The Surfer’s Library

Today we’re jumping back into The Way of the Surfer by Drew Kampion, reading “The Stylist: Country Livin’ With Bill Hamilton.” I’m a big Hamilton fan, so I’m especially stoked to bring you this one. If you’ve been around surfing for a while, you know he’s more than just Laird’s dad, Bill Hamilton is a legend, and one of the most stylish surfers of the ’60s and ’70s. And if you don’t believe me, go back and watch classics like Free and Easy or The Sunshine Sea. In this chapter, Hamilton comes through as more than a surfer, he’s a thinker who sees riding waves as a mental and spiritual discipline, pushing past fear to become one with the ocean. Kampion explores his total commitment to life and surfing, his ability to adapt through the shortboard revolution, and his identity as both an artist and a fiercely independent spirit, capturing someone who truly lived the idea that surfing isn’t just something you do, it’s a way of being. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]. Let’s paddle out.

Today, in our continued tribute to women surfers and women’s history month I will be reading chapter 23 of Jim Kempton’s book Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions. It’s titled The Resurgence of Glide. Last episode, we explored the pioneering women surfers of the 1950s and 60s, those who helped establish a place in the lineup during a transformative time in surfing. Now, we fast forward into the 1980s and 90s, where women continued carving out their path in a competitive, male-dominated sport. Through the shortboard revolution and the early days of the professional tour, they weren’t just participating—they were progressing the sport right alongside the men. But this chapter offers a different perspective on progress. It reminds us that surfing isn’t only about pushing harder, faster, or more aggressively. Sometimes, progress looks like returning to something deeper—style, flow, and connection to the wave. This is a story about beauty in motion, about grace and rhythm, and about how women surfers helped bring longboarding, and the art of glide, back into the spotlight. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]. Let’s paddle out.

Chapter 6 of Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing from Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions by Jim Kempton moves us into the early twentieth century, when surfing began spreading beyond Hawai‘i and into popular culture. During this time, women played an important role in the evolution of surfing, a role that has not always been discussed. Women like Darrylin Zanuck, Kathy Kohner, Robin Grigg, Aggie Bane, Vickie Flaxman, Claire Cassidy, the Calhouns, and Eve Fletcher who kept showing up and carving out space in the lineup and changing the direction of surfing in the process. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]. Let's paddle out.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m diving into Jim Kempton’s incredible book, Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions. This book is dedicated to restoring women to their rightful place in the history of surfing. Because from the very beginning, women have been in the lineup. Long before professional tours, sponsorship deals, or glossy magazine covers, women were riding waves in ancient Polynesia. They were part of the fabric of early beach communities in California. They pushed limits, challenged expectations, and carved out space in a culture that didn’t always make room for them. Kempton lays out why this history matters, how these stories were sidelined, minimized, or erased, and why bringing them forward changes the way we understand surfing itself. We’ll go back to the roots, tracing women’s surfing to its origins and exploring how history slowly, and sometimes deliberately, shifted the spotlight away from them. So in the spirit of Women’s History Month, paddle out with me as we begin rediscovering the women who were there all along and give their stories the space they’ve always deserved.

Today’s episode is a heavy one, in the best way. We’re diving into Chris Ahren's latest book Windansea: Life, Death, Resurrection. I’ve been chomping at the bit to crack this book open since the day it landed in my hands. This book isn’t just about surfing, it’s about place, identity, loss, and what it means to come back from the edge. Windansea isn’t just a wave; it’s a proving ground. Ahrens takes us inside one of the most intense surf communities ever, and right from the jump, you can feel the weight of what that place represents: loyalty, danger, beauty, and consequences. In these opening pages, we get the foundation of the whole story, where Windansea comes from, why it matters so much, and how it shaped the people who grew up in its shadow. People like Woody Brown, Carl Ekstrom, Mike Hynson, Pat Curren and the list goes on. This is where the myth meets real life. So settle in, maybe picture the cliffs and the lineup at sunset, and let’s paddle out into Windansea: Life, Death, Resurrection.

Today I’ll be reading from a book I recently picked up titled The Way of the Surfer: Living It, 1935 to Tomorrow by our friend Drew Kampion. The Way of the Surfer profiles thirteen incredible names from surf history: Woody Brown, John Severson, Dick Brewer, Nat Young, Billy Hamilton, Rolf Aurness, Gerry Lopez, Tom Curren, Lisa Anderson, Kelly Slater, and Titus Kinimaka. Today’s story is titled “John Severson: Inventing Surf Culture,” all about the guy who created the bible of our sport Surfer Magazine. It tells the story of how one surfer with a camera helped shape the look, feel, and mythology of modern surfing. Let’s paddle out and see how surf culture was born and why Severson’s influence is still everywhere you look in surfing today. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]

This episode we revisit Matt Warshaw’s book Surfriders: In Search of the Perfect Wave and read a story called “Masters of the Universe” In this story Warshaw takes us straight into the pressure cooker of professional surfing, where talent, ego, friendship, and fate all collide. We drop in at Pipeline in December of 1995, at the Chiemsee Pipeline Masters the final event of the season, held at the most dangerous and consequential wave on tour. The stage couldn’t be bigger: a semi-final heat that will decide the world title. On one side is Kelly Slater, already a prodigy, chasing another championship and redefining what high-performance surfing looks like. On the other is Rob Machado, smooth, stylish, and surfing with a looseness that seems almost out of place in a moment this tense. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month, so any little bit truly helps. Also, if you have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected] Let’s paddle out.

This episode we dig into chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Corky Carroll's autobiography Not Done Yet. From growing up in Southern California to chasing waves, contests, and a life shaped by the ocean, Corky’s early chapters set the foundation for one of surfing’s most influential figures. These opening pages are filled with ambition, humor, and the unmistakable voice of someone who helped turn surfing into a profession long before it was fashionable. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Or, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]

This episode we are excited to read selected excerpts (chapters 8 & 9) from Phil Jarratt's incredible book Mr. Sunset: The Jeff Hakman Story. Jeff Hakman was born in California in 1948, and by the age of eight his father had already set him on a surfboard. Four years later, the family moved to Oahu, and a year after that at just thirteen Hakman paddled out at Waimea Bay for the first time. We pick up in 1965, Jeff is 17 and finds himself invited into history, competing at Sunset Beach in the inaugural Duke Kahanamoku Invitational. Paddle out with us and learn how Mr. Sunset arrived on the world surfing stage. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]

This episode we are reading Jamie Brisick's short story Young, Loud and Shameless from the book: The Eighties at Echo Beach. It captures the wild, neon-soaked, punk-influenced surf scene of early ’80s Orange County and dives into the youthful chaos of the Echo Beach crew, kids who surfed hard, partied harder, and defined an entire aesthetic of the 1980s surf world. It's nostalgic, fast, stylish, and slightly bittersweet showing how a tight knit group of teenagers shaped global surf culture. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month so any little bit truly helps. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected] Let’s paddle out.

This episode we’re diving into one of the most powerful stories in modern surf history, the rise and tragic loss of big-wave icon Mark Foo. In Matt Warshaw’s story 'Death of a Legend', we trace Foo’s journey from a driven, stylish Hawaiian charger to one of the most recognizable names in big wave surfing. Foo wasn’t just talented; he was relentless, competitive, and completely committed to proving himself in the heaviest waves on the planet. The story leads us to Mavericks in 1994, a cold, foggy, still-mysterious Northern California break. Warshaw takes us into the lineup that day, describing the conditions, the atmosphere, and the fatal wipeout that stunned the surf world and changed big wave surfing forever. In the end, Warshaw looks at how Foo’s death transformed Mavericks into a global stage, and how it elevated Foo himself from a gifted professional to a larger than life legend. This story is part of a compilation of 32 stories in a book called The Big Drop edited by John Long. You can find this book currently at Amazon.com. Just a quick reminder, if you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month so any little bit truly helps. Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected] Let’s paddle out.

This episode features a story from Matt Warshaw’s book Surfriders: In Search of the Perfect Wave. It’s called “Morning at Freshwater.” When this story was written in the 1990’s, most people believed Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to Australia in 1914. Today, we know there were earlier examples of wave riding in Australia, but Duke’s visit to Freshwater remains a defining moment that helped surfing take root and grow into a national passion. With a board he shaped by hand during his first two weeks in Australia, Duke paddled out and showed the crowd on the beach something most had never seen before — the pure art of wave riding. If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month, so any little bit truly helps. Also, if you have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected] Let’s paddle out.

The Greg Noll Da Cat model surfboard is one of the most sought after surfboards of all time. One early first generation board sold for around $34,500, and even the 250 limited edition reissues made in the 1990s, hand signed by both Dora and Noll, are highly prized by collectors. Today, I’ll be reading four stories from Drew Kampion’s incredible book Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard. The selected stories are “The Greg Noll Da Cat Model,” “Me, Miki, and Da Cat,” “A Tale of Two Cats,” and “The Copy Cat.” There’s so much great material in this book, but I wanted to share these particular stories the highlighted Greg Noll’s relationship with Miki Dora and their collaboration on the legendary and much sought-after Da Cat surfboard models. The author of these stories, Drew Kampion has been a friend of the podcast since day one so please take the time to visit his website drewkampion.com. Just a reminder that if you want to help support the podcast you can do so by visiting buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so. It helps cover the cost of the podcasting platform fees needed to get the podcast out each month so any little bit helps.

Today Billy Jack reads the short story The Lost Coast from our friend Drew Kampion’s book The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf. This one is for all the surfers in the PNW. If you would like to help support the podcast you can do so by visiting buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so. It helps cover the cost of the podcasting platform fees needed to get the podcast out each month so any little bit helps.

Today’s episode marks our return to our short story format for the rest of this season. I’ve pulled from the surfer library bookshelf author Chris Ahrens book Joyrides; Surf Stories Volume Two. I’ve selected three of the many great stories to share with you today, The Relic, King of the Rendezvous Ballroom & The Preacher. I really love this book and I am so thankful Chris is letting me share this with you. This book as well as his others are available at his website: Perelandrapublishingcompany.com and Amazon.com. Also… if you want to help support the podcast you can do so by visiting buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so. It helps cover the cost of the podcasting platform fees needed to get the podcast out each month so any little bit helps.

This episode we wrap up our reading of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 47 through 51 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 39 through 46 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 35 through 38 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 31 through 34 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 27 through 30 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Chapters 22 through 26 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Billy Jack reads chapter 17 through 21 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Billy Jack is back this week reading from chapter 13 and continues through chapter 16 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Billy Jack picks up reading on chapter 8 and continues through chapter 12 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Billy Jack reads chapters 4 through 7 of Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. Make sure you come back each episode as we are going to read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Billy Jack kicks off summer 2026 and season 2 of the podcast reading Mike Hynson's autobiography: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Michael Lear Hynson and Donna Klaasen Jost. This episode we read chapters one through three. Make sure you come back each episode as we are going to read the book in it's entirety by end of season. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. If you want to help support the podcast you can visit https://buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary to do so.

Today Billy Jack reads The Last Wave by Greg Noll and Andrea Gabbard from the book The Big Drop edited by John Long. In 1969 Greg Noll took off on one of the biggest waves ever at Makaha and nearly died in the process. After barely surviving the wipeout, he realized he’d pushed it as far as he could and decided to walk away from big-wave surfing for good. This is the story.

Today we wrap up part two in a supersized episode in which Billy reads the second half of Chapter 3: Malibu Swing 1945 - late 1950s from Matt Warshaw's The History of Surfing. We pick up with Dewey Weber, Tubesteak Tracy and Miki Dora as they define the 50's surfer style... Enjoy!

Today in part one of a two part series Billy reads the first half of Chapter 3: Malibu Swing 1945 - late 1950s from Matt Warshaw's The History of Surfing. The History of Surfing is a comprehensive and meticulously researched chronicle that explores surfing's evolution from its ancient Polynesian origins to its modern global presence. Richly illustrated with over 250 rare photographs, the book offers an authoritative and engaging narrative that delves into the cultural, historical, and technical aspects of the sport.

Today Billy continues reading from ​Francine Park Palama's book: The Last of the Golden Years in Surfing: Stories by Waterman Conrad Louis Canha. The book is a collection of stories by legendary surfer Conrad Louis Canha, who is credited with founding the "Hot-Dog" style of surfing. In this book, Canha shares his experiences and adventures that significantly influenced and revolutionized surf culture. *Please forgive my haole pronunciations of the Hawaiian language.

Today Billy reads from ​Francine Park Palama's book: The Last of the Golden Years in Surfing: Stories by Waterman Conrad Louis Canha. The book is a collection of stories by legendary surfer Conrad Louis Canha, who is credited with founding the "Hot-Dog" style of surfing. In this book, Canha shares his experiences and adventures that significantly influenced and revolutionized surf culture.

This episode Billy reads The South Swell, the first chapter from the book Big Wednesday by Denny Aaberg and John Milius.

In this special episode we bid farewell to two surfing greats, Mike Hynson and Dale Dobson.

Today Billy Jack reads a story told by pioneer big wave surfer Ricky Grigg from the book The Big Drop edited by John Long.

Today Billy Jack reads Part 1 of John Severson‘s 1964 book Modern Surfing Around The World.

Today, Billy reads two stories, To Experience Surfing and When Nothing Else Matters, from Drew Kampion’s book The Lost Coast.

Today Billy Jack reads the short story Mexico from Drew Kampion’s book The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf.

Today Billy Jack reads the story Long Day from Drew Kampion’s book The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf

On December 22, 1943, Woody Brown drove across the island to the North Shore with a gung-ho high school surfer named Dickie Cross. It would be Dickie Cross's last day. Today Billy Jack reads from The Big Drop: Classic Big Wave Surfing Stories by John Long

Today, Billy Jack reads Sixty6 from Drew Kampion's book The Lost Coast – Stories from the Surf. Tune in and experience this captivating tale from one of our tribes most celebrated storytellers. ​