TOM
CURREN

Aussies owned competitive surfing in the ’70s and early ’80s. Rolf Aurness, the 1970 World Champion, was America’s last hero, but he vanished without a trace. In 1982, a young Tom Curren changed all this. He quickly became the most popular surfer in the world, a title he would hold for two decades. Legendary big-wave rider Pat Curren didn’t wait past the toddler stage to put his son Tom on a surfboard. By the time Tom was a teen, his depth of wave- mastery was almost scary. In the perfectly shaped pointbreaks in and around Santa Barbara, a young Curren developed a style that would be emulated the world over. Tom’s notoriety spurred shapers from all over the world to give him boards in the hopes of feedback, a commercial connection, or perhaps a logo-prominent photo in a magazine. The story goes that Tom arrived in Hawaii, borrowed this board, paddled out at Backdoor and caught the wave of the winter on it. Then the shot was featured on the cover and in the center spread of Australia Surfing Life magazine. The stuff of legends. Tom is still considered one of the most popular surfers of all time, influencing generations of surfers, including 11-time world champ Kelly Slater. Tom’s father Pat produced some of the most sought after big-wave guns and Tom’s children; Lee Ann, Frank, and Pat have all been a part of surfing’s competitive ranks.

This board is on loan from the Spencer Croul Collection.
Portrait photo © Dan Merkel