Metyko captures an era-defining snapshot of one of the most fertile and influential moments in California’s surf history. The rise of future three-time world champion Tom Curren, whose preternatural wave-riding abilities would help establish California at the forefront of contemporary surfing; the emergence of then-unknown board builder Al Merrick of Channel Island Surfboards, who would go on to becoming the sport’s premier board-builder; photographer Jimmy Metyko was there to capture it all. With a compelling blend of dramatic action, intimate moments and epic waves, Metyko’s imagery and personal perspectives articulate a remarkable waypoint on the sport’s cultural timeline, as well as a better understanding, and appreciation, of where surfing is today.
