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.
Stoked Grom Stories: Riley Auble - surfing, fishing, travel, board paddling
Chris Aguilar - endurance board paddling, ocean videos, helping others
Chris Hearn - Master Mariner, disasters at sea
Mike Lenane - Western Oz, SUP instructor, movie maker
Stefan Simkovics - Navy officer, rescue swimmer, lifeguard, board paddler
Duke Brouwer - 30 years in the surf industry, board paddling, surfing, giving back
George Peterson - scuba diver, educator, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Tom Wegener - Master shaper, surfboard artisan, PhD
Maddi Leblanc - Canadian National SUP Team, non-profit founder, inspiring woman of the water
Stoked Grom Stories #3 - Mulder Brothers - surfers, board paddlers, helping disabled persons
#58: Alice Henley - endurance board paddling, M2O, ocean rescue, Crossing For A Cure
#57: Max Montgomery - Surfer, SUP, volunteer for others, heart attack survivor
#56: Kailyn Winter - Team USA board paddler, strength on water
#55: Ted Harty - Freediving instructor, record holder, Immersion Freediving program
#54: Stefano Ulivi - Diving and filming the Azores, shark conservation
#53: Jenn Lee (part 2) - 4 Molokai channel crossings, ocean canoe, SUP racing
#51: Victoria Burgess - Cuba to Florida world record holder, ocean athlete
Stoked Grom Stories #2 - Jonah Susskind - world traveler, surfer, board paddler
#50: Mick Di Betta - Lifeguard, Ocean Athlete Trainer, Molokai to Oahu Legend
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