Phil Jarratt's profile on Gary Elkerton ran in the December 1987 issue of SURFER. This version has been slightly edited. * * * Gary Elkerton is no wimp, that’s for sure. He’s number four in the world, among the best on the biggest days at Sunset and Waimea, and perhaps the most explosive surfer in the world today. But how tough is he, this great hulk from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast? Well, cons...
Nick Carroll's profile on Gary Elkerton ran in the June 1983 issue of Surfing magazine. This version has been slightly edited. * * * Gary "Kong" Elkerton is sitting on the newly erected, council-inspired sand dune that separates Narrabeen lagoon from the shimmering heat of North Narrabeen Beach itself. Today it is very hot indeed, mid-summer, mid-morning Sydney and the trek from the dune to the ...
This profile ran in the December 1985 issue of Tracks. This version has been slightly edited. * * * Gary Elkerton has been a very visible figure in Australian surfing for a few years. When you think of the publicity he’s received over the last three years it’s surprising he’s only been a professional since August ’84. Kong burst on the national and international scene when he won the ’82 Pro Jun...
"The Incredible Ron Jon Story! Thrills, Chills, Millionaires! Successful Surf Shop! Buckets of Money! Respect! Fantastic Fabulous Hidaway in the Wilds! Fierce Dobermans, Curious Rheas, Pet Pigs and Peacocks! Mystery, Intrigue, Incredible Rumors, Bizarre Truths! A Guaranteed Dynamite Tale!" by John McAleenan, ran in the July 25, 1987, issue of the Orlando Sentinel's Florida Magazine. This version h...
This article was originally posted on ESPN on September 13, 2011. The version below has been shortened and slightly edited. * * * The legend says he's as camera-shy as Bigfoot, or Banksy. A rap sheet tells of a taste for fast living. The rumors? Oh, boy, where to begin? Let's start with a story about a surf mogul who hates publicity. It was 1988, and Ron DiMenna, founder and owner of Ron ...
This article, by Robert Suhay, ran in the August 6, 1989, issue of the Asbury Park Press. This version has been slightly edited. * * * No sooner did Ron Jon’s Surf Shop open in Ship Bottom this summer than its logo of crimson bamboo lettering was seen on T-shirts up and down Long Beach Island. The 26-year-old landmark surf shop was boarded up in October when owners decided to shut down rather th...
This sidebar article by Bruce Jenkins was part of a larger feature, also by Jenkins, titled "The Show: Sunset Beach—Welcome to the Big Leagues, Kid," which ran in the February 1992 issue of SURFER. Determining the best surfer at Sunset—right now, as we speak—proved to be a maddening task. Mark Foo captured the dilemma best when he said. "It’s just unfair to pick one guy. Bobby Owens is the most f...
Michael Tomson's feature-length article on Sunset Beach ran in the January 1985 issue of Surfing Magazine. This version has been slightly edited. * * * You see, the thing about Sunset is when you’re looking at it from the beach it often doesn’t look that gnarly. I mean, it looks big, for sure, and you know it’s got to be eight feet to even begin breaking in the bay but it doesn’t look quick like...
"Closed Out," by Sam George, ran in the June 1990 issue of Surfing Magazine. * * * Is it just me or has anyone else ever noticed that Sunset Beach is just not that good of a wave? Or that for some inexplicable reason no one is allowed (or has the nerve) to ever say anything bad about this hallowed Hawaiian reefbreak? I was in Hawaii this winter, watching hapless Triple Crown competitors paddle ...
Buzzy Trent's article on Sunset Beach ran in the November 1964 issue of Petersen's Surfing magazine. This version has been slightly edited and shortened. * * * Sunset Beach is like a fickle gal. Sweet and light one moment, wild and uncontrollable the next. She can change from a six-foot hot dogger to a rip-roaring twenty-footer in less than an hour. She can dance the youthful swing with fast-mov...