Surfing Hollow Days

"In 1961, I made my fourth film, Surfing Hollow Days. The world of surfing was changing. Most of the boards were now made of foam, surfers were doing more traveling (often on jets, which were replacing prop planes) and Phil Edwards became the first person to ride a seemingly unridable spot which became known as the Pipeline.

The world outside of surfing was also changing. Gidget Goes Hawaiian played at local drive-in theaters, Dick Dale rocked sold-out Southern California auditoriums and The Beach Boys, who once played during the intermission at one of my earlier films, were about to make their assault on the music charts. Surfing was becoming "cool." People who didn't know a standing island pullout from a pop out surfboard suddenly wanted to get involved with the surfing "lifestyle." They still do.

I have no idea what the surfing "lifestyle" means. We simply built our lives around surfing. Hobie made boards. Grubby Clark made foam blanks. I made films. For some of us things worked out well, but our approach towards life and our perception of surfing hasn't changed.

What is or was the surfing "lifestyle"?

- Bruce Brown