Got to meet him once during some warmups at the OP Pro. I was 16 he was like 22 and easily at the height of his game with plenty of fame. Putting is stuff away into his pick up, I got the courage and said "Hey Tom!' He said "Hey how you doing?". He ended up spending about 10 minutes chatting and discussing the conditions with me and asked me about my thoughts on conditions, my surfing, where did I grow up...The guy is still the most legendary surfer and human on the planet. As great as a surfer that he was, he is that much better of a human.

Born 1974 and raised surfing here in the Ocean Beach/Sunset Cliffs area we grew up where the keel fin fish and different versions were the norm. I still ride my mothers 5"5 Lis fish. I was 6 the first time she had me surfing Newbreak. Tom is a legend as far as I'm concerned.

Spent a lot of time here in the early 90's and again just before the Tsunami quake. First trip was in 91' I was a keen 16. We surfed Bawa, Asu and Babasalo alone having arranged hire of a fishing boat back in Teluk Dalam, it was a real adventure and a paradise with perfect waves. Went back many times over the following years as the huts appeared and yacht charters started mooring up. A bunch of us English and French barrel fiends hooked into it well early living together for months in a basic shack, cooking on an open fire, shitting in a gap in the reef and enduring hot, insect ridden nights sleeping on your board bag. It always was, and still is, a hell of a trek and feat of endurance to stay out there for 3 months at a time.

I’ve been wanting to grow up & be like Tom Curren, my whole life!!! Still do & I’m 48 yrs old. All this guy does... Is shine!!! His surfing to me, is like a bar fight by candlelight!!! Fearless, frothing, ridiculous, unpredictable, insane, powerful, yet smooth as silk, fluid & majestic, with all the subtle flare that lights up every wave he surfs & every SAF maneuver he throws down & sets it all on fire!!! 🤙🔥👊💯

Curren still my fave, my GOAT

nice guys attitude is the best in surfing and something we can all learn from

MR surfer ...Mark Richards made them famous in the 1970's. I rode one at overhead Rights & Lefts on the Ranch in 1976. A sub 5' ? foot Fish that was actually con cave through the belly. It was a 1976 Reno Abellira style Hawaiian twin fish from Maui my buddy brought back from there. It was a dare and I had to make that first wave or else I would have been done for the day. Rights & Lefts Ranch was unforgiving localism to the max in those days. I made the wave while everybody else was surfing 7'-8' guns. Made a BFD for a day. I was 20 years old. I went back to my 7'-8" Bradbury with soft rails and a ton of nose rocker for Winter reefs and SB points. Big Drakes, Zoomers, Razor Blades, El Capitan, Jalama, Hazard Canyon and Rincon. I will always love John Bradbury and the 1970's in SB County. Before Tommy Curren, you couldn't give away an Al Merrick without grief. Tommy Curren changed everything as did Simon Anderson and Energy surfboards. My all time favorite surfer? The one and only unreal ...Michael Peterson, the ultra legend from own Down Under.

No better surfer, ever. Twenty years on and his carves are still peerless.

I have been to Bawa. He is friggin nuts.

I bought that Search II video VCR cassette movie in highschool, and when I saw Tommy going so fast and loose on that fishy little board it stoked me up for sure.

I knew Tom in high school, at 14 he was blowing my mind at rincon.

Watched him surf indicators at nias in 94. It was mind blowing nobody surfs it. It breaks about 2 meters infront of a dry wall reef. Legend. By the way Bawa is not a smooth roll in!

Still gotten original on VHS gold !!!!

amazing to watch this in 2022 and notice that now in the water these days the fish/short board hybrid is a favourite in double over head surf, very popular board now... Seems Tom really was channelling the future.

Tom is Rock n Roll long time a go! Tanks man!!!

unbelievable...beautiful waves.

I never seen someone ride the ocean like this very intersting

Triple overhead Bawa. Heavy.

Three legends.

Reminds me of Rogers rights in Hawaii! Same type of roll in.

this was an experience. very nice!

Tom Curren : Une légende vivante.

"Because the waves were so smooth and really easy to catch". Man...

greatest all time man

my goodness a 5'7 in a big wave

Tommy, knew that if you got him on those rollers the rest of the way for him was an empty canvas. Tim, was onto something they're only Tom could utilize. That was history in the making.

Wow. Looks like Bruce towing in At Zicatela.

Amazing surfer. Tom can ride anything

Pure Epicness!

He was even using fanning fins before fanning fins were cool!!!????!!!!

So fast.... I like that kind of speed.

True pioneer

Game changer.

Historic

I surfed bawa 1991 about 10' Fun times

0:16 the dreaded widow maker.

How high are those swells?

About ten years or so before that I was out at Indicator (Rincon) riding the four channel winged fish I made for myself at Bruce Fowler's shop in the Radon boat yard on Santa Barbara Street by the railroad tracks. In twelve foot wave faces Tommy kept thinking I was in too late and way too deep, but i caught up to him every time. The little jerk still kept snaking me though.

he's the best surfer tom curren some of these hawaiians who are out there punching people out there not really surfers. Currens god

Is this board a basis for Kelly Slater's new ride? Sort of? I am a newbie...

Bawa one of the few places that was made lesser from the earthquake. It still works but nothing like this.

does anyone remember the tail slide he pulled off?

これみてたの30年前か。。。

Where is this place ???

about 12 highs

? 3 fins equal size its a thruster fin setup

Watch. 22adaynoway

Mason surfs like him 😊

whats fishy about that board ?

swallow tail.thruster..

hey surfline... less beach cameras and more old time uploads please!!!!

Looks like a little swallowtail to me.

First surfer Bawa1981 🤙 @surfnias @kabunohi still surfing Nias we can get you there in style comfort 👏👍🤙 Rck.