"GARY KONG ELKERTON" 1987: BEST EVER AT SUNSET BEACH

Рет қаралды 98,545

Күн бұрын

Before there was the WSL Hurley Pro at Sunset Beach there was the ASP Billabong Pro World Cup and The Hard Rock cafe pro, and in 1987 Gary Kong Elkerton won both- back to back- cementing his legacy as one of- if not THE- most dominant competitor ever at the fabled open ocean point/reef break of Paumalu- also known as Sunset Beach, Oahu, North Shore, Hawaii.
Gary Kong Elkerton grew up surfing Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast where he was given the nickname 'King Kong' as he was bigger than the other kids.
By the time he was fourteen, Gary worked for his dad as a deckhand on a shrimp (prawn) trawler, diving and surfing alone on the shark-infested, remote open ocean waves of the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's isolated off-shore islands.
The first time I met Kong was at Kirra in 1984. He blew my mind with his powerful surfing and amazing tube riding skillz. Shortly thereafter "The Performers" came out and he became a favorite of surfers worldwide.
His North Shore act became legendary, matching the force of these massive open ocean waves with equal parts power and grace. He was the first non-Hawaiian to with the triple crown, but perhaps his greatest accolade there came in 1987, when there were two events run back-to-back at Sunset Beach, The Hard Rock Pro, and The Billabong Pro. Kong won both. In The Hard Rock, Kong won every one of his four-man heats. In The Billabong, he smoked the field with jazz handed power carving, impossibly deep fades to bottom turns and impeccable timing on one of the most challenging playing fields on the North Shore.
Surfing magazine stated "Gary Elkerton's professional metamorphosis had puzzled many supporters who appreciated his brash, devil may care attitude. Elkerton's extreme commitment to hard, pure, radical surfing when it gets good and heavy puts Gary's in a class of his own!"
Music: Sunnyboys: "Trouble In My Brain"
Hoon: "Australian Dream" lnk.to/AusDream
Addl' Sources:
Tracks
Surfing Magazine
Surfer Magazine
Quiksilver
Gordinho
Don King
Dick Hoole
#surfhistory #realsurfstories #garykongelkerton

Пікірлер: 148

@clarkemcclymont2879 4 ай бұрын

“If you couldn’t compete in Hawaii, you were a nobody “- fast forward to the ‘world champ’Toledo….😂

@JeremiahAlphonsus 4 ай бұрын

The contrast with the cowardice of the pitiful Toledo is indeed stark.

@mackash 4 ай бұрын

Im so sick of these WSL ticket makers from sth America. Toledo is nothing. No one. He wont be remembered like Kong and all the 80s and 90s surfers. No one even cared what Brazil did back then. Still today too. Go make their own surf comps.

@PaulOReilly712 4 ай бұрын

Toledo surfs better than you ever will your the nobody he has his deeds to show :D@@mackash

@matthillard9363 4 ай бұрын

Not to mention chopes. He freaks out there and big tavarua

@Pseudosurfer 4 ай бұрын

Settle down mate. Filipe is an incredible surfer@@mackash

@neilsbikes76 4 ай бұрын

Had a beer with Gary in Kuta Lombok yesterday!

@BarbarraBay 4 ай бұрын

One of the best top surfers ever. Does not receive enough credit.

@MRxr400 3 ай бұрын

i remember seeing Kong at a surfing contest at manly beach. he did a massive floater over a section and I'd never seen that before. never forgot it. Loved his powerful surfing.

@xwhite2020 2 ай бұрын

Similar, I saw him win the IMB pro at Wollongong and he did multiple huge lip glide floaters at full speed. He was head and shoulders better than anyone else that day.

@Rodrigorodriguez20241 4 ай бұрын

The line about walking past the locals and giving them a wink when it’s bombing at the outer reef…good lord that takes balls. That is a horrifying scenario with no one out and getting caught with no modern tech or ski to rescue you. A true hellman and waterman.

@clarkemcclymont2879 4 ай бұрын

Kong at Sunset , Occy at Jbay , TC at Pipe…. Some blokes are designed for certain breaks 💪

@garrybourke5994 4 ай бұрын

Kong was a real legend ,especially at Sunset.

@karimreaich615 2 ай бұрын

Kong was and still is my inspiration when I surf ! Love the power he has ! He is just a legend

@justinbandy1261 4 ай бұрын

Couldn't imagine young guys riding the boards we rode...

@powerlooper9121 4 ай бұрын

I rode big Pipe and Sunset from 74-80 - single fin days. Pipe was lame since Lopez and Russel were hogging all the sets.... but Sunset was the best. Once you got your wave, nobody could drop in, since single-fins wouldn't make it down the face. A good North, and a bigger West was the key, since this would set you up for a rush when you hit the bowl. I saw Elkerton out there when he first came to Oahu. He used to wear this silly hat with ear-flaps... in the water. LOL. But I saw him pull an off-da-lip on about a double overhead wave. I was impressed.

@randyneilson7465 4 ай бұрын

So the single fins of the 50s, 60s, and 70s didn't work? Ask Phil Edward's, Ricky Grigg, Joey Cabell and the rest of those guys.

@BarbarraBay 4 ай бұрын

so Ben Aipa never dropped in on Michael Peterson and then punched out MP's fins claiming MP dropped in on him?

@jackwest5295 4 ай бұрын

Rabbit was there..@@BarbarraBay

@BarbarraBay 4 ай бұрын

@@jackwest5295 I have a photo of Ben AIPA dropping in on MP. Maybe MP getting punched out was related to a different wave

@jackwest5295 4 ай бұрын

Good for you .. that was the late 70,s eh.. Ben Aipa was a great shaper and invented the Stinger.. I loved watching Larry Bert surf those ..at V land Lopez dropped in on me .and everyone else at Pipe... and I,m nobody .. BUT IT WAS STILL an honour to actually be there... ah the good ole days...@@BarbarraBay

@AuntyArthur 4 ай бұрын

They just gave Kong a bit of a mention on WSL - Sunset comp. Mentioned Mike Parsons got a 10 in the final but Kong still won it. Was on a tear. Good to hear them finally talk about him and recognize some history

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Had a feeling this vid might provoke that! 💯

@aussiesurfer805 4 ай бұрын

many an Aussie grommet's hero of the 1980s .... underrated and understated these days unfortunately- thanks for the clip

@TheNorthEnd71 4 ай бұрын

Professional surfing was so good at that time.

@chriscutch7581 4 ай бұрын

Thank you Gary for being such a pivotal influence on a generation of frothing surfers! In and out of the water. Where have all the larger than life personalities gone? We need that in our sport...As a Shaper i have shaped 100's if not 1000's of Channel bottom's in the 80's & 90's thanks to you!! #crushkilldestroy

@stevewellman3154 4 ай бұрын

Gary Elkerton Rocks!!!!

@pubgutt2076 4 ай бұрын

Kong, a solid force amongst the show ponies 💪

@cesarguimaraes6183 4 ай бұрын

Great power surfer, one of the best on heavy and challenging conditions. His powerful carves and rail work were always underscored. A true legend!

@Robochop-vz3qm 4 ай бұрын

I grew up at Fingal Head NSW and remember when Kong, Chappy, and Rabbit filmed Kongs Island there, which is actually Cook Island. Cook Island sits off the beach there about half a kilometre and often had incredible breaks we could see as kids, but just couldn't get to it. Just a side note. A few years ago I read that Kong learned balance skills from working on the decks of his dads trawlers. So, the exceptional balance ability complimented his big wave riding and endurance.

@ramadeodato9541 4 ай бұрын

This is one of the best commentaries I've ever heard on surfing sunset thank you

@mackash 4 ай бұрын

Sunny Coast legend. Old Woman Island.

@pattywickson9046 4 ай бұрын

Proper maddog when he was young. Did everything full steam ahead.

@JonnyDee-uh1eo 2 ай бұрын

MY FAVORITE SURFER!

@srfpunk8207 4 ай бұрын

Kong was epic! One of my favorites. Incredible to see how much shorter the boards have gotten these days. The turns that JJF does in big sunset is another level now. 🤯🤯🤯

@jonathanturek5846 4 ай бұрын

Ted's Bakery .. night surfing velzey Thanksgiving sessions at Jamie s & Ryder's .. backyards ... Too many great memories

@chiwalker7325 4 ай бұрын

My Hero from back in the Days. ✌🏾

@jackwest5295 4 ай бұрын

Gary Elkerton and Robbie Page are Good Mates of mine .. Nuff Said....

@francus7227 4 ай бұрын

How good? I've got a glaring question for "Gary".

@zelkyvideo 4 ай бұрын

One of the best of all time, not just his time.

@roguebossa 4 ай бұрын

Love Sunset, Paumalu is its Hawaiian name, “the surprising one.” It really is.

@GodNGangsters 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for this. How have we forgotten such a dominant legend. Thanks again

@richardwatkins7957 4 ай бұрын

For Kong the bigger the wave the bigger a canvas .....

@adikipping5301 4 ай бұрын

So so good 😊 thank you so much . Kong is a living legend and it’s awesome to watch his surfing back when surfing was cool

@gregpeterson7731 4 ай бұрын

Beast !!

@toothnail605 3 ай бұрын

Kong yes was amazing at Sunset BUT so was Kealoha and AI!! As far as ripping it/killing it with super smooth style and grace -- hands down AI! Peace

@RealSurfStories 3 ай бұрын

Indeed. Long list of great Sunset performers.

@xroadwalker 4 ай бұрын

87 triple crown was the first surf vid i owend. Still sick kong killed sunset . And the k rock sounds 🤙

@garypalmer5441 Ай бұрын

KONG = RESPECT

@KaiserSoze-dp1hw 4 ай бұрын

Legend

@MrIsomer 4 ай бұрын

I got a big kick out of reading some of these comments. Was curious to see if there were any rebuttals to your claim Tony. There were - but surprisingly - not one mention of BK! I have one name for honorable mention - my landlord during that era - Mike Latronic...

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Spauldo! What up King?! The context is most dominant competitor at Sunset, best ever free surfer out there, albeit more subjective, would be a great video as well!

@condor5150 4 ай бұрын

I forgot about that guy, He fucking ripped the freak big swells at the 86 OP pro. The conditions were tricky for even advanced locals, but Kong handled it with ease.

@murraymclean9072 3 ай бұрын

Growing up in the 70's and living in Newcastle brought a second hand board from Ray Richards surf shop, Mark's father. Australia was blessed with a multitude of great surfer..but amongst then for me Kong stood out, he was at home on any break, the bigger the better..thanks for the memories Gary.😊

@JammaLamma 4 ай бұрын

I have a book from the 80s "Surfing Wild Australia" big picture book plenty of Kong it's so sick.

@stevekake3359 3 ай бұрын

Lived at Chuns and surfed Sunset a lot in 68 & 69. If you paddled at first light you had it by yourself for a couple hours.

@anthonycleary1401 4 ай бұрын

Kong. I even watched the YT ads in full man. Can someone load ,performers, best ever surf movie

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

❤❤❤

@SuperDirtD 4 ай бұрын

Gary's the man 💪 ! Hi from Hossegor

@grahames9228 4 ай бұрын

Champion.

@user-bm5zt6zu1k 4 ай бұрын

Hey Gary...dude long time no here....I here Bully is still ticking along....such a good thing. Your dads boat was the last one I drove...some connection hey.....you look after yourself 'young' fella....best wishes Mark R.

@geoffstedman408 4 ай бұрын

We had many all time surf's together at Kirra with Kong&chappy👍🤙👍♒💯

@alpineflauge909 4 ай бұрын

epic

@simonlevene8466 4 ай бұрын

KONG!

@clarkewi 4 ай бұрын

Awesome

@rdunc1586 4 ай бұрын

Sick …

@ericcronk9244 4 ай бұрын

Loving it 🫥

@loachy06 19 күн бұрын

3.13 Chappy Jennings

@RealSurfStories 19 күн бұрын

🙌

@rodney8614 4 ай бұрын

Kong was my fav surfer when I was a grom...I was wondering if he made this vid😅

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

I promise you he would not have signed off on seppo narration or my calling a prawn trawler a shrimp trawler 😂

@Stevos_HookedonRods4844 4 ай бұрын

He was one of my big wave charger idols, Power surfer

@ironphil62 4 ай бұрын

👍🍺

@dougkercher102 4 ай бұрын

Queensland's offshore islands lol. That one is only a decent paddle from the beach.

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for clearing that up!

@b100ka 4 ай бұрын

that dude looks like me

@anonanon2396 12 күн бұрын

His authority going straight up and hitting the lip at significant Sunset on a hefty gun was unmatched. He didn’t manage the situation, you could see he was hungry to rip on scary ones. Came close to a world title against the little guys in 2 foot beachies as well. Surfing ignores some legends and worships some jerks.

@salty2667 4 ай бұрын

Garry Would Go….

@Dancin_Dave_Riverstone 3 ай бұрын

By 1987, he was no longer "Kong." He was Gary Elkerton, Professional Surfer.

@RealSurfStories 3 ай бұрын

Kong and Quiksilver curated his brand on a hard partying, rock and roll hellman image which he wanted to renounce when parting ways with Quik. He issued press releases and even legal requests. That phase was short lived, and after falling out of the limelight, he made a comeback declaring himself "Kong' is back" and has embraced his original moniker ever since.

@bradleyhalfacre7992 4 ай бұрын

Queensland offshore islands? That shot is Angourie firmly anchored to the NSW coast , DUH!

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

😂😂😂 It's called Old Woman island in Qld matey

@bradleyhalfacre7992 4 ай бұрын

I don't think so.@@RealSurfStories

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

@@bradleyhalfacre7992 😂😂😂 photographybycalliec.wordpress.com/2015/06/20/old-woman-island/

@JulienSorelEatsSabras 4 ай бұрын

Laffin, just laffin at the aging testosterone in the comments. Including mine 😔

@richardfasullo8407 4 ай бұрын

I watch Gary back in the 80s at Sunset and can tell you he was good but JJF blows everybody out at Sunset he in a different place then most good guys.

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

The context of this video is Kongs competitive dominance at Sunset. JJF won Sunset once (2011).

@richardfasullo8407 4 ай бұрын

@@RealSurfStoriesplease forgive me for being old enough to remember. Sorry Kong is the greatest to ever ride Sunset. I stand corrected.

@iansmith-white6548 4 ай бұрын

Jack robbo is catching up

@marcioramosfoto 4 ай бұрын

Good boy, today have only freak boy.

@scottyfrognsock2396 4 ай бұрын

Is this at Pipeline?

@tonyfoster7892 4 ай бұрын

I was on the beach at Sunset watching...My friend and former ASP Top 16, Dave Parmenter, was taunting Kong to take it out the back with him rather than sitting on the West Peak...No disrespect to Kong. But, Dave was way gnarlier of a charger than Kong...Just the facts

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

What was Dave's best result at Sunset?

@jackwest5295 4 ай бұрын

Check out the Wart on Mauice Coles left testicle...@@RealSurfStories

@AuntyArthur 4 ай бұрын

nah.

@hannotn 4 ай бұрын

Kong was a far more radical surfer

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

@@hannotn Perhaps, but the context of this video is Kong's competitive dominance at the venue.

@JaysWave75 4 ай бұрын

@1:05 hows that setup? #Surfisland

@William-Bill-Munny 4 ай бұрын

1987 when surfing was carvs hitting the lip and tubes. Airs were here and there, punk rock was still legit and Hawaii could be had on a budget. 2024? the government is taking over Lahaina and the cost of a dozen eggs or steak is insane.

@anthcash4172 4 ай бұрын

What is that song? Fucking rocker! Sounds like Dead Kennedys.

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Sunnyboys "Trouble In My Brain"

@b100ka 4 ай бұрын

did he ever compete with jerry Lopez?

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Absolutely!

@b100ka 4 ай бұрын

I only recently got into the names/faces and stories of surfers back in the day. This year is my 22nd year learning how to surf so I fiqered its time to look for guidence from people that know what their doing!@@RealSurfStories

@markdee6662 4 ай бұрын

Remember chappy jennings?

@RealSkateStories 4 ай бұрын

3:14

@jzkramer 4 ай бұрын

JOB's biological father.

@stewartcash555 4 ай бұрын

Goat cant surf sunset

@dcards4632 4 ай бұрын

Mahomes could if he wanted.😅😂

@nateshattuck4353 3 ай бұрын

Kong one of the best power surfers ever inspired me as a kid in the 80ss

@liamlynch3039 4 ай бұрын

When men were men!

@marcmelpo972 4 ай бұрын

I never liked Kong's style... EXCEPT at Sunset and Haleiwa 🔥🔥

@daviddefigueiredo6018 4 ай бұрын

And Pipeline

@jackwest5295 4 ай бұрын

Power Waves will speak for them selves ..it takes a certain kind of Power to Excel at those breaks..in Hawaii.. I suggest you go try it..

@hazeymoon9742 4 ай бұрын

He was a beast at Teahupoo. Always deeper than everybody.

@stevemcleod7761 4 ай бұрын

I used to surf Sunset at night back in the day but only over 20 feet i had night vision goggles made from pringle containers. Rode my 5/8 twinny in a pair of white shit catches to keep away the sharks they hate white undies. Doing massive airs 720s (made em all ) 12 second toob rides i used to come in around 4 am to get ready for my day job as a professional bull fighter id tell you more but i hate bragging !

@user-me7rm9bj2j 4 ай бұрын

Shit hot lol

@user-ft4mu1jt2r 4 ай бұрын

Dig Kong & Potz, saw Kong surfing at Queenscliff in 6 - 8ft no nonsense storm swell ( I;m thinking it was the surabout contests... vs Merick Davis a apolished point scoring surfer anyways Kong did two turns on these waves I'll never forget, massive bottom turn huge thirty metre roundhouse cutback wave done.. next!! )ripoff of ripoff they judged multiply verts' better than his carving awesomenss.. when will the judges give proper surfing proper points!?

@hannotn 4 ай бұрын

Merrick Davis.... that name's a blast from the past. I vaguely remember that for a few years he always seemed around the top echelon of surfers in the pro-am comps in Aus. Saw him at Cronulla a couple of times when I lived there... very stylish.

@randyneilson7465 4 ай бұрын

Never heard of him.

@francus7227 4 ай бұрын

I don't know a single MMA fighter's name. But I don't go to MMA channels to make comments about it trying to diminish the value of their accomplishments.

@gregyoung2957 4 ай бұрын

Brush up on your surf history. Consistently a top ten surfer in the eighties, and the bigger it got, the better he surfed. The video clearly shows great surfing on what today is inferior equipment. Man ripped.

@secretharbour5733 4 ай бұрын

Jesus Christ read his book he will tell you all about himself

@huangwon1371 4 ай бұрын

whats with the crap music?

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

Aussie surfer. Aussie Rock. Perfection. 💯🎯

@2HitWonder 4 ай бұрын

Is your volume button broken?

@mackash 4 ай бұрын

Awesome music. Real music. Timeless. Go listen to whatever your crew did back then, it obviously wasn't with us. At least its not raphop. Ha.

@RealSurfStories 4 ай бұрын

@@mackash Some videos hip hop works well. Others rock. There's a mood and style of surfing for most every type of music. Someone's always going to hate either way.

@jasonfreestone9944 4 ай бұрын

Sunnyboys! One of the all time greatest albums. Not known outside Australia, but who cares, Aussie rock especially from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s was and still sounds better than anything, totally biased opinion but I love it to bits. As for Kong he was a bit tortured by all those world title runners ups. Especially one he was properly cheated out of. (Carissa has had this happen twice, but at least she had a few world titles in the bank). Don’t underestimate his small wave game, I always preferred him to Occy, he and Oc and Pottz and Carroll were the animals to terrorise waves from the mid 80’s, and in Curren you had the style genius. Those 5 were far and above the rest of that time period.