Waterman Pop Proctor down at Doheny

Q.  Are there different surfboard designs for women and men?
 
A.  Girls do need a slightly different board design than men.  For one they are, for the most part, lighter, smaller and have shorter arms.  When talking about shortboards it would not make much difference.  But in terms of bigger boards it makes a lot of difference.  Girls can ride a little smaller and more narrow board.  When choosing one that should be taken into consideration.  The basic designs are the same, it is the proportions that need to be tweeked a tad for the feline form.

Q.  What was the name of the old guy who used to live down at Doheny State Park in the back of an old silver panel truck?
 
A.  That would be Pops Procter.  That dude was amazing.  I hope that I can surf to as old an age as he did.  He was like 412 or something and still paddling out.  I told my wife that on my 100th birthday I was going to surf and make love to her.  I am not sure which order would be best though.
 
Q.  Is Gordon Duane still around from Gordie Surfboards?
 
A.  I get this question every now and then.  Yep, he is still around Huntington Beach.  I don’t think he is making anymore boards though.

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Q.  Do you remember a guy who went by the nickname “Pink Bod” back in the 60’s?

A.  Why yes I do remember that dude.  Pink Bods real name is Bill Andrews.  He is a San Diego guy but for a couple of years he lived in Dana Point and was the manager of the Gordon and Smith Surfboards shop there.  He is still around too.  Pink was a pretty good surfer and was a member of the Windansea Surf Club back in “the day.”  

Q.  What is a “Quasimoto?”

A.  That was a surf pose invented by Mickey Munoz back in about 1959 or 1960 during filming for the surf movie “Surf Fever” by John Severson.  John sent Mickey out and told him to make up some new tricks.  He sort of did some new versions of the old “head dip” and John gave them names such as the “el myserioso,” the “el telephono” and of course the legendary one arm forward squating “el quasimoto.”  I don’t think Mickey really thought that he would become famous for that at the time, but it is still remembered. 

Q.  Do you think that there should be different areas for the different kinds of surfing equipment these days?  The surfskiis, SUP etc.

A.  Yes.  The bad thing about surfing in 2010 will be that there will be more and more people in the water and more and more equipment other than traditional surfboards.  It has become so crowded as it is that many are just giving it up all together as it is not so much fun anymore with all of the agro attitudes.  The SUPs and everything else that employs the use of an oar or paddle make it very difficult for regular surfers.  They need to have thier own spots and not try to take over the main surf breaks.  Everyone has the right to ride what ever they want to ride.  But to coexist they need to be seperate.   At least that is my opinion.

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Q.  I have been reading up on the history of surfing and came across a guy known as BK.  Who is this?

A.  That would be Barry Kanaiaupuni.  Barry was an amazing surfer during the 1960’s and 70’s.  He had a bottom turn that was second to none and was most noted for surfing radically in big surf at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore. He still shapes surfboards and owns a couple of surf shops in Hawaii.  Great guy too.

Q.  I have heard about this great surf spot called “Rincon” near Santa Barbara, here in Southern California.  In an attempt to surprise my surfing son, who at 13 is fully addicted to the sport, I piled he and two of his buddies in the family van the other day and drove them up there.  I didn’t tell them where we were going.  To my dismay it was flat as a table top.  This surprised me as there were plenty of waves here in Orange County.  What happened?

A.  Rincon works on west and north swells only.  In the summer months we get primarily south swells here in So Cal.  The south swell is blocked by the Channel Islands and does not get into Rincon.  Next time you wanna surprise the surfboys with a cool day trip contact me first, corkysurf@aol.com, and I will clue ya in on where to go.  

Q.  I have been a life long skier who has never surfed.  But I was at the beach the other day and saw a young man putting wax on the top of his surfboard.  Wouldn’t that make it very slippery to stand on?

A.  I love this question because I get it more often that people would imagine.  The answer is no.  Surfboard wax, unlike wax for snow skis, works to make the deck of the board less slippery.  It is sticky.  Without wax it would be very difficult to stand on a surfboard as you would slip all over the place.  There are wax substitutes such as textured deck patches.  But these are very hard on the skin so as of this day there is really nothing better to use than good old surf wax.

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Q.  I surf with some moms at Bolsa. I’ve surfed at HB for the last 10 years, but the last few days there have been these freaky things in the water…. look like little green pieces of seaweed, but they swim really fast and bite and attach to your legs while you’re sitting on your board. And it’s hard to get them off!! Yikes! some land on their back on your board and they have a ton of little wiggly legs!  What the heck are these things?!

A.  Aliens from the undersea planet of Moo, obviously.  I would stay clear of those little buggers.  So, what I want to know is where you get your morning coffee, I wanna get some of that stuff.   O.K., I am just kidding of course.  Actually I have not encountered those things yet so I am not sure what they are.  But if any of you reading this know anything about them please email me asap so I can get the word out.  Corkysurf@aol.com

Q.  Where you really the stunt double for “the Joker” in the original Batman movie? 

A.  No, he was the movie double for me.   Actually that myth came from somebody at the Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach when they put my old Batboard on display.  The board was made right after the Batman Television series came out in the mid 1960’s.  I rode it in the finals of the 1966 World Championships in San Diego and then retired it.  The only doubling I did was as a “voice model” for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.   Cowabunga.

Q.  Are there still south swells on Oahu in October?

A.  Yep.  That is actually a nice time to go to the Islands.  You can catch both late season south swells on the south side and also early season west swells on the North Shore and West Shore.  Weekdays are good, all the agro brats are back in school.  Good choice.

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Q.  Do they still make Bing Surfboards?

A.  You can still get a Bing board, yes.  Check out www.bingsurf.com for information.  Also there is a great book out about Bing Copeland and all the years of making Bing Surfboards.  Its very cool and worth getting, especially if you are looking to get a Bing Surfboard.

Q.  I loved your story about Doheny State Park in the ’60’s.  What ever became of Joey Hamasaki?  She was surf a beautiful surfer.

A.  Thanks, that was a great time at a great spot.  I don’t know what happened to Joey, I wish I did.  If anybody knows please let me know ok.  We found Joe Quigg this way, so if you know anything about Joey Hamasaki email me at corkysurf@aol.com

Q.  I see where Brett Simpson is the son of former Los Angeles Rams football player Bill Simpson.  That was before my time.  Can you tell me when he played for the Rams?

A.  1974 to 1982.  He was a great player.  I used to be a huge Rams fan until they broke my heart and moved to Saint Louis.  His son is on his way to super-stardom as a surfer.  The Lakers better never move or I will have to walk off a cliff.

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Q.  I was thinking of getting something for my young children to start riding waves with.  They are too young for surfboards, so I was thinking of something like one of those soft little things you ride on your tummy.  Any advice on this?

A.  I think you are talking about a “Boogie Board.”  And they are fantastic for starting out children on the road to wave riding.  There is also a cool little plastic thing called a Surf Squirt that is a lot of fun too.  The important thing is to supervise them carefully, and make sure that they are safe and do not become afraid.  Fear is not what you want in the development of young wave riders.  Keep ‘em safe and when the time is right they will be begging you for that first surfboard.

Q.  I have heard about surfing on the Great Lakes and was wondering where they do that?

A.  There are a number of places actually.  But the hotbed is around Sheyboygan, Wisconsin.  There is a surf club located there call the “Dairyland Surfing Association.”  Every Labor Day weekend they have a big surfing contest and party.  From what I hear there is a lot of beer, bratwurst, cheese and fun had by all.  I have been trying to make it to that event but haven’t seemed to get there yet.  I figure that with my cow board I could fit right in.

Q.  Is Phil Edwards still alive?

A.  Yes, Phil is still around.  He doesn’t surf much as I have heard that he has had some problems with his feet, or maybe its with one foot.  Not sure, but the word is that it keeps him out of the water.  He still shapes the occasional masterpiece surfboard though.

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Q.  I heard about the bodysurfer getting killed at the Wedge this summer.  Do you think that place is really too dangerous when the swell is big and that the city should close it when it gets like that?

A.  That was a sad thing.  But the Wedge is what it is,  and if people are crazy enough to want to put it all on the line for the thrill that is their choice.  Just like surfing giant waves in Hawaii or other places around the world.  It would not be fair to the great surfers who do that to be denied the chance just on the merit that it is very dangerous.  It would be nice if there was some sort of qualification method to determine if somebody is actually skilled enough to attempt some of these challenges, but there isn’t.  So, in my opinion NO.  I don’t think that the city should not allow people to take the risk if they want to do that.

Q.  If you had to pick one place on Earth that would be the ideal location for a surfer, where would that be?

A.  Wow, that all depends on the person.  If it was totally based on surfing and nothing else, I would probably say some island in the South Pacific where there were no people and just perfect surf.  But life is more than just surfing to most people.  We like a social structure, too.  With that in mind I would have to say that right here in Orange County is pretty darn good.

Q.  Where do you surf most of the time?  I used to see you at Cotton’s Point all the time.

A.  I loved Cotton’s and that was my main spot for most of my life really.  But recently I spend more time at spots that don’t require walking far.  I have become lazy in that aspect.  I like Huntington Beach and San Onofre.  Also I spend a lot of time in Mainland Mexico, especially when it’s cold here in the OC.

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Q.  I read where Bruce Brown got into the Surfers Hall of Fame this year.  I remember his old movies.  Does he still make surfing movies and if so where do they sell them?

A.  Bruce retired from surf films after he made the “Endless Summer 2.”  But his son Dana Brown is holding up the family tradition.  His first film was “Step into Liquid,” which did very well.  He just released his new surf movie called “High Water.”  I haven’t seen it yet but I am sure its great.

Q.  Who was the first World Surfing Champion?  I have heard different versions of this.

A.  The first World Surfing Champion was Midget Farrelly.  He won it in Australia in 1964.  The first ASP (the current world tour) World Champ was Peter Townend in 1976.  Most of the people who have come after the start of the World Tour don’t like to acknowledge that there was actually professional surfing, or anything that mattered really, before that.  But there were World Championships held and pro surfing did exist prior to 1976.  Or did I just dream it?

Q.  I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and saw a whole section of surf books.  When are you going to write one?

A.  Actually I have done three books of short stories on surfing.  The first one was published by a company out of Chicago and is now out of print.  The second two were done as original manuscripts and were signed, dated, and numbered.  I think you can find them on eBay from time to time.  I am half done with my first attempt at a novel at the moment, but so far have no publisher.  So, who knows if it will see the light of day or not?  Stay tuned.

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Q.  Do you think that Kelly Slater is the best surfer of all time?

A.  Yes.  Kelly has earned that with the huge amount of accomplishments he has piled up over the years.  You can’t do what he has done without a skill level that is way above the rest.  Anybody can luck out and win an event.  But to win all of the titles he has, you have to be supersurfer.  I am also a big fan of Laird Hamilton and of Tom Curren.  But Kelly has proven that he is in a league of his own.

Q.  It seems that the water temperature has been warmer than I can ever remember it lately.  Why do you think that is?

A.  As a matter of fact, you are right.  The water temp here in Southern California has been reported to be the warmest in 1,400 years.  Don’t ask me who was around measuring the water temps that long ago, its just what I read.  And the overall surface temps of the oceans around the world is the warmest ever reported.  It is the beginning of another “el nino.”  The last one brought us really nice warm water.  What I like to do is just enjoy it while its here.  It’s too cold, too often.

Q.  Do you think that the online surf reports are all that correct most of the time?

A.  I use surfline.com myself and find that it is pretty spot on most of the time.  Many mornings I will make my coffee and log on to see what’s going on up and down the coast.  My favorite was one day I was checking out the surfcam at the Huntington Beach Pier and I saw my pal George Lambert get a full on barrel right there on my computer screen.  Fifteen minutes later I paddled up next to him and said, “nice ride a little while ago.”  Ahhhhh, the wonders of modern technology.

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