There has been a lot of interest in the period most commonly known as the “shortboard revolution” recently. A lot has been written about the 1968 World Championships in Puerto Rico, as it was the first World Championship held during that period.

There has also been a film going around titled “Going Vertical,” which has some interesting views, some of which I agree with and some that I totally disagree with. But that’s always the way it is when talking about surf history, we all have our own views and opinions of what once was.

We saw it the way we saw it, and somebody else maybe saw it differently. Lived it differently. I don’t value the “this is the way it was” stories by people who were not there and did not live through that time.

Anyway, in light of all this I thought I would dig up a bit more sure lore today with a recount of what probably WAS the real beginning of the whole change to shortboards – at least in my opinion. The 1966 World Championship in San Diego.

This event took place in early October, a couple of weeks after the U.S. Championship at Huntington Beach. During that time of year there is always a good chance at a sizeable south swell here in Southern California. The format of this particular event was different than most in the fact that it was actually three complete surfing contests followed by a final heat with the six surfers who had the highest results from the three contests. It was best two out of three scores to make the final, plus the final.

I had just won the U.S. Championship, just turned 18 and was feeling good about my chances in San Diego. David Nuuhiwa would be tough – he was the top noserider at that time, and here in California a major portion of what was going on revolved around noseriding. We had also started hearing rumors about Nat Young. Nat was a hard-surfing Australian who I had met in Hawaii a couple of years before when we were both juniors.

Some guys had seen him surfing a few weeks before the event at a spot near Santa Barbara and reported that he was surfing amazingly well on some sort of “different” board. That was all I got, different.

When the contest started in San Diego we got to see what it was all about. His board was not so much different as it was smaller than ours. Not loads smaller, but smaller enough to make a real difference in his approach. His turns were tighter and he was able to generate speed quicker through sections. Nat has a really good style and the combination of that and his more aggressive surfing on this smaller board was impressive.

In the first contest held at Mission Beach I was able to beat him in the semi-finals. But he came back through a “live or die” semi-main heat, for guys who took second in their semi heats, and beat me in the final. Of course David Nuuhiwa had a career day and beat us both with a monster 10 point something second noseride.

The second contest was held in smaller righthand waves at Ocean Beach. None of the finalists, except Nat, from the first day made the finals. He won that one and with that pretty much won the contest already. Given the way the points worked, those of us sitting in the second to forth positions had no way to overtake him. The third contest was mainly to see who else would make the six-man final.

On the last day the final was held in glassy and pretty clean small waves at Ocean Beach. Nat and I had a close final but he got the nod. Taking second allowed me to move up from fourth position to wind up taking third behind second place Jock Sutherland from Hawaii. Nat had dominated that event and his surfing was the real seed that the shortboard revolution was grown from. All of us had to admit that the guy had kicked our butts and something new was in store for surfing very soon.

I went home and immediately started making all kinds of experimental shorter boards. By the end of the year I had the “Mini-Model” on the market and was riding boards a foot or more shorter than those I had been on.

The next year I was the only one riding smaller boards in the contests here in California and I won almost every one of them, including the first International Professional Championship at Santa Cruz. It was a huge advantage.

By the winter of ’67/’68 the whole sport was catching on and the movement was in full swing. A lot of people contributed. Bob McTavish, Mike Hynson, Dewey Weber and other shapers for sure. But, giving credit where I honestly think it is due, it was the surfing of Nat Young that did it. He opened my eyes to a different way to do it, I can tell you that.

Contact the writer: corkysurf@aol.com