Major highlights & experiences in Neal’s surfing career.
Check out a part of surfing history…..
Before he could walk, Neal’s mom, Barbara, would put him on her shoulders and dunk him in the Windansea shorebreak, La Jolla California. Neal grew up two blocks from the infamous Windansea Beach.
He was exposed to a very prestigious lifestyle of surf stoke- riding skimboards on the wet shores and standing up riding waves on those hard blue and yellow rental rafts at LaJolla Shores. This helped develop: timing, coordination, balance and was the prelude to starting his surfing career.
Neal’s dad, Fred, had a huge interest with photography. Fred studied with Ansel Adams(who was a famous black and white photographer) from the picturesque studio valley floor in Yosemite National Park.
From the time Neal was 8 years old to 13 years old, Fred planted the idea of surf photography. Neal ended up mowing lawns and saving money to get a 35mm camera and one of those big 400mm lens to get close-up photos of many legendary surfers.
In 1961, Neal’s parents wanted him to wait until he was 12 years old for his first surfboard, but he wore them down and got his first surfboard at the young age of 10 years old!
This was a 8’6″ Balsa wood board- “an across the alley, garage built gem” by David Scott. He glassed in the barefoot with no acetone…which later his feet got stuck on the repurposed newspapers that would catch the resin drips.
Neal’s dad didn’t have any acetone in his garage to help the poor guy out…oh well- what a sticky mess!
In the end, he sold the finished baord to Neal’s dad for a whopping 40 bucks. And this was Neal’s 10th birthday present!
Neal began developing more surfing experience and ocean knowledge riding stock Gordon & Smith Surfboards shaped by Roger Ross.
By 1964, Neal started his surfing career thru competition, contests and surf clubs.
Barry Kanaiupuni, Windansea 1964
In his junior years, Neal used photography as a creative outlet for surfing.
Skip Frye, Windansea 1964
Neal captured classic surf photos of legends such as Skip Frye, Mike Hynson, Barry Kaniaupuni, Gary Cooke, Dale Dobson, Ryan Dotson, Dickie Moon, David Rullo, Rod Suprizio, Joe Close, Bobby and Bill Andrews, Mike Doyle, & Mickey Dora to name of few at Windansea & P.B. Point.
Jon Close, Windansea 1964
Neal set up his own make shift darkroom in his bedroom in LaJolla. He developed his own film, enlarged and printed 8×10 black & white surf photos.
Mike Doyle, Windansea 1964 (as seen in SURFER)
Neal drew crowds of cheering classmates as he shared his prized captures at school. The teachers though the big crowds around Neal were for a fight! The principal was the only person not stoked and Neal got sent home by the principal from Muirlands Junior High School with threat notes for Neal to leave his prized surf photos at home.
La Jolla Surf Club
First trip with Gordon & Smith Surf Team to the East Coast. (from left to right) Claude Codgens, Dave McIntyre, Larry Gordon, Neal Norris, Skip Frye.
First trip to the North Shore 1966.
Butch Van Artsdalen Sunset Beach 1966.
Con Surfboards Surf Team
Worked at Select Surf Shop with Phil Castanolia and later the largest surf shop in California- George’s Surf Shop with over 13 top different surfboard manufacturers from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Neal learned how important keeping excellent surfboard quality and design on top! Neal’s masters were very critical about this quality control- Billy Caster, Bobby Thomas and Tony Channin.
The highlight of his surfing career happened next…
Neal was being presented his Monkeypod Bowl Trophy by the legendary Duke Kahanamoku with a red carnation lei, big double Hawaiian kiss and his “huge waterman hands” hand shake!
Neal placed fifth place in the U.S. Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach. The Duke presented another surfing trophy to Neal.
Eddie Aikau, Waimea Bay, Winter- December 1967
Mike Diffenderfer (bottom turn), Ricky Gregg (behind), Waimea Bay, Winter of December 1967
The finals at Makaha was aired on the ABC Wide World of Sports with Jim McKay and Bruce Brown.
Neal knew Bruce Brown from the early surf club days, so he thought Bruce was just talking to him at Makaha. Well, it turned out to be a nationwide T.V. interview on the ABC Wide World of Sports!
Next day at LaJolla High School, Neal asked all his friends, “Well, did you see it?”
….Nobody did!
But, Corky Carroll at Hobie Surfboards saw it!
Corky Carroll representing the Hobie Surf Team saw it on T.V. and called Neal the next day with the offer that launched Neal Pro Surfing career.
Corky said, “What does Con Surfboards do for you?”
Neal said, “Well, they pay for all my entry fees, competition, travel expenses, hotels, transportation, food and top finalist money.”
Corky said, “Hobie will give you all that plus 100$ a week for surfing.”
Neal replied, “YES ,where do I sign?!”
He was under contracts at 16 and 17 years old.
1st Place San Miguel Inter-Club Surf Contest 1968. Neal bottom turn at San Miguel as seen in Surfer Magazine.
Neal Norris, Haleiwa, North Shore 1968
Acid Machine- Owens Retreat, Mokuleia North Shore
Mickey Dora Windansea 1968
LaJolla Shores and Windansea were becoming more crowded, so Neal and friends like Andy Tyler, Randy Pidd, Frank Lindstrom, Mark Ghio, Timmy Hodgson, Juan Gamboa, Kenny Brun, Jim Downey, and Bill Decker- all searched for rocks, reefs, and abalone in their Bird Rock neighborhood area.
Andy Tyler, Ken Brun, Timmy Hodgson at Ziggy’s, South Bird
Forbidden Access to P.B. Point
Skip Frye PB Point 1966
Skip Frye PB Point 1966
Mike Hynson Cutback on “Stretch Model”, PB Point 1966
Randy Pidd PB Point (Old Man’s)1966
Tom Ortner PB Point 1966
Neal Norris Ziggy’s 1966
Neal had developed a strong interest to shape surfboards and get in to the manufacturing end of it. Competition was limited and what better way to make surfing your life, if you could design and build surfboards and make (a little) money doing it.
On May 24, 1969, Neal saw the Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at the San Diego Sports Arena. Front row up against the stage for 2 1/2 hours- WOW!
Started shaping stock boards at the Challenger Surfboard Factory with the Master Billy Caster.
Neal Norris testing first shortboard shaped summer 1969.
Neal Norris Honolua Bay 1969
Neal Norris, Honolua Bay 1969
Herbie Torrens, Honolua Bay 1969 (as seen in SURFER magazine)
Hank Warner, Neal Norris, Skip Frye
Neal Norris, Trestles, CA Winter of 1970
These were wide base, not deep, center fins with small 3″ rail fins only epoxy glued on. To this day, Neal can’t believe he and Outer Island Surfboards didn’t just glass them on because they kept popping off with power surfing and the feeling of edge rail control bite. What a feeling- like a slot car holding tighter to the track with more drive and hold power. This 3 fin set-up design later perfected by surfing great Simon Anderson. His ideas of slightly larger rail fins to make all 3 fins the same size and definitely glass-on for strength, helped Neal innovate the thruster.
20 ft. right at Kahakuloa
Home base left
Neal bought his land in the remote Hawaiian fishing village of Kahakuloa. Located on the North tip of Maui, a 20 minute drive to his home break- Honolua Bay. And later, this home base would be his factory site for Outer Island Surfboards and Valley Isle Surfboards.
Neal’s Toyota Landcruiser getting gas at the old Honolua Store.
Lipoa Point (Honolua Bay) in the Pineapple era 1971
In 1978, Neal married Oahu born, Vicky Ann Cabebe. She always wanted to marry a surfer and have a bunch of kids. Soon to find out Neal wasn’t your average casual surfer- it was his life!
Vicky gave birth to 4 children and now have 6 grandkids to date. All loving the ocean and enjoying the surf.
SURFER TIPS by Neal Norris
Neal Norris, Honolua Bay 1984
Neal Norris Honolua Bay in the 80’s. photo:Erik Aeder
Neal continued shaping in Japan.
This was the beginning of Neal working on his own- FREEDOM, NO PARTNERS!
Developing the next level of high performance surfing designs.
Neal shaping Lightning Bolt Surfboards on Maui.
Neal Norris shaping for Hobie Surfboards on Maui.
John Robinson glassing Neal’s boards for 42 years.
Einstein Airbrush by Glenn Chase.
Obviously shaping shortboards, Neal wanted to bridge the gap between the shortboards and the rebirth of the longboard era. It worked with Neal’s surfing and shaping experience and influence from master longboard shapers like Bill Stewart, Carl Schaper and Wayne Rich.
Neal was shaping new, high performance longboard designs taking longboard surfing to a more progressive state.
Isaac Wood, Neal, and Bird. Bird’s Surf Shed San Diego.
Neal was back into competing:
1st place- Legends of the Bay 2006 at Honolua Bay
1st place- Legends of the Bay 2007 at Honolua Bay
1st place- Legends of the Bay 2009 at Honolua Bay
3rd place- (to world champ Bonga Perkins) Legends of the Bay 2010 at Honolua Bay
Hawaiian Longboard Federation (HLF) Team for 5 summertime currcuit events from Kewalos to Ala Moana to Queens- awesome fun from 2004-2012. Neal ended up placing 5th overall in Hawaii.
1st place- Malibu Invitational 2012
1st, 2nd, 3rd places in various Maui surf contests like the Ole and the finals Kimo’s Longboard contest at Mala Wharf.
This bring’s Neal’s shaping ability and knowledge to our current state of responsive, sensitive, innovative, high performance surfboard designs for today and tomorrow.
A shaping room highlight:
“After being in the shaping room most of the day watching Neal shape…test pilot, Clay Marzo, commented- “Wow that was just like surfing- stay surf stoked Uncle Neal.”
“I feel the same way,” thought Neal.
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