Seventies, early eighties, no internet, no mobiles, no high tech shit.. Just pure fun and happiness!!

I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii in the late 1960's 70's 80's 90's & now Maui HI. and I was always stoked when I would paddel out at 6:00 am Ala Moana Bowls, and there would be 3 to 4 guys out in 4 to 6 feet perfect Barrels ! Well it would be Jerry, Reno, Alden & Some times Little Mike HO too! and we all would have a board shaped by Jerry Lopez at that time he was still shaping on Piikoi Street for Surf-line, HI. I will never forget one afternoon I walked up the street (Piikoi) past Records Hawaii , well I went to the back of the Store to chat with Jerry about a new board, and all of a sudden I see huge flames shooting out of the old metal shed and then Jerry runs out and hes shaking of flames from himself! And turns to me very com' and says " Dame Hot Coat"!! and just gave me that old Jerry Lopez nice smile! Well I decided to wait on speaking to him about shaping me a new board. A few weeks later I went to his new shop on Kapiolani Blvd- Ground Floor. *** The New Lightning Bolt Store**** and I think after the fire he decided it was time to move on to better place in his life & future Yes I did end up having him make me a Brand New Bolt 7.0 Board, Best Surfboard I have ever owned, it was my South Shore Tube Rider.... Boy those were the Best Days of my Life!! I was just a young guy and they all called me Da' Mouse....

I dreamed about surfing since 20 (we have no ocean in our country). Now I am almost 40 and bought longboard from Gerry Lopez and relocate near ocean. Dreams come true. Let's continue surf 😊

I didn't realize at the time how lucky I was to have been a surfer in the 70's. I bought every Surfer & Surfing magazine as soon as they hit the stands to see my heroes Gerry Lopez and Rory Russell tearing it up on their Bolts!!! I agree with Gerry, those were the absolute best times to be a surfer.

Growing up, North shore Laie/Kahuku in the 70s was DA BOMB! Brah, surfing with all the greats, what a time! My friend Ronnie Burns was next in line, then he passed, riding motocross above Pipe, scrambling hills crash! Aloha

Back then all surfers in high school in the U.S.A. doodled lightning bolts on their notebooks while day dreaming of surfing. Likely also in Australia, Brazil, Columbia. Those bolts take skill to draw.

Who else remembers daydreaming of perfect barrels while doodling Bolts in their notebooks in class during high school?

Nice to see Nellis! Still have my 7'8" Bolt that he shaped for me in '79. Still ride it every year on my birthday. Bitchen, bitchen, bitchen

I was blessed to be there, and knew it. Grom from Caly planted on Oahu junior year in H.S. From Jalama Beach to the North Shore in a matter of days....Watched Gerry at Pipe on Wide World of Sports in '73, and months later sitting on the sand watching him and RR tearing it up at first light. Only guys out....that was a time that is just beyond description. Not as many bodies in the world, no WSL, no Volcom House, (think that was Gerry's place actually)......just simple, brutal, straight up goodness....thats gone now, save for us old guys who were there and wouldnt trade it for anything. Thank you Gerry.

Brings back a lot of memories for me as a grommet in Australia the 80's. Brands like lightning bolt, Crystal Cylinders, MR, Hot Tuna on a backdrop of bush weed bongs, hamburgers and milkshakes. Man I used to get so sun burnt, with just a smear of zinc cream on the nose and lips as protection, would spend literally 8 hrs a day in the ocean if there was waves. Even if there was no swell we'd be snorkelling or fishing. sigh...Now I'm just another middle aged dude working for the man for a wage trying to raise kids.

I’m 57 now and I grew up in mission beach Ca, I started surfing in 73 and Jerry Lopez was my guy and to this day still is and everyone else associated with him. The 70’s was the most soulful time, with local shaper skip Frye and others......I’m so appreciative for this story being told for people to understand that our souls are the key to everything period!

My first board in 73' was a Bolt and I loved it. The 70's and 80's were great for surfing. Then it became too competitive. But I still found my free ride spiritual mindset. Thanks for the inspiration that changed my life Gerry and Rory. 🙏🏝🏂🌊💙 Love you guys .

Gerry and Rory. I grew up in Huntington Beach in the 70s. You guys were my total heroes. While other kids loved the Dodgers or Rams, I loved surfing. Here I am at age 55. Living in the Colorado mtns. And the pull of the ocean, the waves, ...... I'm about to leave Everything and everyone I've known for the last 25 year's of living in the thin air. Because that pull is so strong now that it cannot be denied. Gotta Surf!!! Can you guys give me a job? I'll move anywhere with warm water and waves. The plan is San Diego. But working for Lightning Bolt would Stoke me enough to go just about Anywhere. Bless you guys! Wish me luck and good surf. A Patriot

I was 12 dad said i wad old enough to surf on my ownr my first lightning bolt board was purchased at mcculley surf shop for $200... 38 yrs later Cheeehuuu...still hitting it...ALOHA for the memories

Had this pink and blue striped ⚡4 fin that I used to shred Nahoon on circa 1984, then prowl the night spots in a yellow long sleeve T with ⚡ down the arms⚡ jeans, ⚡earing

Back in the late 1970's, I owned an orange and red Lightning Bolt surfboard, it was shaped by Dwight Dunn. The thing was 6'8" had 3" hard rails, I was just learning to surf. That board hit me every freakin time I took it out... I don't think it liked being in Huntington Beach waves... only Hawaii lol

I'm a 54 year old skater And yes I still skate but it always brings a tear to my eye watching videos of the "good ol days"

wish i would have bought every bolt board i came across at garage sales in the 80s ,, still have some original shirts ,, nice to see Bill Barnfield get some luv ,,, the one picture

So Rad My best friend Carson Christ R.I.P. and I spent a lot of time with tommy he was like a dad to us.Tommy’s no bullshit attitude is classic still going strong ya tommy

IT WAS INDEED THE BEST OF ALL TIMES!! GOLDEN TIMES THAT WON'T COME BACK!! This documentary has a great value. Mahalo for sharing!

This brand represent my soul ... since the 70s my surf life beginig

Nice to see Tonny Nellis get some love! And Margo too! Had several Barnfield Bolts from Margo!!

Back then Surfing, Rock-n-Rock and FM radio had no intentions of going commercial. It was as Raw and Free as it could be. Damn the money mongers and the corporations, Mr. Peabody's Coal train has hauled them away. Life was at it's best times as far as I know.

Bought my first Lighting Bolt 7'4" pigtail for $250 brand new. My board now hangs on the ceiling at Surf and Sea in Haliewa.

Thought I was so rad in 1978 with my lightning bolt t-shirt, levis and a self-tattooed lightning bolt logo.

Os. Im 53yrs old. Lightnight bolt. Gerry lopezt. Hawaii. Pipe. Thats my memories. 13yrs old.

Surfed a 7 ft 2 in single fin swallow tail red lightning bolt in san diego in 1975. That board actually made a humming noise when it was in the zone.I loved that board.This video lists Bernie Baker as lightning bolt employee,but he actually was a contest winner , I think early on , then photographer. He also was contest judge and now runs upscale hostile in north shore.Stayed there ,it was niiiiice!!

Perfect story. I just wanna go surfing every time I watch this.

FYI, I was managing the night shift at Decker's Sandals in Goleta and designed the Bolt sandal in my spare time from scrap packing materials. It went on to sell hugely after I moved on to manage a local surf shop.

I COULDN'T AFFORD A LIGHTENING BOLT,BUT I DID OWN A BEN AIPA WING STING SWALLOW.BEST BOARD I EVER OWNED.

This was my era at 18 years old living on The Rincon, Bates Rd., LaConchita, Mussel Shoals. I can't tell you how many jobs I lost from calling in sick all the time!

This movie RULES !!! Energy !!!!!

I used to draw the lightning bolt while sitting in school in Huntington Beach wanting to be in the water my posters were all Gerry Lopez at the pipeline thanks Mister Lopez for my youth growing up surfing that was in 1973 I was 14 and thought I was badass I used to hang around Wind and Sea at Huntington what a great life.

All through the 70s loved reading Surfer mag to see the ads as much as the waves being surfed - Bolt sold the Hawaiian lifestyle as much, if not more, then the surfboards themselves

I'm 65 and still hopelessly passionate about surfing as I was when I was 10 and still get out there a few times a week. I never owned one but Lightning Bolt was iconic to me. This was a really GOOD video. Thanks!

Thanks soooo much for this terrific video, I rode a 7'2" Swallow Tail myself. Those "Golden" days are and will always be very special to me.

Time marches on.... I feel so blessed that I learned to surf in the early 80s on a very small S. Atlantic Island 2 consistently rideable breaks never more then 8 guys on the whole island that surfed still good friends with them still surf on occasion but cant deal with crowds in Fl....No regrets!

What does Lightning Bolt mean to me? Pee Chee's, Book Covers, Lockers, Desks....anything that a bored surfkid could scribble on had a Bolt on it at every Jr. High School within a 10 mile distance of the Southern Californian coastline back then. Gerry's right. You guys got it best!!!

I surfed late 60's to 75 in SoCal. Lighting Bolt came after, but watching footage of Jerry at Pipeline in that time period had a huge impact on me.

Great memories! When I was 6 I walked to Kaimuki Theater with my cousin and saw Goin Surfin in 73. Gerry became my hero and Lightning Bolt was 🤙🏽

no leg ropes no media no pro no contests no worries my god that was the best yet as jerry sumed it up we had it good in 70s

My first 3 boards were a Lighting Bolt single fi then a Natural Art single fin and a Town and Country twin fin channel bottom. All 3 I bought in Hawaii. My old roommate from Hawaii still has his Simon Anderson Thruster that he bought used at a little shop on the North Shore back in 1980.

Thank you to all the other surfers of the 70's and on. From an Aussie Lighting Bolt was an inspiration . I shaped and glassed my own board at 14. The surf movies took off and we all found a place to go that was and still is and always will be 'a pathway' or meditative experience which helps people grow. The reflection has been very positive.

Being from the east coast of central Florida, the volt logo was the best of things doodled on our book covers at school in 1976. We all just loved Gerry Lopez as the best of surfers. None of us had the bolt board, but we sure thought the world of them. And the style that Gerry had was to be copied. Our waves were small in comparison. Except on hurricane days. Oh, how much i miss the days of no worries, just surf. My brothers and their kids have the bolt tattooed on their right shoulders. It was cool then, and now as I think of it. Thanks for the video.

I happened to be there in those early days and now some 50 years later still remember the pure soul and excitement of those early days when Jerry and Rory took on the pipe and Stairway to Heaven was being played on the beach , simply amazing and never to be forgotten. The Mazungu

Back in the 70s I bought a bolt and surfed in in Guam. What an amazing board. My friend Rick loved him and I used call him Rick bolt .

The Best Surfing Doc. Thanks so much for doing this. I remember as a kid, before moving to Hawaii, of wearing Bolt T-shirts and drawing the logo on everything I owned. I remember the test/font of "Lightning Bolt" was the hardest to do. I grew up and read every surfing and surfer mag I could get, multiple times. I idolized all those guys. I remember, once I moved over there and my first couple of paddle outs, seeing all my surfing idols in the water. I couldn't believe it. Being in the water with Bobby, Micheal, Mark, Dane etc. I often wondered what happened to BOLT. Now we know. Thanks again Tahnei.

I started surfing right at the end of Lightning Bolt. I remember my brother had one. It would be pretty cool to still have. Surfing is about one word. FREEDOM. Aloha to all on this video.

THE COOLEST BOARDS EVER MAKE.

I add this comment for what Lightning Bolt meant to myself. It was my 8th grade graduation trip to visit a bro I grew up with down the road from Torrance Beach in CA had moved to Oahu with his family. 13 years old heading to Oahu to see Jeff and go to to the Bolt shop on Kapiolani Blvd and buy a board at Lightening Bolt for my summer of surfing on Oahu. Gerry was the pipe masters champ and as we went into the shop there in the back was Gerry Lopez a boyhood hero talking to two babes in Bikinis. I remember it was a 6'7" round/squash tail orange with a red Lightning Bolt. I forked out the $70 cash and my dream summer began. I'd been surfing for a year or so but that few months with my Bolt was instrumental in igniting my surfing lifestyle and one with Gerry in the shop and walking out with the board I've never forgotten 48 years later. Thank You Gerry....PS I also saw 5 summer stories on Oahu that summer :)

I rode a couple of bolts back in the mid 70's. Both were excellent boards.

Had a 6’8” sunset, and a 5’8” MTB, and that was my world.

Definitely the icon and soul of the surfing movement. Brings back so many purest feelings. On ya boys

My Doctor who has retired about 2 years ago due to PARKINSON'S showed me his LIGHTING BOLT SURF BOARD PICTURE.....JERRY made it for him...He doesn't surf..He just layed on it and the Boat pulled him around but he can't even do that now because of the Disease...... JERRY lives in Bend Oregon besides Hawaii...I can't tell you the Docs name but they call him the....LOVING DOC

I remember those days...I couldn’t afford a new board but we would chop down logs to 7.6 and man you could surf any size and blast ..Santa Cruz and Hawai’i in the late 60s early 70s..just the best of memories.

The start of Gerry Lopez and Lightning Bolt was when I first started surfing in 1974 at 12 on a Rick's Surfboards, South Bay in LA, 5'5" very wide tail twin fin fish while almost everyone was either on a longboard or a 6'5" or longer single fin pin tail. Four years later in 1978 at 16 and being a goofy foot my ideal spot was Pipeline. By 78 I had the skills to handle the North Shore, the last 6 months I had been riding a 6'2" Simon Anderson thruster, going from a 6'2" single fin, pin to a three fin opened up performance surfing to me and I had advanced further those six months than the first 3-1/2 years since I started. Surfing every single day being an El Porto/ Hamerland grom at by far the heaviest wave this side of the Wedge, gave me experience in heavier waves, (I thought) it at least taught me how to hold my breath longer. The top of my idol list was mainly Gerry for his goofy foot tube riding and then with Australian Pete Townend who had a great style and defied gravity, pulling off the moves I emulated. Later on in the early 80's he moved to California, married a Socal gal and we met one day at trestles and became friends. Until about 2004 we surfed together often or took trips to Mexico and Costa Rica. I have only talked to him on the phone since 2004. Just like myself, our work, family and age gets in the way of surfing everyday, about once a week is all I can find time to do. Pete did fill me in on his hui days and for him they were frightening and put a bad light on the people that made it hard just to go out and surf, because fearing the wave at Pipeline was enough to last a lifetime. This was a great time to surf on the North Shore because it was after the longboard era, but about 5 years before the hui, then it went Kabluwi and I was outta there with my blonde hair an green eyes. The hui were really nothing but thugs that 99 times out of 100 would attack in force, they were the ass of the donkey and were doing nothing but hunting down the light skinned, light haired surfers even when nothing had happened. I had 4 great winters on the North Shore until hui-dom ruined the place in the name of anything but Hawaiian kindness. Went back in 1990 and never since. I read an artical on the North Shore and how the hui may have been the reason for the decline in tourism by 25% to 30% during the 80's and 90's! while today they still have a 4% to 6% affect on tourism.

A time when surfing had soul ⚡️

Love it. Hot sticks. Pure source. From old surfer. Alomahalo.

Lopez always knows how to go with the flow. NICE retrospective, and I would do that period of time over again.

Well done! One of the best surfing docs out there, IMHO. Just enough vintage material to give the flavor of the time without beating the viewer over the head with it and good use of current footage for perspective and background. Thank you!

Use to go in back of Ala Moana shopping center after sufing as a kid checking out the surfboards and pics of Rory and Jerry those were the days no job needed Just go surf .

Hey, thank you man! Perfectly captures the feeling.

As a surfer from New Jersey in the 60s 70s and early 80s I served a lot of boards served a lot of waves and it’s the greatest sport that God has allowed us to invent and protect us most of the time as we do this sport thank you for your channel and it was nothing but a pleasure looking at some of your clips God bless you jersey kid Alex

Not a lot is written or seen from this era but it’s pure magic to see riders so connected to surfing instead of the internet or tv or the long hours of work it would take to get near the beach they were better riders than now because of it you can see it in the ease of their style

Good times, for sure!

I have a red Tom Everly shaped glassed in Twin fin owned it since 1980 Gulf Coast of Florida absolutely my prize possession

Thanks jack dorsey

if you drooled at the magazines, this is Gold

Dang! Rory, Bobby...infamouz Legendz! GERRY! The 🔱! Mr. Pipeline🏄‍♂️

I remember wearing Lightning Bolt t-shirts as a kid. I think I had three. I don't know where I got them, but they were my favorite shirts. I still remember when my favorite of the three got ruined due to me busting my nose and bleeding all over it. I was crying because of my nose, but I was crying more over the loss of that shirt. The other two were cool, but that one was my favorite. I'm of the opinion that the shirt probably could have been saved, but after that I never saw it again. It may seem stupid to cry over a shirt I lost 30 years ago, but I really loved that shirt.

The way that Lightning Bolt got it's name was from a type of LSD that was going around called Lightning Bolt. I was there and knew the crowd.

Please Please Please !! Guys can you get Duke and Gerry to talk again. It needs to happen. The pain is unreal. Help them !!

Baught a lightning bolt back in 76 rounds pin 7 foot took it to Guam and loved it.

This was incredible

Papa's had two great Eberly's... ride so good.

Tom eberly great shaper and super nice guy much respect to the true surfing world 70 years 80 best ever not flashy just fucking pure surfing

I was a grommet in those days and had the posters on my wall they were our heroes I would skip school all the time to surf .I would walk (as no boards on bus rule) the 2kns with my board 6'.10 to go for the early, surf what ever there was on offer with hardy any crowds. My how times have changes now there is a crowd no matter what sort of dribble is on offer. Moved from the city to find a home with surf next to the beach. but the crowds have caught up as surfing became main stream back then it was looked down on to be a surfer by the main steam society i guess part of the reason was not conforming and the drugs to some degree but surfing was and is still my drug LOL .Still love surfing Still living the dream just with more people Gerry said it so well at the end We had it best. Thank you to Lighting Bolt crew. Great information in this documentary I always did wonder what happened to the brand.

Cool thing is surfing singlefin in those hollow waves

I'm stuck in Oklahoma and I loved it!

God, what a cool post!

I was there back then...lived in Eva Beach in high school - remember watching Gerry and Rory at Pipe at sunrise with only the two of them out...fast forward to afternoon and one of those waves turned into a full page spread in Surfer mag. THEM were the fucking days!

I had that ⚡️ chain necklace in late 70’s🤘

Not sure why @jack tweeted this, but it’s cool.

Awesome time capsule of surfing and shaping and the lifestyle. Much appreciated from a Surfer-Shaper-Artist, thanks you for sharing the stories 👍🏾🎨

I have this exact board signed by him and my dad got it 40 years ago.... Still flies

My first boarf was lightning bolt 6ft. 1980 ish. And t shirts. I was 13yrs old. 1983 ish.

Thanks for this stoked. I would define LB - through my adolescent eyes - as 'Great, stylish surfers getting barrelled on huge beautiful waves.' My dream.

Bobby Owens Legend at Pipe

This is really amazing. Congratulations. Great job.

Pump it up, lightning.

I MET JERRY LOPEZ AT JACK SHIPLEYS HOUSE AT TURTLES REEF. 1970/NO LEASHES. SO LUCKY/70 NOW

I had a 6' 9" lightning bolt. Best board i ever had. Till it got stolen.

Gerry Lopez and Rory Russel...forever my idols! Going surfing! Aloha!

Great line of clothing too.

Outstanding documentary. Soul surfing!

My mother owned a bookstore The Fourth Dimension at 1477 Kapiolani Blvd, two stores Ewa from Lightning Bolt shop. I'd go there after school and try to hang out. haha. My 1st board Cost $95 Davey Smith 5"9", Which included a twenty dollar trade in with a perfect condition Greg Noll tanker( Which would have been very valuable today20 bucks Back then). I had to mow lawns all summer ,as my father refused to just go and buy it for me which in hindsight was good on him. I was 11 and 12 years old ,I've been surfing since I was 6 or 7. It was like an art gallery Inside lightning bolt with all these incredible Hand shaped surfboards. Also of interest, 1 long block Walk Diamond head direction was Country Surfboards With Dick Brewer And I think Ed Serfaus

Thanks, well done. I grew up in Pearl City in the 70s. I remember feeling out of place going into the store on Kapiolani Blvd. The boards were only good surfers, big wave riders. I wasn't one of them. The 70s were an awesome era of surfing. Lightning Bolt was a huge part of it. I feel blessed to have some knowledge and memories of it.

Excellent!!!

This amazing!

CLASS!