STANDING ON THE PIER

By Corky Carroll

Geeze, I was just thinking that if I had a dollar for every time I have stood on the Huntington Beach Pier checking out the surf I would be a rich dude now instead of a semi surf peasant.  Oh well, it is what it is and I’m not complaining.  There is something really nice about the morning surf check from the pier that never seems to go away.  Maybe it is just the tranquility of being out there in the fresh morning air, the sound of the surf and the seagulls buzzing around.  I don’t know exactly what it is, but whatever it is I like it.  Especially with a nice hot cup of coffee and a cozy sweatshirt on to stay warm. 

You can see a lot of great action from up there on most any given morning if there is at least a small to medium size swell running.  It is a fact that we have some of the greatest young surfing talent right here in Surf City than most anywhere on the planet.  It’s because there is almost always some sort of surf here.  It might not always be the best, but there is always some sort of waves to ride.  And when it’s on, it’s world class beach break. 

There have always been a hard core pack of really good local surfers here.  I was thinking about this not long ago when I was watching some kid who I have seen out there but have no idea what his name is.  The guy was just working the peak on the north side like it was a glove made perfectly to fit his hand.  I asked somebody who he was and they said it was so and so’s boy and he was the hot teen on the block at the moment. 

Back in the 1950’s there was “Chucker” and Louie Tartar and a young skinny Robert August.  Then Chris Marsalles and John Boozer.  Young David Nuuhiwa blew us all away.  Herbie Fletcher and the Hawk brothers.  Buddy Lamas.  The Turner brothers.  Brett Simpson.  And a zillion others that there is not room to mention.  This place just breeds good surfers. 

So I am standing there this one morning and I am watching this kid just shred the place.  In the middle of that there was this one guy who was sitting right in the right spot the whole time.  But every time a set came this other guy on a huge longboard would paddle around him and snake him for the wave.  Then the hot kid would be on the other one and the guy never would get a wave.  This went on for awhile.  Then on the biggest and best wave I saw of the morning the guy was taking off when the longboard guy did the same ol’ thing and snuck over inside of him.  The guy took off anyway and faded the tanker into the pit.  He got a long perfect barrel and the snaker ate it like a rat. 

I finished my coffee and headed to my car to grab my board with a big smile thinking that I had just seen justice served.   Just another day at the Pier.