No more are these treasures stored in some dingy basement, living only in our memories and unavailable as inspiration for our youth.

Last month at the opening of the “Big Board Show” exhibit at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, a wooden Laird Hamilton big wave tow-in board was on exhibit. Later, I got on YouTube — one of many sites where you can view surfing videos uploaded by everyday people — and found that same tow-in board on a video segment. With a little more searching, I found Gary Propper, a standout Florida surfer from the early years of the sport, longboarding alongside the famous Cocoa Beach Pier. I even found some 1970s film of one of the best surfing spots on the East Coast: Sebastian Inlet. Maybe in time, some viewer will watch these videos and fill in the missing names to further document surfing history. (See a list of these links at the end of this article.)

Then there are the videographers out there now, busy documenting the current surfing culture with the latest in water-housing-encased cameras and HD-quality shore-based photography. Local grom Brain McEachern shot “Cocoa Beach Invasion” with some of his local friends, and it’s a who’s-who of future surfing stars like Tommy Evans, Sam Duggan, Ryan Smolka and Savannah Bradley. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, also known as Dr. Diana, is also a constant figure on the beach as she shoots and documents the area’s growing surf culture.

Whether the film is old and dusty or has just been captured for the first time, we can use the new technologies and share our world.

This month, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will present one of the newest surf films to hit the screen, “BlueGreen: We Are All Connected,” directed by Ben Keller. Set to be shown at the Cocoa Beach Library on Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m., the movie takes a surf-centric look at the human connection to the ocean and features the incredible surfing and stories of Keith Malloy, Layne Beachley, Robert August, Liz Clark, Sean Collins, Nachum Shifren and a whole slew of others.

Visit the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum to catch the “Big Board Show” now and learn more about our programs at our website.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum is located at 4275 N. Atlantic Ave. (in the Ron Jon Watersports building), Cocoa Beach. Contact them at 258-8217, or visit www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

Video links:

“Laird Hamilton: The greatest big-wave surfer to have ever lived?”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Pw7vKtqpo

“1960′s Gary Propper, Cocoa Beach FL Hits the Pier”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJhyxMNW5LY

“Old 70′s Sebastian Inlet Surfing”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zgbbrXDf8k

“Hurricane Bill and Tropical Depression Danny Surf, East Coast Central Florida, August 2009, Diana Wehrell-Grabowski”
www.vimeo.com/6368328

Hurricane Bill and Tropical Depression Danny Surf, East Coast Central Florida Aug. 2009 from Diana Wehrell-Grabowski on Vimeo.

“‘Cocoa Beach Invasion,’ Brian McEachern”
www.vimeo.com/5158058

Cocoa Beach Invasion from Brian McEachern on Vimeo.

“BlueGreen: We Are All Connected” with movie trailer
http://surferspath.com/news/bluegreen-we-are-all-connected

By Lani Mucha

It’s October and Hurricane Fred was the latest named storm to appear… and disappear just as quickly. Needless to say, waves have been scarce on both sides of the state of Florida. Like myself, I’m sure many of you have been looking for ways to stay out in the surf zone. So I found myself paddling a few times to fill in on the flat days, and three weeks ago, I tried stand up stand-up paddleboarding for the first time. I found there is a little difference between the prone kneeling style and the stand-up paddle style. It’s much easier to catch a wave with a stand-up paddleboard, but either requires endurance.

Last week at ”The Big Board Show” exhibit opening at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, I ran into Wyatt Werneth, former Chief Lifeguard for Brevard County. He pointed up at the 18-foot paddleboard suspended from the ceiling. It’s the paddleboard on which he made his world-record ocean paddle in 2007 from Miami to Jacksonville, and which owner Tony Hernandez subsequently donated to the museum. I asked Wyatt why he paddled the 384 miles.

“I did it for the drowning victims,” he said.

The paddleboard is inscribed with these words: “The Sea is the Song of the Soul,” and it offered Wyatt a little healing also.

Earlier this year the CBSM had a stand-up paddleboard on display that also set records. This time it was Justin DeBree’s board, another Cocoa Beach local. Justin rode his stand-up board from Key Biscayne to St. Mary’s, GA to raise funds for the World Skin Cancer Foundation and to create an awareness of the effects of UV radiation.

Whether you paddle on your belly, your knees, or standing up, or do it for fun and exercise or to support a cause, paddleboarding is alive and well in the State of Florida.

On October 17, the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will sponsor the Third Annual Causeway-to-Causeway Paddle Challenge. The C2C is a grueling 22-mile time challenge for all types of paddle craft. I paddled last year amidst everything from kayaks to paddleboards and even a few outrigger canoes.

The course starts on the Indian River at the 520 Causeway in Cocoa Village and runs all the way to Pineda Causeway and back. It’s one of the longest paddleboard races in the world. For more information: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org/paddleboard/c2c09.htm.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
4275 North Atlantic Avenue
(Ron Jon Watersports Building)
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org

321-258-8217

For some visitors to Florida’s beaches and warm weather, the word “quiver” might be a long-distant thought of a chilly night up north. For surfers around the globe, a quiver is not a chill, but the group of surfboards they own. The size and length of the boards in a quiver can vary depending on the type of wave for which a particular board is intended. Then there are quivers that have grown into collections.

Surfboard collecting has become more common over the past decade, whether for the artistry of the shapes, the airbrush work, the history of a particular board or even the remembrance of a past youth.

Roy Scafidi of Oceansports World Surf Shop in South Cocoa Beach is one such collector. Roy was nice enough to spend an hour on a busy Hurricane Bill weekend to talk and show me his board collection. Where does one even start to become a serious collector? Roy, a surfer as a grom, fell into collecting sort of by accident.

“I was working construction when I was younger and the client didn’t have the hundred dollars to pay me, so he gave me a board,” Roy said.

That was just the start for Roy. His twice-a-year travels over the years to Oceanside, California, allowed him to pick up several boards and bring them back to Florida. His collection now numbers over 60 surfboards, dating from as early as the 1940s. There’s not enough space here to list them all, but a couple that stand out are a 1948 Tom Blake paddleboard and a 1957 Hobie Balsa shaped by Hobie Fletcher himself. That Hobie Balsa was at the end of the wooden surfboard era.

Maybe Roy’s most impressive find is a board that heralded the modern age of surfboard construction, when Hobie and Clark were experimenting with foam. Roy’s 1966 Hobie Easter was the culmination of that effort. Another in the collection is the Lari Jai, the first surfboard to use inlay fabric for artwork on surfboards. Roy’s collection covers names like Greg Noll, Hansen, Morey-Pope, Wardy, Loehr, Dewey Weber, Bing, Takayama & Nuuhiwa, Vardeman, and G & S. And those are just some of the longboards. The shortboards are also at the top of a who’s who list.

On September 19, 2009, The Cocoa Beach Surf Museum will present, “The Board Show,” the best of Roy Scafidi’s astounding collection along with boards of other Central Florida collectors, including a Slater board and a Laird Hamilton tow-in board. The exhibit opening will run from 7 to 9 p.m. with live music by the Aquanauts.

Among exhibits currently on display at the museum are a Kelly Slater collection, “50 years of Ron Jon Surf Shop,” and a tribute to the Sebastian Inlet Pro surfing events over the years, which includes surfboards from the Hobgoods, Lisa Anderson and more.

Stop by and check it out. If you’re interested in enjoying the activities of the museum or the varied opportunities to volunteer, please visit our website for more information at www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or call 258-8217.

Cocoa Beach Surf Museum
4275 North Atlantic Ave.
(Ron Jon Watersports Bldg.)
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

You can see the image on any given day — a surfer with his toes on the nose, arms swept back, the rail of his board slicing through the face of the wave above the blue ocean surface. Onlookers in their beach chairs wonder in amazement: How does that board stay locked in the wave?

Just beneath the surface, an unseen action is taking place. Like the horizontal stabilizer of an airplane that splits the air and keeps it centered, the fin steadies the board. Walking through the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum, I checked out the display of fins on exhibit and wondered at the variety.

Being an avid bodyboarder, I use a finless board with vacuum-tracked rails that suck the board into the face of the wave. So I wondered, what are the hatchet, fat boy, cutaway, keel, foil, wingnut, dolphin and finger, and where do they fit in the evolution of surfing?

Even though I hail from Hawaii, I wasn’t around during the infant days of the sport of surfing. It’s hard to imagine surfing on those huge “olo” boards without any fins.

As the sport developed into maneuvering on the waves, the surfboard was in need of something to control its direction. In the early 1930s, Tom Blake took the keel of a beached boat, cut off a chuck a foot long and 4 inches deep and attached it to the bottom of his surfboard. In time, he was able to maneuver the board around with ease and control.

The fin was born. And innovation commenced.

As a grom, I remember a surfer named Mark Richards making all the surfing magazines. He took the Bob Simmons twin-fin design and Steve Lis fish setup to find a radically new way to surf. Simon Anderson answered the call with his tri-fin or thruster fin placement to allow surfers to hold the edge on much bigger surf. Today you can find quad and even five-fin setups on surfboards.

The fin is one of the most important factors in how fast the sport of surfing has developed. Look around the corner to the next big thing: hydrofoil fins. I even found an Internet site about hydrofoils for bodyboards. Okay, I’m a kook, but not that much of one. I’ll just stick to my finless bodyboard.

See an exhibit of surfboard fins at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum until mid-September, and read more at: www.surfinghandbook.com/surfboard-fin-history.

On September 19, a new exhibit will open to the strains of live surf music by The Aquanuts, as well as food and beverages. “The Board Show” will exhibit surfboards spanning the entire history of East Coast surfing. Some very significant boards will be on loan to the museum from private collections. The full exhibit will run until late October, and the exhibit will continue with a smaller rotation of select boards through December.

Visit the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum at 4275 North Atlantic Ave. (A1A), in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. If you’re interested in volunteering at the museum or just enjoying our many activities, see www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org or call 321-258-8217.

On a beautiful weekend in June, CBSM put on the 8th Annual Waterman’s Challenge surf contest. Holiday Inn was the best break on the beach, according to various scouts, and that made the 84 contestants very happy.

Contest director Matt Bellina ran a great event, and many volunteers pitched in to make the event run smoothly. From the first horn to the last trophy — with a Luau in the middle — it was a weekend to remember.

Some came to the Waterman’s Challenge to surf with old friends who on any other good day in the water would be at their own local breaks. That would be reason enough. But at this contest, there’s always the draw of something new. Three years ago, it was the Real Retro. Two years ago, it was the first Stand Up Paddle surf contest on the East Coast. Last year, it was the Chris Harazda Memorial Paipo Expression Session. This year, the Rodeo, Body Board, tug-of-war, and sand castle contest. (In case you’ve never seen one-’a them there Rodeo things, it’s a 30-minute heat: 10 minutes on a 9’ or longer longboard, 10 minutes on a fish, and 10 minutes on a shortboard.)

Young, old, pros and newbies on every type of floater short of a bathtub launched into the fun waves, surfing on feet and bellies, propelling with leaning bodies and paddles. From the beach, it looked like a symphony orchestra — you know, the part where they’re tuning up?

There was enough surfing, paddling, hula dancing, sandcastle building, tugging, Hookie Lauing, music from the Aquanuts and Sam Miller, and barbeque to fill up a weekend. As I looked over the final registration list, I couldn’t figure out why Director Matt hadn’t alphabetized the entrants. Finally it hit me: it was alphabetical by first names. Well, that’s the kind of contest the Waterman’s Challenge is — familiar from the first wave.

Next up on the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum calendar is the Third Annual Balsa Bill and Island Attitude Paddle Challenge on August 8, with divisions for all ages and skill levels. Meanwhile, see two special exhibits running at the museum: “50 Years of Ron Jon Surf Shop” and “The Art of Surf Culture.”

Find out how to be a part of preserving surf history at a volunteer meeting. First Wednesdays, 7 p.m., at the museum in the Ron Jon Watersports Building. (No meeting in July.) For more information, call (321) 258-8271 or go to: www.cocoabeachsurfmuseum.org