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.
#49: Allen Bushnell - Kayak Fisherman, Guide, Ocean Community Builder
#48: Jalou Langeree - World Champion Kitesurfer, Woman of the Water
#47: Sensi Graves - Professional Kiteboarding, Bikinis for Girls Who Rip
#46: Sarah Gauthier -- Scuba Diving 7 Continents in 5 Months, Spreading Ocean Awareness
#45: Randy Bogardus - 50 years of wave riding, shaping wooden surf craft
#44: Cooper Family - Sailing the South Pacific (Pt 1)
Stoked Grom Stories #1 - Cole Renfrew - surfer, junior lifeguard, spear fisherman
#43: Mark Schulein - Endurance Paddling, Ocean of Hope, Giving Back to Others
#42 Mike Baxter -- Fisherman, Steward, Man of the Water
#41 Aimee Spector -- Cuba to Florida Paddle, Mother, Woman of the Water
#40: George Scheppler - Navy Rescue Swimmer, Ocean Athlete Trainer
#39: Al Ramadan - Surfer, Sailor, Technologist, Entrepreneur
#38 Weldon Wade - Protecting Bermuda's Waters, Diving, Taking on Invasive Lionfish
#37: Steve Lonhart - Marine Scientist, 3,000 Dives, Big Sur
#36: Forrest Galante - Animal Planet Host, World Record Spearfisherman
This Ocean Life, Episode 35 - Katerina Topouzoglou and All For Blue
This Ocean Life, Episode 34 - John Brasen and Pacific Longboarder Magazine
This Ocean Life, Episode 33 - Collin Boys and Hush Handboards
This Ocean Life, Episode 32 - Jeff Denholm and Raw Grit
This Ocean Life, Episode 31 - Michael Booth and A World Tour of Fun and Challenge
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