Things we lost in the fire.
Do you recall the mid-2000s tragedy Things We Lost in the Fire starring Benny of the Bull and Halle Berry? My recollections are vague though I do remember heroin somehow being involved. In any case, a few evenings ago a man torched a surfboard rack behind a police substation in Waikiki that held well over 500 boards.
Per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
Mayor Kirk Caldwell is asking the public for information about the person who started a fire that destroyed about 525 surfboards and damaged nearby buildings Thursday night in Waikiki.
Police opened a first-degree arson investigation in the fire that began about 8:20 p.m. near the Waikiki police substation at 2425 Kalakaua Ave. Fifty-four firefighters responded with 13 units and found the surfboard rack fully engulfed in flames, said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Jeff Roache.
The fire was extinguished at 9:17 p.m. A fire damage estimate is pending.
Roache said in a statement that the fire destroyed all the surfboards in the storage rack, which is operated by the city. The rack also sustained extreme damage.
Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright said the destruction included five rescue boards used by city lifeguards for a loss of $6,000.
A video showing the suspect has just been released.
Now, fire is very bad and destroying other people’s property should almost always be frowned upon but…
…oh no “buts” at all except…
… just one observation. Many of the burned boards appear to possibly be SUPs and/or 12-foot longboards.
More as the story develops.
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A weird almost kook-attitude article. Ever been to that area? Locals use long boards for surfing. I mean really long, like 11 feet. If you think that the arsonist is some kinda hero, I introduce you to some 300 pound Samoan surfers who use very, very large boards, who will give you attitude adjustment. This kine article is why people say haole go home.
I hope the firies were wearing respirators – imagine the toxic fumes!
I lost a 10’8 Velzy in that fire. What a POS.
Legendary! Easing into things is my specialty, I hate the deep end straight off the bat.
Cheers mate!
Fire sale. 100% off. Boards are hot hot hot
A correct statement, made on BitchGripe.com
Alert the media!
The Moniz family show the aloha, as it should be shown:
https://freesurfmagazine.co…
Great article Ben. Absolute excellence on a beautiful, talented and humble Hawaiian family.
Well it’s nice to see a family – especially a surf famly – that is healthy and wholesome and functiional – which they are.
The Monizeseses work their okole off running Faith.
It’s a lot of hard, sunny, hot work dealing with an increasingly dumb public and a lot of risk for that matter, because I’ve seen people get hurt out at Waikiki – on SUP and surfboards and canoes.
I saw some pretty crappy behavior by other canoe captains and surf instructors. The Monizeses wouldn’t allow that.
They employ a lot of people and grind it out from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.
But one kid is a surf star and the other is a super model and lest we forget. Tony was a tiger in his day.
At Brock’s memorial Tony told a good story about letting Brock go on that wave he pulled into the barrel and didn’t make.
That was Tony’s wave, but he showed the aloha.
These are good people, and good people are good.
Hawaii can sour people. Didn’t sour them.
(I also know how much the previous concessionaire was making for one of the concession at the Duke statue. A big number, every month. Those concessions are golden.)
Typo: “…surf famly…” Please fix as a matter of urgnecy!
Ask here and I’ll pass them along.
You never know.
People like QT like talking about their work, no matter how many Oscars they have and haven’t won.
Oh goodness, I’m about to take my girl on a Hawaii vacation next week. If I don’t get her on some mal waves down south then I won’t be able to justify gorging in the north.
Angry dicks are always going to do angry dick things.
Here’s the irony of it…he’ll probably end up a prison in Arizona.
Yeah, sometimes i worry about the 30 or so boards sitting below my house. If there were a fire my family would be cooked.
This could be payback to Dive Oahu, a Texas-owned company that usurped the two concessions at the Duke statue a few years ago.
The owner’s house was “mysteriously” burned in 2018, so this is suspect also.
https://www.staradvertiser….
Regardless of whether it was payback or not, almost burning down the Moana Surfrider is just a bad idea that isn’t going to be popular with many..
And how many of the braddahs lost boards?
And criticizing 12-foot tanker boards at Waikiki just proves how damned little the author knows about any damned thing anyway.
braddas got priced out years ago.
Rabbit is gone.
Burn it.
And who cares about a rich persons hotel.
Waikiki has lost its soul along time ago
Tony Moniz and his family are still there and they are braddahish.
All very good surfers and they have some true aloha. It’s nice.
There are still local boys steering the canoes and giving surf lesssons.
Some are grumpy, some aren’t.
And the Moana Surfrider was the first hotel on the beach at Whacky Whacky around 1901 or so.
When it was just the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana, it was nice.
Duke used to dance hula for Hawaii Calls at the Moana Surfrider – there are echoes of a nicer past there.
It’s all the other modern cement boxes that suck.
Just stayed there two weeks ago and I enjoyed the historic vibe even if you have to go up to the second floor to find it.
Moana Surfrider still has the feeling but Royal Hawaiian has it more.
When it was just those two, before it was a zoo.
I agree. It’s great that those two spots have endured.
I walked through the Royal Hawaiian every day when I was going to Canoes. That is probably one of the best hotels in the world – and definitely was in its heyday. They’ve done a good job of preserving it.
Waikiki was seen from the Mai Tai Bar at the RH at Golden House still has the magic.
I was being too harsh. I was there last year and it was pretty sad how they have changed it.
I lived there 90-92
I know those hotels are iconic but they have lost their charm too.
How much does a mai tai cost at the RH?
There must have been some classic boards lost… that sucks.
It seems serious crime is getting out of control on Oahu.
The board rack was literally at a police station!
-peace
I get a greater kick out of your density than most things in life. Please don’t go away again. Or disappear your comments.
Criticizing 12-foot tankers at Waikiki shows an astonishing lack of knowledge of anything that didn’t happen in the last five years.
The email with the link to this story that you sent to everyone at Beachgrit…
Did you fantasize about the stories and angles you could write about down here if the story was run?
Fantasize about BeachGrit?
Ummmmm no.
There’s nothing fantastic or fantasizable about BitchGripe.com
Sent a lead to a possibly good story, but true to form it got trivialized and falsified and snarkified and it’s just as dumb and kind of vacant as everything else on here.
Nothing fantastic about that, Captain Fantastic.
No silly, fantasize about what gems you could add to the conversation in the comments…
Captain Fantastic is a great family movie! I take it you know some of the Actors?
Haven’t seen Captain Fantastic. Might know some of the actors.
Did have a nice chat with Todd Phillips the other day, a couple days after the Oscars.
Told him he got robbed and he agreed – but smiling quietly to himself, which is how you like afer your wild-ass idea makes $1,100,000+
Told him I’d just done a college paper for a girl about Apocalypse Now.
Told him Apocalypse Now got beat by Kramer vs Kramer for Best Picture, but which movie is still resonating?
Which movie inspired songs by The Clash and Charlie Daneils?
Told him when I was on the aircraft carrier watching John Milius shoot Flight of the Intruder, I told John that in the history of inspired Hollywood lightbulbs, turning Heart of Darkness into a Vietnam parable was pretty fricking brilliant.
Idea and execution.
And I said Joker had the similar touch of genius – taking a comic book character and tweaking it into a very relevant comment on all the lost, forgotten, hopeless Arthur Fleck angry souls there are on every street corner these days – and even commenting on BeachGrit.com.
He agreed and said he thinks Joker will resonate much longer than Parasite.
I didn’t ask if he had a choice, would be take an Oscar for Best Picture or a billion at the box office?
But Captain Fantastic? Nope.
Nice to hear Todd is a compassionate Guy and not the sort of dude that just calls the cops.
Just what goodies does he have in his trash can?
I’ll take it Nega, you had to google the name Todd and came up with your questions?
I have no idea who he is either and resisted google
Yes because you don’t know shit, including how to spell.
Culturally illiterate, like most people.
You might not be Kim Kardashian, but you are addicted to the show.
Nope, turned her offer down flat. You don’t know shit amigo.
I grew up in the Entertainment industry as a vendor. Been in a lot of homes hasBeEN. Movies are not culture amigo, cept a select few and decreasing every minute CGI is alive.
And I love the way my parents spelled my birth name.
Nope, turned her offer down flat. You don’t know shit amigo.
I know how to spell.
I grew up in the Entertainment industry as a vendor.
Selling overpriced popcorn and sodas: “You want butter with that?”
Been in a lot of homes hasBeEN.
With a flashlight and wearing a ski cap.
Movies are not culture amigo,
Well there’s a dumb statement. Are you kidding?
cept a select few and decreasing every minute CGI is alive.
This year was pretty good: Joker was good, Once Upon a Time was good. Irishman was good. Didn’t see JoJo Rabbit or Parasite, but heard they were good. Not much CGI in any of them. Heard Once Upoin a Time didn’t use any, which is why they won an Oscar for Set Decoration or Art Direction or something.
And I love the way my parents spelled my birth name.
Hippolytes?
Call the cops why?
He’d read my Malibu book and he liked it, so we broed down.
“Goodies does he have in his trash can” = ????
What is that?
Hipster speak?
Kiwi Hipster Speak?
South Island Kiwi Hipster Speak.
What do you mean:
“ Told him I’d just done a college paper for a girl about Apocalypse Now.” ?
Are you getting paid to fake other’s learning?
Yep, she got an 88.
That’s also a symbol for white supremacists.
And I got paid.
I make Spicoli sound like Shakespeare!!!
That’s rather disingenuous / hypocritical of you, esp. considering all your comments regarding the dumbing-down of the youth.
Isn’t it also verging on criminal?
Only criminal if she got a C or less.
And she probably learned from that
I find that ethically disgusting and I’m rather disappointed in you Ben.
She is Vietnamese but I don’t know why ethnicity should have anything to do with it.
And I shall now be forced to live under the shadow of your disapproval.
You and Longtom.
How much can a koala bare?
If you guys offer him a mail room position as an unpaid intern and give him the WSL address in Venice adjacent as your offices, commenter will show up tommorow, sunday, ready for work.
This from the dumbass who can’t even spell “hippie” correctly.
Funny that Kim Kardashian is reading this site and commenting.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
she looks worse in person….
something you two share in person.
Learn how to spell.
If we could beat the nostelgia out of him he’d be a great addition. Company man.
nostalgia
And an encyclopedic, accurate grasp of history isn’t nostalgia, it’s mastery.
Ask Tarantino.
I know it’s hard to believe! but I dropped out of High School quite young.
The family went donkey went lame and you didn’t want to walk five miles every day so you just said “skip it.”
you know jack shit about history.
who invented man on man surfing?
Had to be an Australia, otherwise you wouldn’t have chimed in with great vegeance and furious anger.
That’s easy.
Peter Drouyn, I think.
Stubbies, I thinik
How do you pronounce that last name, Drouyn?
“Drew in” Like “Bruin” Like “groyne”
Or Andy Warhol in San Diego Surf (1969)
Incorrect.
Drew in, yes.
You claim an encyclopaedic, accurate grasp of history and don’t know who invented man on man surfing, the foundation stone of modern pro surfing?
Joke. You. Are.
No I said “encyclopedic.”
The American spelling so only Americans are relevant to me, and only facts about Americans stick in me Gulliver.
So thrill us Mr. Know it All: Who invented man on man surfing?
Snowy McAllister or Bluey Magoo or Hulk Hogan or some debatable obscurity like that?
If he wasn’t American, nobody gives a shit.
Maybe it was Duke K.
“If he wasn’t American, nobody gives a shit.”
Least you’ve hoist your colours up the flagpole now.
“hoisted your colors”
And you’re being evasive.
IT was Peter Drouyn.
A Seppo got it right and https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Damn it, Ben. You running multiple accounts again?
Yes, in fact, he is.
Small world…💥
‘LongTom’,
wrote of this:
“You claim an encyclopaedic, accurate grasp of history and don’t know who
invented man on man surfing, the foundation stone of modern pro
surfing?”
Hmmm,
’twas not Peter?
Ok, I’ll guess that it was this,
an oooold dude, now deceased, who helped out U.S.A. surfing more than you,
an Aussie, prob’s never met, will never know of: A surfer named Hoppy Swartz!?!
Dude musta surely have thought of ‘Man~on~Man’ competition,
waaaay back in Thee ’60’s, right?
Don’tcha know of ol’ ‘Hoppy’?
Well, here’s some more tid~bit’s of info for ya B/G kooks who know it all,
link~ie too: https://apnews.com/9305ad3c…
Surfing Community Mourns Death Of Hoppy Swartz,
Father Of Organized Surfing
JEFF WILSON June 13, 1988
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Lewis Earl ″Hoppy″ Swartz,
the father of organized surfing and developer of the judging system used on the
professional circuit, has died of a stroke while on his way to a surf
competition. He was 71.
Swartz collapsed while standing in line at a ticket counter at the
Los Angeles airport Thursday, his longtime friend, Dave McIntyre, said
Monday.
As Swartz wished, his body will be cremated and the ashes scattered Sunday at Redondo Beach.
Swartz,
a 1930s surfing champ who was a familiar figure on
California beaches with his trademark straw hat, was headed for a
Western Surfing Association contest in Santa Cruz when he died.
~snip~
A mate of mine has known him since the 1960’s and has always pronounced it as Droon…
A mate of mine has known him since the 1960’s and has always pronounced it as Droon…
Err,
thee 1 on the left?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Bonus points to Ben, he answered 1st, hahaha…
Lottsa man on man in Sydney last nite.
Pretty sure it was Mick Fanning wasn’t it? Or is this not what you meant by “man on man” https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Sarge?
Oh hardy har har, it is to laugh: https://www.youtube.com/wat…
I already cracked that joke with the Andy Warhol line.
For those of you without encyclopedic mammaries: In 1969, Warhol made a movie called San Diego Surf.
I described it as a “homoerotic surf movie,” but C Malloy corrected me and said, “It’s not a homoerotic surf movie. It’s a surf-erotic homo movie! Honestly, as i recall, it was like Buster Keaton ate acid and had Abercrombie dudes double as the Pump House Gang. It’s a dilettante delusion man. “
Love those Malloys. They’re sophisto and give answers like that. They aren’t a buncha dullards like you…
Oh, sorry.
But apparently there’s a lot of man on man in Warhol’s surf movie.
Quiksilver were going to show it at that New York surf contest a few years back, but then they took a pilgrimage to the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and actually saw it: Too many Golden Showers and whatnot.
Too much man on man.
It was Warhole what invented man on man surfing.
1969.
Way before Drouyn.
Okay I got a good answer.
I actually knew that about the Tom Morey Noseriding Contest because I have a lost movie of it that Bruce Brown made but never released. But I didn’t think of it in that man on man context don’t you know.
How about this, then, Mr. Know it All?
Drouyn introduced man-on-man competition to the IPS Tour at the 1977 Stubbies, but there had been plenty of man-on-man formats before then. In 1965, for example, the Tom Morey Noseriding Contest, the sport’s first pro event, saw Mickey Munoz and Mike Hynson dueling for dollars in the final. In another example, nine years later the 1974 U.S. Championships held at Cape Hatteras featured a man-on-man ladder that resulted in a final between Rick Rasmussen and Jim Cartland. So no, Drouyn didn’t invent man-on-man, but he did bring it to the modern pro tour.
See?!?!?! AMERICANS!!!!!!!!
America Uber Alles, baby.
Uncle Sam annexed the brown man to bring surfing to Australia.
Uncle Sam sent movie stars with shortboards to Australia.
Uncle Sam invented the printing press to export surf media to Australia.
Uncle Sam introduced man on man surfing to Australia so some dude who looks like a lady could claim it.
AMERICA UBER ALLES!!!
‘Hippy’ wrote this:
“If you guys offer him a mail room position as an unpaid intern”
~snip~
^^^^^
Unpaid?
Esh, BG should be able to afford ol’ Ben,
what with thee recent up~tick in clicks, the owners oughta be rakin’ in the dough!
Dude i know, from my El Porto dayz, runs a loc website, cam’s at many an L.A. beach. Esh, i even told him where to put a few, hahaha. So i, rw, asked him, years ago, what he was pullin’ in, as he never paid me for any surfpix i had sent him.
Told me he got a .25¢ a click,
a $1.00 if ya clicked 1 of the ads displayed,
hmmmm…
If Beachie~Grit can make that same kinda income as Mikey,
{how many millions of clicks did Chas boast of thee other day?},
well they could easily hire ol’ Bennie to ruffle some feathers for further clicks, right? Dude seems to get you whom in~habit thee peanut gallery here, wound up,
so hire the dude already, let him get Gritty!!!
Hahahaha…
Look for the guy with the smile out at Queens on his 6’2 .
Why would anyone surf Queens on a 6′ 2″, unless the guy is an Oompa Loompa.
Haha..I use to in the 80’s on a fish.
I was 25 and nowhere close to riding a mal
If any wave on this planet is a longboard wave, it’s Queens.
Much better shortboard waves either way.
Kaisers, Bowls, even Rockpile.
I love Rockpile.
Even Pops and Threes when they get good.
Waikiki is underrated.
I would say don’t tell anyone, but there’s so much surf there, I don’t think it matters.
As a 54 old man, I can say I agree.
As a poor 25 yr old with a fish and big wave board, my choice was limited.
It was Charles…..everyone has lost interest in his shark schtik (even Junk Groom has fucked off).
A desperate cry for attention.
Onya Chas. Beach Grit gets it right while Stab fucks it up with conspiracy theories. The public city racks have been there forever and rented monthly. A tragic loss for old time locals and many others with close to 500 cherished classic short and longboards gone up in smoke. Unko’s cherry 1986 shaped 9’0 Iggy burned. That video looks like one punk faka local meth head.
I just read Stab’s backpeddling today and so odd!
Stab is a fuck up anyway
The fire appears to be an escalation of what has now become known as The Surf War, which has pitted “hardcore” shortboarders and real surfers against late adult oncomers and SUP enthusiasts. Found at the scene was a printout of an online surf article titled “Trojan Oars: Standup Journal celebrates ‘roar of approval throughout surf industry’ over Erik Logan’s “anointing” as new WSL CEO” from the largest little surf website, Beach Grit. Authorities say that the printout contained highlighted passages with handwritten notes in the margins, including “SUP is evil!,” “DESTROY!,” and “My Laird and Saviour” next to the author’s name.
“Things we gained in the fire”
Peace of mind
Core locals rejoice
Same comments for you, my friend. Get real. it’s Waikiki. No “hardcore” or any other kinda shortboarders there because they can’t catch that type of wave. If you can’t respect the locals (lots of “real surfers” among the beachboys, etc., been surfing since childhood) then go elsewhere. Half-baked ignorant haole attitude get you in trouble. Meanwhile, makes you sound like a kook. Lot of very big, very excellent lifetime surfers ride very big boards and love to give lesson to you.
I spent three years paddling from Kewalo Basin to Canoes and back and passing every spot along Ala Moana Beach Park – Courts, Concessions. Baby Haleiwa – then Bowls, Rockpile, Kaisers, Threes, Paradise Pops – and in all that time there were zero bad vibes anywhere, ever.
I was on a SUP and stayed out of Bowls and Kaisers – I think even Gerry would get barked at if he tried to SUP Bowls – and the only people who barked at me were mainland tourist dorks who could barely paddle a surfboard.
The truth is, there is so much surf in Waikiki during the season that there is no reason to get mad at anyone.
There’s almost always waves, the wind is almost always perfect, the tide don’t matter too much and you can surf yourself stupid from sunrise to sundown.
So I don’t think there is a war going on between shortboarders and big-boarders, at all.
This was a stupid crackhead what done this, or maybe it was payback on the haole guy who took over both concessions on either side of the Duke statue.
I know what the dentist dude paid a month for one of those concessions – five figures – they make choke kala.