A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Durable, straight-talking Bay Area sportswriter with a lifelong interest in surfing; a 

 mainstay for 50 years; a frequent contributor to SURFER and Surfer's Journal magazines; author of 1990's 

North Shore Chronicles: Big-Wave Surfing in Hawaii

Jenkins was born in Los Angeles (1948), raised in Malibu, and began bodysurfing at age six. Gordon Jenkins, Bruce's father, was an arranger and composer who over the course of a decades-long Grammy-winning career worked some of the biggest names in music, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, and Judy Garland. 

Jenkins' first article for the Chronicle was published in 1973, just two years after graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies. He would cover a wide range of sports for the newspaper in the years to come, but primarily worked the baseball beat. 

An avid bodysurfer throughout his career, Jenkins had a memorable experience in 1986, during his annual extended winter visit to Hawaii, when he was flushed through his rented house in the dead of night by an enormous wave; shortly thereafter he began work on 

 a series of profiles on big-wave surfers. 

Although Jenkins was renowned in the mainstream sports world for not pulling his punches, his surfing features tended to be as affectionate as they were well-reported. In "Father, Son, Holy Spirit," Jenkins travels from San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas, where he drives down a long dirt road to track down the aging and reclusive former big-wave surfer Pat Curren. Jenkins arrives with a case of beer, introduces himself, and passes on greetings from some of Curren's old friends from Hawaii.

A thin smile of recollection crossed Curren’s face as he cracked open a beer. [We then] got seated in some old, creaky chairs, signifying progress. But I was still far from an actual interview. “Didn’t you get the message I sent?” said Curren. “Because to tell you the truth, I don’t want to do this.” Just on a lark, I mentioned Jose Angel, the great big-wave surfer from Curren’s day. Another little light went on. "Jose was the best man at my wedding,” he said, admiringly. “Toughest man I ever knew."

Thus began about an hour of conversation with one of surfing’s most reclusive figures. Knowing I was walking the thin line of intrusion, I didn’t even think of hauling out my notepad until Curren got up to take a leak. Right then, a bit of the Curren mystique took hold. I had a little tape recorder in my bag, and while I intended to keep it there, I figured I’d just turn the thing on, maybe pick up a few choice sounds or comments.

It wouldn't work. Here was a tremendously reliable machine, never gave me a single problem before, and it worked beautifully that very same night. But I swear, it would not work on Pat Curren’s property.

After a few minutes he asked, “You guys ready?” and I knew we had passed inspection. He was offering more beer. Hell, I said yes, and I wasn’t even ready. 

Jenkins's "Buffalo's Soldiers" article for SURFER, about ageless Makaha kingpin Buffalo Keaulana and his entourage, was published in the Best

 anthology, which includes essays by Richard Ford, David Mamet, and David Halberstam. Jenkins was also selected in 1999 as one of the top 10 sports columnists in the country by  Associated Press sports editors, and his coverage of the inaugural Quicksilver Men Who Ride Mountains competition at Maverick's that year was published as the 

 front page lead story. “In Mavericks’ Dream Surf Season, 51-Year-Old Peter Mel Making Big-Wave History” was featured in 

Jenkins is the author of two mainstream sports books; his surfing articles have been republished in 

The Big Drop: Classic Big-Wave Surfing Stories

 (2001). He also wrote the narration for the documentary 

 written by Bruce Jenkins, was published in 2005.

Jenkins is not related to fabled father-daughter sportswriters Dan and Sally Jenkins.

In 2023, Jenkins retired as a regular Chronicle columnist. 

Jenkins, Bruce

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Features

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Features