In Episode 52 we speak with Mike Wood, a lifelong surfer who grew up in the cold, kelpy waters of Santa Cruz in the 1950's. Mike takes us back to that time and describes the beach and surf scene in Santa Cruz and what the line-up was like at famous breaks like Cowells and Steamer Lane. We hear of Mike experimenting with various ways to stay warm in the cold water, like wearing wool sweaters, before the wetsuit came out and what the boards of that time were like to ride (and carry up the cliff!). Mike shares his stories of interacting with Jack O'neill, hanging out down at the 'Surf Shack', and many other characters who made the beach their home back in the 50's. Mike tells great stories of exploring the rugged Santa Cruz coast and finding new, unknown waves and taking a surf trip with his buddies down to Southern California when he was 15 years old. A ton of great nostalgia and depiction of teen surf life during this golden era of surfing.
Thanks for sharing Mike's ocean life with us. There is some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.
This episode is sponsored by Burnout Suncare. A family-owned company based in Santa Cruz, CA that specializes in chemical-free, environmentally-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens for water sports athletes and health conscious families. Check them out at www.burnoutsun.com.
Scott Kennedy -- jack of many trades in the ocean
Zeb Walsh -- prone paddling Bass Straight, winning Molokai 2 Oahu, big wave rescue training
Greg Lewandowski -- boat captain, scuba instructor, freediver, fisherman
James Casey - winning Molokai 2 Oahu, foiling, coaching, surfing
Animal Stories — sharks, rays, and whales
Hayley-Jo Carr -- scuba diving, coral restoration, Bahamas
Kevin Dunn -- sunscreen pioneer, surfer, environmentalist
Suzie Cooney -- ocean athlete trainer, Maliko downwind, Maui life
Cooper Family -- Sailing the South Pacific (Pt 2)
Pat Shaughnessy -- Mavericks competitor, prone paddle athlete
Andy Schell and Mia Karlsson -- 59 North Sailing, offshore sailing adventure company
Tyler Conroy -- foiling, surfing, Mavericks, water rescue
Luke Adolfson -- surfing, travel, Jaws, helping Maui youth
Bobby Twitchell -- Maui life underwater, spearfishing, freediving, sustainability
Johnny Kahakaloha -- water life on Maui, enduring Molokai 2 Oahu
Stoked Grom Stories: Bobo Gallagher -- SUP foiling, surfing, downwinding
Amanda Calabrese -- decade of surf lifesaving, world competitor, empowering women in sport
April O'Gorman -- competitive surf lifesaving, US National Team, iron woman
Ryan Paroz and Ryan Buell -- two generations of competitive surf live saving
Mick Slattery -- SureFire boards, surfing, SUP, water life in Sydney
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