To this day, Ive never seen anybody get bigger, cleaner waves or ride them so well. -- Peter Cole. Curren grew up mostly in Mission Beach San Diego. He lost his life to a gruesome encounter while surfing at Nazare on January 5th. 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). As per a Facebook post by Surfline, a major tribute unveiling Currens personality garnered significant attention from fans. 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At 16, he dropped out of high school. Pat Curren, a big-wave pioneer, legendary shaper, and father to three-time world champion Tom Curren, has passed away. So I summoned my courage and said, Pat -- I dared to call him that; . Jenkins, 1995, p. 83. His wife, Bev, Im going to paddle out and just look at it, said Greg. Mickey Muoz quoted. They are at risk of losing what little they have left, including their trailer. Not only did he ride them, but he made them. Father of three-time world champ Tom Curren, Pat's star burned brightest in the late 1950s and early '60s before he became more reclusive, largely shying away from a much-deserved spotlight. A few years back, historian Matt Warshaw wrote, The camera loves Pat in a way that it loves few others in the sport, and he was good enough to occasionally play along with the filmmakers. Fred has this opening up of Waimea in October of 1957. Price, logistics, and more. A late, over-budget project delivered with zest and candor. 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. He also began to take an interest in giving shape to the surfboard. Heres What You Need, Six Exercises to Improve Your Surfing Today. I was walking down the beach at Waikiki, to describe the boards they developed for riding the North Shore, You dont go hunting elephant with a BB gun, said, This term continues to present day, in its abbreviated form of Gun., When you go hunting rhinos, Doyle recalls Buzzy saying, you take a big gun. 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. 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. He began surfing at 18 after moving to La Jolla, and quickly climbed the local hierarchy to become a founding member of the notorious Windansea Surf Club. We run until the last man in surfing and a Surfival Champion is crowned. In the late 1950s and well into the 60s, Curren was thought of by most as the best big-wave rider there was. 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 . General. RIP., I Remember EVERYTHING He Did; Legend/Epic! He was a surfers surfer; a man who, for better or worse, lived his life the way he saw fit. Curren, Pat - Encyclopedia of Surfing Encyclopedia of Surfing History of Surfing Interviews Surfboards Contests Videos Sunday Joint Blog Subscribe Donate Terms FAQ Aaberg, Denny Aaberg, Kemp Abberton, Koby academia and surfing advertising and surfing alcohol and surfing Alexander, Kala Arena, Eduardo backwash bail out Bain, Rob Baker, Bernie Neat break, but a board racker, said Nelson. Today, August 9th, Pat turns 88 years old. He just said the hell with everything else. I asked if I could see it, and he begrudgingly pulls it out, just a piece of hamburger, covered with old tobacco and pocket lint, unbelievably bad. Similar to how Phil Edwards is credited for being the first to ride the Banzai Pipeline because it was shot on film. He walks down to the shore, flips the beer, . The pride Pat has taken in his work which bears his name is evident to even those far outside the surf world. Needless to say, Meade Hall, , the whole thing. What Greg and Harrys versions do agree on was that it wasnt a big deal. Theyd just fall apart. Ive seen and heard how Mary and the family have supported him as best they can, but this family is weary. The only thing that comforts me is knowing he passed away doing what he loved.. She said she could tell just by the way I was holding it. The honoree this year is Mr. Pat Curren. Pat considers Hawaii is where he first got into shaping. 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! Youd have guys coming over wanting to drink six cases of beer, . It was a three-bedroom, fully furnished place for $65 a month across from Ke Iki Road, . Jenkins, 1995, p. 77. A few years ago a crowdfunding campaign was launched after it became apparent that Pat had fallen on hard times and was struggling with health issues. Two days later, they had completely gutted the place. Curren was one of the first members of the Windansea Surf Club,which would go on to become one of the most infamous surf clubs in existence. Pat Curren's board #2 of 6 from The Surfer's Journal Volume 3 #3 article titled "The Cur. He didnt care about the act itself, called it overrated, no big deal, but, being a history teacher, it bothered him to hear the inaccurate versions go into the books. The thing looked scary just sitting on the floor. A: Well, we have a stellar lineup of surfboards by shaping legends including Pat Curren, Dick Brewer, and Greg Noll. If people think thats not being successful in life, I have to disagree., , in that setting, is completely consistent with that attitude., I always saw him as sort of a Hemingway character, , so to speak, and I envy that sort of freedom, . Pat disappeared in a cloud of fumes, headed toward Sunset, , and hed pound on the table, going, Ahh! 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. Pat Curren, a big-wave pioneer on the North Shore, and father to 3x World Champ Tom Curren, has passed away. He was in a class of his own back then, the first guy to ride Waimea, . I remember that we would drive by Waimea Bay. . Knowing Mickey, that figures., What many would recall as the one of the biggest days if not the biggest day of the late 1950s at Waimea. Currens boards were designed to go straight down the line, hard and fast. Born in 1932 in Carlsbad, California, Curren grew up mostly in the Mission Beach area of San Diego. He was 90. Find videos, photos, age, height and the latest tour results and rankings here. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The irony was, at the end of the first day, when we were all sitting together rehashing our rides, everybody wondered, Why the hell have we been sitting on the beach for the past three years? It wasnt a huge break that day. Fred Van Dyke quoted. Webb. Besides, it looked as though it broke exactly on the rocks, a definite board racker. A collection of technical articles and blogs published or curated by Google Cloud Developer Advocates. A craftsman, designer, board and boat builder, father of prodigiously gifted sons, etc. Occasionally a big wave will close out the bay, and surfers caught in the crush will be lucky to escape with their lives., thirty foot plus surf, wrote Fred Van Dyke, The surf was so large that the regular lineup had moved out another quarter mile, near the drop off into deep water. 31-32. , I admit, deep down, the best part of surfing Waimea on a huge day -- one over twenty feet, which is not very often -- is when you are walking up the beach, thinking back over the waves, the wipeouts, the rip that takes you toward the huge boulders and threatens to smash you upon those boulders if you dont make shore before the other side of the rock the kids dive from in summer. Pat Curren Surfing Edited By Abby Brown Pat Curren Surfing Edited By Abby Brown AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest. The enthusiasm with which she addressed the work far surpassed what I would call the usual intrigue of a passerby. Pat Curren was one of the first of the Californian surfers to charge the north shore of Hawaii, and conquer Waimea Bay for the first time. 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. Another prominent big-wave surfer, Shaun Walsh from Maui, conveyed his sentiments on the instance. [7] " In World War II guys started with balsa-redwood boards," recalled Curren. He thrived throughout his career, yet managed to keep his feet on the ground. People talk about the crude equipment, At the end of the 50s/beginning of the 60s, Pat Curren met the one woman who could steer his energy away from the North Shore, I was 16 when I met Pat at a surfing movie, , recalled the woman that would become his wife and mother to their three sons. 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