Ironmen of Surfing
from the Past to Present...
This site is dedicated to those in pursuit of the art of big wave surfing who became known as the Ironmen of Surfing...
Dickie Cross and Woody Brown, Dec. 22,1943 were surfing alone on a big day at Sunset Beach. As the waves began to 'step ladder', the increasingly larger sets began closing out across the channel. The pair decided they had to paddle the three miles to Waimea Bay so they could hopefully find a safer channel and their way to the beach. It turned out that Waimea was also too big to navigate but they attempted to reach the shore anyway. That was the last anyone saw of Dickie Cross. Woody miraculously washed up on the beach unconscious. Dickie's death added to the mystique and fear that surrounded Waimea. It would be nearly another fifteen years before anyone attempted to surf Waimea Bay in 1957.
Greg "Da Bull" Noll - the name says it all. This man held the record for largest wave ridden at the time of 33 feet at Makaha with no surf leash or back up jet skies in the water only friends, surfers, and people watching from the beach. Responsible for some of the finest surfboard ever made including Greg Noll's Mickey "Da Cat" Dora Model which sold thousands and is one of the most prized surfboards in the industry today... More click here
Phillip "Flippy" Hoffman - Born in Glendale, California in 1930, Flippy (as the surfing world knows him) was a member of the first wave of California surfers to chase big Hawaiian surf in the 1950s. Along with his roommate, Bob Simmons, Hoffman was the first mainland surfer to take up residence on the North Shore of Oahu.In 1975, Hoffman and three others paddled into giant surf at Kaena Point...More click here
Gary Linden - Cheers to the legendary and ageless Gary Linden, not ready for retirement by any means. Gary paddled into Jaws the iconic big wave break on Maui at 65. Now that's an Ironman... More click here
Buffalo Keaulana - His stories are the stuff of legends, in the true Island style of mythical heroes. Perhaps the most renowned emissary of the Hawaiian surfing culture on an international scale... More click here
Miki "Da Cat" Dora - Stories of Dora's youth abound; stories on his Malibu years and beyond are legend. But Da Cat's outrageous scams, ruses and poses mask a man of extreme sensitivity and brilliance -- in and out of the water... More click here
Pat Curren - is a true Waterman and Webster's Dictionary should probably have his photo next to the word. This man has always been on the road least traveled. His stories and family are legends in the surfing community...
Wally Froiseth - arrived in Hawaii as an adventurous 6-year-old in 1925 and was given his first surfboard at age 6 in 1925. Intrigued by big surf, he paddled out to Castle in Waikiki at age 11... More click here
George Downing - as the youngest in the group of World War ll-era surfers that included John Kelly, Wally Froiseth and Fran Heath, George Downing was not only in on many of the earliest forays into big wave riding in the 20th. century, but also contributed design discoveries that broke the barrier to 20-foot surf and beyond .... More click here
John Kelly - was a renowned pioneer of Hawaii big-wave surfing and one of the first surf board designers. A war hero, musician, conductor and dedicated political activist, he founded the seminal environmental organization... More click here
Fred Van Dyke - became a legend as a pioneer of riding the huge, 30-foot waves of Hawaii's frontier coastline. He wrote five books including 30 Years of Riding the World's Biggest Waves. Fred help found and later wrote for Surfer Magazine (owned by John Severson)... More click here
Dick Brewer - has been building some of the greatest surfboards in the world for well over 50 years. His big wave guns are some of the most sought after, classic, and ... More click here
Mickey Muñoz - is a pioneer in more ways that one. Aside from being part of the original crew that braved the – then elusive – Waimea Bay in 1957, his newfangled approach to wave riding led him to trademark his own maneuvers and stances... More click here
Mike Stange - On this particular October day in 1957, ‘The Bay’ was challenged for the first time by a group of Californians. Greg Noll, Al Nelson, Pat Curren, Mike Diffenderfer, Mike Stange, Mickey Munoz...More click here
Paul Strauch - Quiet and graceful regularfoot surfer from Honolulu, Hawaii; winner of the 1963 Peru International, and creator of the cheater five (or "Strauch crouch") noseride...More click here
Del Cannon - was part of the Waimea Bay pioneers an avid swimmer and water polo player in high school, junior college and college in Long Beach. He caught his first wave on a friend's board at Doheny State Park...More click here
Bing Copeland - Master shaper, big wave pioneer, successful business man, and much more. Its easy to get lost in his long line of accomplishments, yet he still stays open to "talk story"...
Bob Bermell - in 1957 along with Greg Noll, Pat Curren, Bing Copeland, Del Cannon, Mickey Munoz, and Mike Stang rode Waimea Bay for the first time...
Peter Cole - He drew out his wallet, one with a dilapidated "Save Sunset Beach' sticker hanging on, and pulled out a faded black and white picture of himself on a huge Waimea Bay wave (the big one he got in '67). This image is better than any high rez color slide could ever be--because it was obviously precious to him... More click here
Harry Schurch - It was “Harry Schurch, a mild-mannered history teacher [and lifeguard] originally from Seal Beach,” Steve Pezman said; who “actually rode the first wave that day. The result was a media blitz that drove droves of surfers to begin challenging the massive ledge of Waimea drop... More click here
Ricky Grigg - a surfing professor, a man who has lived a total ocean life. It begins with a small boy growing up on the coast of Southern California, where his life is shaped by the sea in every way--emotionally, athletically, professionally, and spiritually. It is a story of a surfer who wanted to become an oceanographer, and did. Ricky Grigg's life is one of adventure, from big-wave surfing to deep diving to oceanography... More click here
Buzzy Trent - as the Waimea curse was lifted in 1957, he shot to the forefront of the big-wave frenzy, earning a heavy reputation among the heaviest in the business. No one sat deeper or farther out than he; while most scratched for their lives, he stroked into the pit...
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Bob "Da Hog" Hogan - was a man known to surf big wave, small waves and be on the cutting edge of surf exploration of big wave in California as well as the South Pacific...
Mike Diffenderfer - is one of the most influential surfer/shapers to come out of California in the modern era. Raised in La Jolla, he moved to Hawaii after graduating from La Jolla High School in 1956 to become one of the original, haole, North Shore pioneers, as a member of the legendary "Mead Hall Gang"... More click here
Bob Pike - was the first and greatest of Australia's big-wave surfers. In the early '60s, he traveled to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and rode with the legends -- Hawaii's Jose Angel and Buzzy Trent, California's Pat Curren, Rick Grigg and Greg Noll. These surfers pioneered the monster waves and unknowingly helped create a millions-strong worldwide surfing boom... More click here
Kawika Stant Sr. - and Clyde Aikau. These strong & powerful surfers decided to be independent in ... Uncle Kawika Stant Sr., one of the original founders of the Hui O He'e Nalu, has been known to lay down the law with the Hui O He’e Nalu and was the leader ...
Kimo Hollinger - graced many of the North Shore's most memorable sessions in elite company during big wave riding's ... More click here
John Whitmore - was the leader of designing big wave guns and ushering in the era of big wave riding in Cape Town, SA .... More click here
Scott Dillon - has been a champion boxer and racing car driver, big wave pioneer surfer and surfboard designer and manufacturer.... More click here
Billy Hamilton - Never inclined toward competition, he still managed runner-up finishes at both the Smirnoff and Duke in 1970. By that time, he already had a family and would soon leave the scene behind and raise one of the premier big wave rider Laird Hamilton...
Phil Edwards - First guy to ride Pipeline need we say more... More click here
Dick Catri - Pick a surfing stereotype from smuggler to savior and you'll find a piece of Dick Catri. Widely considered "the godfather of East Coast surfing," this Floridian has influenced the sport for more than 40 years... More click here
Eddie Aikau - is one. Perhaps because he embodies the twin themes -- the stoke and the tragedy -- of Hawaiians, the people who gave surfing to the world and took so ... More click here
Joey Cabell - My memories of living there are vivid and intense. Surfing 20-foot tubes at Hanalei Bay. Sailing my 40-foot catamaran out of Hanalei and dropping in on 50-foot walls projecting down the line on the way to Nawiliwili. Swimming the Na Pali Coast in the summer and surfing it in the winter. Diving for lobster to make omelets for breakfast... More click here
Fred Hemmings - The career of 1968 World Surfing Champion Fred Hemmings was built on a solid footing of athleticism and perseverance. One of the most successful competitive surfers of all time ... More click here
Gerry Lopez - aka Mr. Pipeline, is an American surfer, shaper, journalist, and film actor. Lopez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, grew up in East Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, and attended Punahou School… More click here
Jeff Crawford - rubbed out those notions in the 1970s by emerging from Florida to claim the loftiest prize in the sport, a Pipe Masters crown… More click here
Jimmy Blears - Longtime North Shore Lifeguard and former World Champion James “Jimmy” Blears passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the age of 62. A 20-year veteran guard at Sunset, Blears was also a standout competitor in his younger days… More click here
Jose Angel - for students at Haleiwa Elementary in the '60s, there was no more fearless waterman than their commander Jose Angel. At a time when North Shore machismo was all that mattered, Principal Angel was a man among boys… More click here
Jock Sutherland - is a legendary North Shore surfer, acknowledged by his peers as the world’s best surfer in his prime. He dominated the scene of surfing and was a big wave pioneer back in the ’60s and ’70s. The amazing rider was voted #1 in the 1969 Surfer Poll… More click here
Ken Bradshaw - This Texan and his partner raced off the beach toward the monsters breaking on a triangle of reef beyond Third Reef Pipeline, a place the Texan had been dreaming of surfing for more than 20 years -- Outside Log Cabins...
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Reno Abelira - Legendary surfer, world class shaper, artist, big wave charger, and Dick Brewer protege. Hawaiian Reno Abellira doing what he does best... More click here
Nat Young - has lived the surfing life for almost half a century. He is recognized as one of the great surfers in the history of the sport. His motto is and always has been to " make it a beautiful life " he believes you have only one chance and you had better make it a good one.... More click here
Barry Kanaiaupuni - approach to big wave riding could be described as the need for speed and was one of the best to ever ride Sunset. If you never saw this guy surf you should take the time to see this high riding tube rider... More click here
Wayne Lynch - is a surfing legend, blazing individualistic pathways in both the performance and the lifestyle. Ascending during a time of great change and experimentation, Wayne took up the mantle personally, redefining what a surfboard should look like and how it should be ridden... More click here
Montgomery "Buttons" Kaluhiokalani - was born on the North Shore, in Hawaii, on March 30th, 1958. He started surfing at Waikiki, when he was seven years old. After experiencing the first waves in a paipo board, Buttons tried the first tricks, as his famous easy switch foot. The boy with the open smile blew the 1970's with a set of surf lines and maneuvers, which were featured in the timeless surf movie "Many Classic Moments"... More click here
Jeff Hackman - The teenaged North Shore sensation turned world's best big-wave surfer an ex-world surfing champion who together with friend Bob McKnight convinced Alan Green, the founder of Quiksilver to allow them the rights to trade the name in America in 1976...
Larry Bertleman - The Rubberman opened the door. Arriving amid a period of flux, he demonstrated that no limits exist beyond our imagination. He didn't invent the shortboard; he just showed us how to ride it. No one had a greater influence on the way people surf -- from the best in the world on down -- than Larry Bertlemann... More click here
Dane Kealoha - The Best and Most Powerful surfer of his time Dane Kealoha. From Rockies,Backdoor,Town and everywhere he surfed... Dane slayed the wave like no …
Simon Anderson - A large, deceptively casual power surfer, Simon Anderson achieved high renown in both competition and sheer performance. Also responible for the thurster that is still one of the basic for performance boards today … More click here
Rolf Aurness - was the World Surfing Champion in 1970, but the talented goofyfoot son of the hugely popular television actor James Arness (born James Aurness, who played Marshall Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" from 1955 to 1975) seemed to vanish from the surf scene shortly after his title victory at Johanna, Australia.… More click here
Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew - is an Australian surfer who won the World Surfing Championship in 1978, 1999 (ASP world masters) and 2003 (ASP world grand …
Joey Buran - During his first year on tour, he made the finals of the Pipe Masters by defeating, among others, two-time reigning champ Rory Russell. Buran finished in the top 30 that season and became California's first full-time surfer on the tour. In 1980, he won the Waimea 5000 in Brazil, securing a position in the Top 16. Known as the "California Kid," Buran remained the only representative from the Golden State until 1983.… More click here
Ian Cairns -No one can claim to have been more involved with professional surfing since its inception than Ian Cairns. From creator to competitor to coach to director to promoter, the big fellow known as Kanga has spent decades striving to legitimize the sport, using his strength for the common good. But before assuming the controls behind the scenes, he was already famous for his force. During the mid-seventies, his surfing on the North Shore and at other big-wave venues was unrivalled for its power... More click here
Mark Richard - had another title, that of the greatest surfer of all time and four time Worlds Champion. So dominant was he, that no one regarded him with anything but awe, even as he paddled out in a silver wetsuit with a Superman logo on his board. It's doubtful that even Kelly could pull that one off... More click here
Corky Carrol - Five time United States Overall Surfing Champion, three times International Professional Champion, International Big Wave Champion, World Small Wave ...
Mike Doyle - From the days of surfing movies and the Beach Boys musical hits walks Mike Doyle. ... World Surfing Championship, the 1969 Duke Kahanamoka big wave title and...
Felipe Pomar - regularfoot surfer from Lima, Peru; winner of the 1965 World Surfing Championships, and one of the 1960's most dependable big-wave performers...
Bernard "Midget" Farrelly - is the world's first surfing champion. The underrated name of modern surfing had style, skills and intelligence to mark the history of wave...
Michael Ho - is an American surfer who has won the Hawaiian Triple Crown, the Duke Classic, the World Cup and the 1982 Pipe Masters ... More click here
Kaio, Kealoha - Quiet Hawaiian big-wave surfer rider from Laie, Oahu; third-place finisher in the 1963 Makaha International contest. Kaio didn't begin surfing until 1958 at age 23. Two years later he was riding Sunset Beach, the big-wave capital of Oahu's North Shore, and by 1963, with just five years of experience in the water, he'd almost magically become a refined and elegant presence in the lineup... More click here
Mike Hynson - Never particularly interested in surfing competition, Hynson nonetheless had some good results throughout the decade, placing fourth in the 1963 Malibu Invitational, second in the 1965 Tom Morey Invitational, and second in the 1969 Santa Cruz Big-Wave Contest. He was also selected for the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational in 1965, 1966, and 1967, and was a founding member of the rowdy but intensely competitive Windansea Surf Club in 1963... More click here
Thomas Victor "Tom" Carroll - is a former professional surfer from Sydney. He won the Australian Junior Title in 1978, the Pro Juniors in 1977 and 1980, the 1983 and 1984 ASP World Tour, and the 1987 Pipe Masters. He became the first surfing millionaire after signing a contra…More click here
Peter Townend - was on the North Shore of Hawaii competing in 20-foot-plus performance of his life, landing a spot in the finals and successfully shaking a nasty reputation as a small wave only surfer. …More click here
Michael "MP" Peterson - was a professional Australian surfer. He was considered one of the best surfers in Australia during the early to mid-1970s and was recognised for his deep tube riding skill, especially at Kirra on the Gold Coast, Australia. Peterson was the Australian champion …More click here
Wes Laine - His size translated even better in big surf, where his Kahanamoku-esque paddling ability was showcased, and his best was yet to come. Determined to conquer Hawaii, he spent every winter since 1976 in the Islands and stood out at Sunset, Backdoor and Waimea. …More click here
Burton Dean Kerbox (nicknamed Buzzy) - was born to insurance salesman Bill Kerbox, and his wife Dody, ... and we hear he is not yet ready to give up big wave surfing, ...
Wayne Miyata (1942-2005) was a pioneering professional surfer in both Hawai`i and Southern Calfornia and was known as a leading big wave rider... More click here
Charles M. Van Artsdalen - was a legendary surfer. He moved to La Jolla, California, from his birthplace of Norfolk, Virginia, at age 14. Artsdalen is best known as a pioneer of surfing 25-foot waves at such North Shore locations as Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach; and tube ri… More click here
Dewey Weber - was a man known to have legs like wheels and rode big surf like he rode 4 foot... More click here
Shaun Tomson - is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author and businessman. He was born Shaun Tomson in Durban, South Africa... More click here
Eddie Rothman - founder of the Da Hui, a group of native Hawaiians that protect the culture and enforce surf etiquette in Hawaii... More click here
Martin Potter - was an adrenaline needle that pierced the heart of a bloated 1980’s ASP schedule, a contest lineup dominated by gutless venues favoring only the most emaciated and delicate of surfers... More click here
Clyde Aikau - is one of surfing's great names. In terms of performance and lineage, Clyde Aikau stands as a link from Hawaiian pro surfing's past and modern big wave ...
Byron Amona - Surf and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As some might know, jiu jitsu and surfing have walked hand in hand for some time with many jiu jitsu fighters being avid surfers and ...
Owl Chapman - is a influential Hawaiian shaper and surfer who shaped under Dick Brewer. Owl is sought after by the big wave elite for guns to ride when … More click here
James “Tiger” Makin - seemed a little shy out of the water. But in the water he was always pushing the envelope. The bigger it got the more Tiger liked ... More click here
Cheyne Horan - has tackled some of the biggest waves on the planet. This page highlights some of his big wave surfing feats. If you want to learn to ride big waves see the ...
Steve Bigler - The Classic Master of Style. World class professional longboarder, Steve Bigler, knows style. He's ... winning many big and small wave events. ... More click here
Rod Sumpter - was born in England and after migrating has his first surf at Avalon ... and Friday night surf stomps echoing the joy of riding big, small, and hollow waves...
Gary Elkerton - known as Kong is an Australian surfer, three time world masters champion, three time world professional runner-up, twice Hawaiian Triple Crown champion and Australian amateur champion. He is regarded as an iconic big-wave rider and is highly respected by his peers for his unique, powerful surfing style...More click here
Richard "Frosty" Hesson - started surfing in California in 1963. After gaining experience in the cold waters of Santa Cruz, he joined a group of wave explorers in the ...More click here
Jackie Eberle - Lithe and quick on his feet, Eberle was one of the best first-generation surfers at Pipeline. At Waimea Bay, he was the first surfer to perform a fade takeoff—angling toward the breaking part of the wave before swoop-turning back toward the shoulder ...More click here
Greg Loehr - has earned a revered, oddball status as one of our sport's most legendary lunatics...More click here
Rusty Miller - Rusty Miller is the 1965 United States Surfing Champion. Rusty, an iconic spirit of Byron Bay and vibrant local surfing identity, has lived and surfed in Byron Bay ...
Keone Downing - Smooth and steady regularfoot surfer from Hawaii; winner of the 1990 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave contest at Waimea Bay; son of big-wave pioneer George Downing ... More click here
Alec Cooke aka Ace Cool - Extreme Big Wave Tow-In Surfer is about Ace Cool (Alec Cooke). If its Extreme Sports, Big Waves, Sports Nutrition and Good Times... it's Ace Cool! ...
Rory Russell - Happy, hedonistic tuberiding specialist from the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii; Pipeline Masters winner in 1976 and 1977.. More click here
Titus Kinimaka - the mystique that surrounds this Hawaiian big wave surfer, stuntman and ... Titus continues to live ... More click here
Mark Cunningham - fearless in the water and if you ever saw him bodysurf you'd think he was born in the ocean. Mark has won Patagonia Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic event multiple times... More click here
Robby Naish - is windsurfing royalty. A pioneer of kiteboarding and world record setter, his name is internationally renowned and he is the first person to have gained ... More click here
Bob Mctavish - Among his fellow surfers, McTavish had a strong reputation as a highly skilled waverider and something of a hellman. In 1962, he and Sydney surfer David Chidgey stowed away on a ship bound for Honolulu, only to be caught by authorities and sent back after a month on the North Shore... More click here
Ben Aipa - Innovative surfer-boardmaker-coach from Honolulu, Hawaii; a top competitor in the 1960s and early '70s, and creator of the swallowtail and sting surfboard designs. Aipa was born (1942) in Honolulu, the son of a sugar plantation worker, and didn't begin riding waves until his early 20s, after an ankle injury ended his semipro football career. He trained for surfing with the single-mindedness he'd developed as a linebacker, not missing a day in the water for all of 1965, and the following year he won the Hawaiian Inter-Island Championships and was a finalist in the Duke Kahanamoku Classic at Sunset Beach... More click here
Donald Moke Takayama - was an American professional surfer and surfboard shaper. Originally a longboard surfer, Takayama won the Master's division of the United States Surfing Champions in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Hawaiian born, Takayama learned surf at Waikiki Beach and moved to California in the mid-1950s... More click here
Doug Haut - Few outside Santa Cruz know the illustrious story of one of the best surfer- surfboard shapers to emerge from California... More click here
Johnny Rice - Surfboard shaper, is a lifetime surfer who ... named "The Octopus," by big-wave rider Fred Van Dyke. The surfing ... More click here
Paul (Wildman) Thompson – Being raised on the Big Island of Hawaii can be pretty tough when you’re a Haole kid more than 40 year ago. Yet Paul, took his lickings and became a lifeguard and one of the best big wave surfer on the island. Paul received his undergraduate degree in Physical Science from the University of Hawaii and practice focuses on injury and illness treatment, including diet and lifestyle.
Trevor Hendy – is 5 times world Ironman champion. He is a legend as a surf life saver winning numerous Australian championships. A no fear big wave warrior actually known as the greatest ironman ever and he was. Trevor still charges super hard and was my backbone when we tackled big snapper on the jet skis. He is a very good friend of Kelly Slater who admires Trevor for his big wave approach... More click here
David Simons - grew up surfing the Great Ocean Rd on Victoria's cold West Coast. On long single fins he and his friends charged isolated monster waves and surfed huge Bells in Easter 81 riding the first thrusters. Now a Gold Coast local Simons pioneered tow in surfing with the first jet skis gracing the Snapper super bank....
Bill Andrews - had joined the line-up at Windansea Beach in the Sixties, and with other local surfers, he helped establish Black's Beach as a world class break. He is a living legend. The Surfer's Journal has called Andrews the “first Black’s local”... More click here