What I learned from my Father part 1
Tiger Doerner is the son of Darrick Doerner, one of the original big wave tow-in surfers. Darrick did several interviews for ATJ. From my first meeting with Darrick, I knew I had met a legend and wanted to absorb as much of Darrick's knowledge as possible.
In December 2015, I was in Hawaii shooting; Darrick let me stay at his home, and I had a piece of the floor under the drafting table in the office. It was heaven. I met Tiger on the first day and was immediately impressed. I had interviewed a lot of older surfers and shapers for Addicted to Joy, some younger ones, but the majority had been 60+ years old. When I went to sleep that night, I realized what a fantastic opportunity it was to have Tiger and his father, Darrick, together. An interview with Tiger was a must.
Leica camera supported the film with a new 4K camera loan. I'd worked with Leica before and was really excited to use a fab new piece of technology. It was 2015, and the camera had just hit the market. I shot some landscapes with it...it absolutely lived up to the Leica name.
We were at Pipeline one afternoon. Tiger, Bill Hamilton, and Kelly Slater had agreed to ride these rare wooden surfboards at one of the most famous surf spots in the world. Tiger, Billy, and Kelly waxed these museum pieces and got them into the surf. Billy Hamilton was riding a Donald Takayama board weighing nearly 60 pounds. Tiger was riding a board made out of wine tank, first growth redwood that weighed a hefty 41 pounds, and Kelly was riding a Giant Sequoia redwood board weighing about 20 pounds. The boards that Kelly and Tiger were riding were direct copies of the same board that Kelly won his 11th world championship on, scanned and then reproduced on a C&C machine and then hand finished by the legend Al Merrick. Now that I've set the scene for you, I will finish this tale in our next issue.
Until next time, Aloha
Richard
If you haven’t seen the film, you can watch it here.
Aloha Bill Eddy
“Aloha to my Ohana”...
Most of you know that Duke Kahanamoku is considered the “Father of Western Surfing,” but it was a trio of Hawaiian princes that initially introduced the sport of surfing to California.
In 1885, three nephews of Hawaiian King Kalakaua were studying at St. Mathew’s Military Academy in San Mateo, California. They were on summer break and staying with a royal family caretaker in Santa Cruz, CA. They were a bit bored and restless, so they shaped 15-foot surfboards out of local redwood trees. They paddled to the waves breaking at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. Locals were amazed to witness these three boys riding the cold waves of Santa Cruz on their primitive redwood surfboards.
Who were they? Their names were - David, Jonah, and Edward.* They were the cousins of Hawaiian Royalty - Princess Ka’iulani, an athletic young woman who enjoyed surfing, swimming, cycling, and equestrianism. She was an avid surfer on the beach of Waikiki. Her 7 feet, 4-inch surfboard was made of Koa wood and is preserved today at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
Gotta go - see you next time.
Aloha
*Prince David Kawananakoa, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole, Prince Edward Abnel Keli'iahonui.