Bower Legends

[moreorless]

Media coverage of Kelly Slater's appearance at Deadman's last week and suggestions that is was the best Bower session ever got me to thinking about other legendary sessions out at the Bower.

One that sprang immediately to mind was from the early 1970s, during one of the Coke contests they used to hold in Sydney back then. It would have been in May, but I'm not sure of the year.

The contest moved from Manly out to the Bower when a massive south swell came through. I can remember people at the time calling it the biggest Bower ever ridden. That may or may not have been true, but what really stood out was the story of how the Hawaiians in the contest started to paddle out past Winki and catch waves at what is now known as Deadman's.

As far as I know that was the first time Deadman's was ever ridden by standups, although a few of the kneeboarders who used to dominate Winki back then might have ventured that way before.

What really makes this feat ultra-amazing was that this was in the single-fin era, and before legropes had been invented. If you fell you were in for a real bruising, and you could forget about your board.

I know that Gerry Lopez was one of those involved. Not sure about the rest, maybe Jeff Hackman, Larry Bertelman, perhaps Barry K. There was also bound to have been some Australians who took up the challenge.

Does anyone else remember this event, or have other Bower legends to tell?

[phil_mckrack]

Bower in a south swell
Cool about the guys out at deadies, but ive got a bower legends story to tell, its about my uncle

He used to charge out there on his kneeboard from when he was about 13 til about 17 when he fucked himself up with drugs, then gave it away. But one story that my grandpa has told me about him when he was 15, it was a big NE cyclone swell, not sure of the year but my grandpa reckons it was the biggest they'd had in a few years, and nobody was out. That was soon to change with my uncle jumping off the front, then pulling into a beast master that then closed out and has his board snapped only to come in pissed off because he can't surf for the rest of the day. Acording to my dad, my uncle used to sit at second reef winki with one of the locals, picking off the bombs, mostly pulling in behind the ledge, the local was a surfer and my dad reckons its the best display of tube riding he's ever seen.

[flatrocker]

It was 1974 and the Hawaiians were there in force, Barry Kanaiapuni, Gerry Lopez, Reno Abellira, Jeff Hackman were all hanging out in Manly at South Steyne and surfing out at the Bower.

The contest was at North Narra the days before to start with then the swell jumped and they moved to Manly and then the Bower.

Alby Falzon and John Ware were shooting 16mm film of the whole event for Coca Cola and it was called after the name of the event, "Surfabout" sydney radio station 2SM was involved I think?

I was there and watched as the event was run.

The contest was actually run between Deadmans and WinkiPop and was not scored past Winki Pop.

The eventual winners of the whole contest were 1st Michael Peterson, 2nd Ian Cairns , 3rd Nat Young

[chrisb]

"Flatrocker" - if I remember correctly from MP's biography, before that contest at the Bower Nat & MP shared a joint. Nat privately acknowledged to MP that the mantle of Australia's best had officially passed from Nat to MP that day.

[moreorless]

Thanks flatrocker, good to hear from someone who remembered the event more clearly than me. It was such a different era back then, and Manly was a real hub. I'll never forget seeing surf films, including Morning of the Earth, at the cinema that used to be on the Corso at South Steyne. Classic stuff.

It stands to reason that Michael Peterson won the event - he won just about everything he entered back then. Ian Cairns is a name you don't hear often these days - another legend.

Cheers

[Patto09]

As a grommet, maybe 14 or so, I think around 1982?
There was a pro junior contest at Manly, maybe the moovin on, or JJJ, can''t remember but I do remember the weekend as two yachts were lost at sea, Mentego Bay and Waikikakmoocow or something like that. All drowned. I was out at the Bower, sitting way wide, XXXing myself and a clean up set came through which a mate said was as high as he was sitting on the headland.
Needless to say I got held under for a long time, came up dragged back to be level with Shelley, spewing my guts up. Didn't get another wave, didn't surf above three feet for about 6 months.
Can't really say how good it was, but it was certainly the most memorable.

[BB]

I remember a session in the late sixties with Geoff McCoy and Grant Oliver. It was just huge and Dappa was riding a 4'10" twin fin and making waves. In fact I don't think any of us had a board over six foot......I was riding a 5'8" double ended single fin. Just before dark we all got completely cleaned up, lost our boards and all had to swim in!

[Spoon]

Surfabout, that always reminds me of Larry Blair. Absolutely carved it at North Narrabeen. From memory it used to held around the May school holidays after The Bells Easter Classic. 2SM, the original home of Roctober and the free concert at the Opera House. Thin Lizzy, Stevie Wright doing Evie pts 1,2 & 3. I am getting old when you think how long ago that was.

[BB]

The big barrel Larry rode was at North Steyne.....I was on the beach and remember it, everyone went mental. I actually had a chat to him last year, he lives up near Soldiers Beach. I was surfing some good big waves up that way and he just paddled out. I think he said he publishes pocket surf guides now, something like that anyway.

[moreorless]

Dappa was riding a 4'10" twin fin and making waves.

Tiny twin fins were also being ridden at Waimea around that time. Dappa may have been the hero of one report I vaguely remember of a 5'2" twinny being tried at the place. I seem to recall that the result was mostly carnage.

[BB]

I seem to remember Cheyne Horan surfing a really small single fin at Waimea in the early 80s but I don't remember the Dappa sessions you're referring to.

What about Robbie Holt for a Bower legend? I remember him ripping it, also John Otton...and a few others whose names escape me for the moment from that era.

[Longygrom]

What about Robbie Holt for a Bower legend? I remember him ripping it, also John Otton...and a few others whose names escape me for the moment from that era.[/quote]

Yess Rob Holt and his barrels.