Surfside Surf Cam

Hey, Leroy

Every Tuesday night when I was 12 years old Don Craig, Sparky Hudson and I would run down the street after dinner to go through Leroy Grannis’ trash cans. We separated the surf photos Leroy had thrown away from the rest of the trash and ran down the hill to Don’s house to fight over them. Along with surf movie posters, we covered our bedroom walls with photos, never knowing who was in them. We traded the ones we didn’t want for Hostess Snowballs and Twinkies to other surfers who went to Pier Avenue Junior High School. Leroy told me a decade later he knew about our little raids, but never stopped us because we always cleaned up afterwards.

I always thought Leroy Grannis was first a surf photographer and then a surfer, not knowing his doctor recommended he take up photography to relieve his stress-related ulcers. I don’t think his doctor foresaw Leroy paddling out at 20-foot Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach and Makaha, pulling his camera out from its from waterproof box top shoot surfers  flying down the face, and then putting the camera back in the box while scrambling to safety in the channel.

Leroy would swim out at Pipeline, fighting currents that could easily sweep you him out to sea, to shoot straight into the tube. He wouldn’t budge, sometimes forcing surfers to pearl their boards and dive over him.

His other form of stress relief was shooting from a hang glider over Yosemite National Park. Leroy won countless photo awards with his surfing and hang gliding photography, which graced the pages of every surfing magazine, and also Time, Life, National Geographic and most recently, Smithsonian a few years ago.

You never knew where Leroy was going to be shooting. He would just show up wherever the waves were the best and take shots of whoever was ripping. If the conditions weren’t good for photos Leroy surfed. His style was exactly like the little surfing figurine on top of all the surf trophies.

In the ‘60s Leroy rode and took water shots from his big, blue Greg Noll surfboard. In the ‘70s Leroy’s short board was a clear Weber Ski. He rode both boards the same. The stone faced, hawk-like figure was a man of few words. When he spoke it was gruff and low-key. We never knew where he was coming from, but we hung on his every word because he knew more than we ever would about surfing. He always wore a floppy hat tied under his chin, looking like an old Aussie codger in the outback. His close friends call him “Granny.” The rest of us called him Leroy.

International Surfing Day – 2011 | Surfing In Texas

International Surfing Day started in 2004, and was created for surfers and surf enthusiasts across the globe to come together and celebrate surfing. ISD has grown to over 200 separate events in over 25 different countries. These events range from beach clean-ups, to paddle outs, to surf films being shown, to mangrove and dune restorations. Surfers all over the planet will be coming together over the weekend and leading up to the “actual” day on Monday, June 20 2011. Together we will be celebrating the sport of surfing, while giving something back to the oceans and waterways, and appreciating the Texas waves and Texas beaches we all enjoy so much.

In Texas there are five Surfrider chapters that will be having events that you can participate in. Everyone is welcome to attend, and please click on each Chapter’s link to visit their homepage for more information.

Surfrider Foundation Central Texas Chapter (Austin) will host a group paddle out and clean up. On June 19th the group will gather at their usual spot (see website for details) to clean up Barton Creek from below Barton Springs pool down to Town Lake. Bring a surfboard, and get ready for some fun. The paddle out and clean-up is from 9-12, with food catered by Wahoos Fish Taco afterwards.

Surfrider Foundation Galveston Chapter (newest Texas Chapter) will host events taking place from 9-3  on June 18th, at Seawall and 61st in Gavelston, TX. There will be an expression session (surf permitting), SUP demo day, paddle race,  beach cleanup, and beach games. Followed by an afterparty at   Southern Spears Surf Shop with BBQ.

Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter will be hosting the 5th Annual International Surfing Day Event for Kids at Isla Blanca Park, in South Padre Island, Texas on June 19th. This is a free event that teaches children how to surf in Texas, and each child must register in advance. Clinic #1 8:30-11am, Clinic #2 12:30-3pm

Surfrider Foundation Texas Upper Coast Chapter will be hosting on June 19th a possible beach cleanup, refreshments/water bottle filling station and beach activities along Beach Drive in Surfside Beach, Texas. Events start at 10am.

Surfrider Foundation

Barefoot Wine has sponsored this years event (they have done some amazing things for our oceans), and are working with surf-film director Jason Baffa ( One California Day , Single Fin Yellow) to help capture the spirit of International Surfing Day through the eyes of a handful of activists working to help change our world.

Ireland

Australia

Surfer

The Surfing Yearbook

The American Film Institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the United States