:04:02
... swimming champion
named Tom Blake.
:04:04
Relocating to Hawaii,
Blake would go on to become...
:04:07
... one of the 20th century's
most influential surfers...
:04:10
... through his innovative surfboard
design, but most importantly...
:04:14
... through his advocacy
of surfing as a way of life.
:04:29
By 1948, surfing had taken root
along the California coast...
:04:33
... where a skinny 10-year-old from
Hermosa Beach named Greg Noll...
:04:37
... found himself immersed
in the emerging subculture.
:04:42
Following in the footsteps
of pioneers like Pete Peterson...
:04:45
... and Lorrin Harrison,
Noll eagerly joined the ranks...
:04:48
... of these eccentric sportsmen,
carving out an entirely new...
:04:52
... and free-spirited lifestyle.
:04:54
Those guys were all
kind of gentlemanly.
:04:56
It was a different era.
:04:59
Something went to hell
in the early '50s.
:05:01
It's like somebody threw
a light switch. With the advent...
:05:04
...of the lightweight longboard,
something happened.
:05:16
It was the introduction
of lightweight balsa wood...
:05:18
... and the newly discovered
aerospace material, fiberglass...
:05:22
... that cut the weight of surfboards
and paved the way...
:05:25
... for a younger generation to begin
picking up the offbeat sport.
:05:30
There was a feeling
of individuality and freedom...
:05:34
...from being able to ride this wave.
It made us feel free...
:05:37
...and I think almost rebellious.
:05:39
The ride itself is such
a bitchen deal, so rewarding...
:05:44
It becomes so important to you
that it becomes the object...
:05:47
...around which you plan your life.
:05:50
Everyone else is planning
around money.
:05:53
A bunch of guys
come along and they go:
:05:56
"Screw the money, I'm having
all the fun I can possibly have.
:05:59
Girls are loving it." Here we are...