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...and neither do I! Geography and climate mainly to blame,I suppose. And yet, I have a strong affinity to the sport of surfing, and surf culture, due mainly to being a lifelong Beach Boys fan.

So I'd be curious to know if anyone feels a certain bond to surfing, even if not a surfer, because of the band?

Or, if you do surf, are the Beach Boys 'connected' in any way to the reason you surf. I know, back in the day the surfers weren't really pro Beach Boys..but you can't argue they had an international impact on the sport itself.

I'm from Rhode Island so Narragansett is the place to go surfing around here. I have a few friends who are actual surfers but they're mostly into punk rock. As for me, I can't surf and I have no desire to, and I'm the one who listens to surf rock and the BBs, lol... I don't think too many genuine surfers got into the sport thanks to the Beach Boys. But l'd be curious to see what others have to say.

I never surfed. Like Brian, I'd be afraid of getting a wipe out and getting knocked on the head. The most I tried was a boogie board. And yes, that was partly due to Beach Boys.

Surfers then and now weren't much impacted by Beach Boys, they'd either listen to surf guitar or "beach" music (summery pop hits), and today's surfers - anyone's guess.

Part of my childhood was spent living on the coast of Florida, so before I had even heard the music of The Beach Boys I was pretty fixated on anything having to do with the water. The Beach Boys most likely helped pique my interest in the sport of surfing, however I never did it. My childhood friend owned a board and the most I ever did was get on it in his pool one day.

However, I have always loved boogie boarding, and when I vacationed on the coast this last summer I spent a good chunk of time catching some waves on that. Body surfing is also a lot of fun (I’ve actually surprised myself how far/fast one can go when body surfing a wave).

I own several surfing movies (my favorite being ‘Thicker Than Water’). One, which I highly recommend is called ‘Riding Giants’ - some surfers from the 60s talk about how surf music (and surf movies) somewhat ruined the sport for them in California because hordes of amateurs started crowding the beaches. I’ll occasionally watch surf competitions on YouTube. It really is hypnotizing.

If I ever live close to the shore one day I will likely consider learning how to surf.

I've never surfed in the traditional sense.  When I was ten, I had a boogie board that I'd use in the waters off the coast of Ocean City, MD.  I'd also use a raft, or body surf.  Still riding waves, but not quite in the same way the Boys sing about. 

To be honest, I wasn't really into their music then.   By the time I appreciated their music, I'd developed a healthy fear of the mid Atlantic waves.   I've seen enough people get carted off the beach in stretchers, and I've taken some pretty good tumbles under the waves.   So, I no longer body surf. 

I always wanted to surf, and I'm sure my lifelong love of the Beach Boys had some influence on that. However, I grew up and still live in Northeast Ohio. Despite what the song says, there is surf in Cleveland, but it's in the dead of winter when lake effect produces the most surfable waves. I don't want to surf THAT much.

I'm a surfer. I have been for close to 50 years (that's the first time I've said that and its scary!!). Started when I was about 13 or 14. Grew up on the southern beaches of Sydney. I discovered the Beach Boys music around that time as well but never saw the two as particularly connected. The Boy's surfing songs always seemed kooky, rather it was the harmonies and Brian's falsetto that set off some magical chemical reaction in my mind and soul. I'm a sucker for harmonies. My Beach Boys world really kicks off around the time of the Today album. The only time the two worlds of the Beach Boys and the surfing lifestyle ever really crossed paths was in the early 70's when tracks from the Surfs Up and Holland albums were featured on the MacGillivary Freeman epic surf movie Five Summer Stories and the the Beach Boys In Concert album was a constant at parties around that time ... sadly the band decided to go in another direction after Holland/In Concert and that brief period of surf credibility evaporated. The surfing world took me on a wonderful life journey - I spent 10 years advancing the sport through competition and moving administration from a kitchen table operation to a commercial basis, I then spent 5 years working in the surf industry traveling the world working, surfing and being present at some of the sports seminal moments in the 80s and 90s and along the way the Beach Boys were on that journey with me but on a personal basis as I know a lot of surfers just don't rate the Beach Boys and I know this through personal conversation with some of the world's best surfers.

From my Beach Boys and surfing memory file comes this one: It was November 28, 1992 and the Beach Boys were in Australia promoting the recently released Summer In Paradise album and playing at a football field at North Narrabeen (the same Narrabeen featured in the Surfing USA lyrics) - as most people know 1992 was not a particularly good period for the band and I had a conflict of interests so opted instead to attend a meeting also at North Narrabeen, but at the local surf lifesaving club, where a meeting was to be held to decided the future development of professional surfing in Australia. While sitting in the meeting  which was rather heated and ended in the then APSA (Australian Professional Surfing Association) being disbanded and the then amateur body, Surfing Australia, taking over the running of all levels of competition in Australia ... anyhow ... I'm sitting in the meeting and there is the sound of a helicopter very close by and I look out the window to see Carl and Mike walk past and board the bus that was to take them a short ride to the concert venue. That was it for me seeing the band live in 1992!

I actually did see them a day or so either before or after that show, in Brisbane.

Anyway the subject. Never surfed but looove the beach and competitive ocean swimming. In fact just got back from doing so this morning here in Auckland. (sorry to you folks knee deep in snow 😀)

I used to be a big time small wave rider. Then I traded a few boards for a 10 ft gun! So now I am a small time big wave rider. I have been waiting 15 years for the surf to be big enough, but when it is I will be ready!

This thread is great.

Btw did anyone else here initially think that all these guys surfed? I remember when I got my first cassette tape of this band (I think I was 7 or 8) I thought all these guys were so cool for riding waves and surfing all the spots. Then my parents clued me in that none of these guys really surfed except for one.

My dad was a surfer. I was born in Los Angeles and we lived there til I was 4. I remember seeing him surf once. Then we moved to Dallas in 1981. My dad was diabetic and got sick. He couldn't walk but wanted to ride a wave one last time. He basically sat on the board while my grandpa and uncle stood by. He was scared to death even though they didn't go very far. In 1989 he passed away. I have never surfed, but it the idea of surfing reminds me of my dad. My dad also was a simger and would harmonize with my mom and sometimes in a quartet with my aunt and uncle too. I fell in love with the vocal harmonies listening to recordings of them after he died .2 years later my mom remarried. I looked through my step dads collection of cds when I was 13 in 1991 and found Endless Summer. I think the combination of songs about surfing and the harmonies immediately drew me to them. My mom says that my dad was more of a James Taylor fan but could see him getting into the Beach Boys. I would have loved to introduce him to Two Lane Black Top! Anyway, that's my emotional connection to surfing. Never tried it myself.

Some very interesting stories, here!

No but I can easily like BBs' surf songs. "Surfin' USA" is great! :3d 1st BBs albums brought interest to the surf guitar bands.

I grew up in West Palm Beach, bought a surfboard when I was 13/14 and  gave surfing a shot for a few years.  There was rarely waves in that area worth a damn -- maybe only when  a hurricane  was coming!  The  hardcore guys  would head up to Sebastian/Cocoa Beach where things were better.   I  gave it up after a while -- partially because of the waves but also because I didn't particularly get along with the surfing crowd.  They were pretty much dimwits!

JK don't swim let alone surf.

In the excellent (primarily Skateboarding) documentary, Dogtown and Zboys, they touch on the Venice surf crowd, which was pretty hostile to non locals. I could see Dennis fitting in down there!!

On Man vs Clown (Why I Hate Mike Love) Stephen Love mentioned that he was surfing less due to age, but that his friend said something to the effect that they don't have to surf as much anymore, it's time to 'go within'...lol surf culture is cool.

Surf culture fascinates me kinda like motorcycle culture does.  From 2005-2013, I used to attend Delmarva Bike Week in Ocean City, MD.  Some of the nicest, down to earth people you'll ever meet.  In the nine years I attended, there were parties, and concerts with huge crowds and lots of alcohol flowing, and I never witnessed one fight or person get out of line. 

But, with both cultures, I'm too much of a wimp to participate. 

Paging Old Surfer Dude?

To help put some things into perspective - I know big wave legend Greg Noll has spoken openly about the surfing communities disdain for Beach Boys records in the sixties - I think his quote was they "threw them in the bin" when given promo copies - I used to have quite a bit to do with 4 time World Champion, Lisa Andersen and Lisa would only agree to do TV interviews provided they DID NOT use Surfer Girl as the background music. Lisa's reaction may not have been so much a reaction to the Beach Boys music but to the media's stereotyping of women's surfing which tended to be cliched and misogynistic.

A bit off topic, but there was a movie out maybe a 15 years ago, called Blue Crush. Kinda cheesy, but I always thought the surfing cinematography was pretty impressive.

Can't find the original post right now, it's either been deleted or facebook's page search posts search is being dodgy last night and today, but Ed Roach over on his Dennis Wilson 1944 - 1983 page (https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68/) posted about Jay Adams (not sure / don't remember if He & / or Dennis knew him)
https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68/photos/a.168909366653742.1073741827.168908843320461/273020722909272/?type=3

Mitch Toney says in the comments (https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68/photos/a.168909366653742.1073741827.168908843320461/273020722909272/?type=3&comment_id=273202886224389&reply_comment_id=688244138053593) that Scott Wilson & Jay were friends.

Having Jessica Alba in a bikini likely didn't hurt.