The king of the sea!
Sunday is Matt Warshaw day, when surfing’s sole historian and its most quotable writer looses a sprawling stream-of-consciousness email upon his subscribers.
Today, Warshaw riffs on the North Shore bodysurfer, Mark Cunningham, a man who is to the North Shore what Churchill was to his besieged people in 1940: an unwavering symbol of determined righteousness and with a sorta off-kilter brilliance.
Read and learn:
Cunningham is of course the world’s most revered bodysurfer. For many of you, he is the only revered bodysurfer, but that is because so little attention has been paid to bodysurfers over the past 50 or so years.
Bodysurfing got way more attention in the earlies; Ron Drummond wrote a whole book about it, and Russell Hughes’ one brush with fame came with this long board-free ride in the ’68 World Surfing Championships, as seen on Wide World of Sports. Bruce Jenkins, in this excellent Mark Cunningham profile, highlights some of the first great bodysurfers.
The surf leash broke up surfing and bodysurfing, which up to that point had been united since the beginning—wipeout, lose board, bodysurf, repeat— and not long afterward Cunningham more or less became our one-man repository for what some people think of as the purest form of wave-riding.
It is often said that Cunningham is amphibious, which is true but incomplete.
Yes, he is amphibious.
He is also Ferrari.
He is chinchilla fur, knee-length and silk-lined.
Cunningham is as powerful and smooth as he is fish-like, in other words.
He wanted to bodysurf Pipeline the way Lopez board-surfed it, and that is what he did. No tricks, no wasted motion. Just mindful Zen-infused chinchilla-trimmed Ferrari perfection from takeoff to beach landing.
I have to tell this last story, even though it is self-serving and makes it appear as if Mark bought his way into EOS, which of course he did not.
While roaming a distant corner of the Surf Expo tradeshow in Orlando two years ago, I found Mark sitting alone at a booth, his magnificent head of white hair full and lofty, looking every bit the hawk-nosed crinkly-eyed younger brother of Nick Lowe.
A perennial EOS subscriber, Mark clapped me on the back and raved about the site and the importance of surf history and whatnot, and maybe because I did such a good job at maintaining cool he suddenly reared back and said, “Are you still taking donations?” I nodded. He pulled out an ancient two-tone Velcro wallet, ripped it open and fished out the only bill therein, a twenty, which he looked at for a moment then folded once and handed over.
He frowned.
“That’s not enough,” he muttered.
With a snap of the fingers, he squatted down, rummaged through a duffle bag, and came up with a shrink-wrapped box of Mauna Loa chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, which he also handed over, then once again clapped my back and sent me off with more uplifting remarks.
Dammit, he did buy his way onto EOS!
(Mark’s EOS page went up this week, as did his Above the Roar interview, and here’s his own short but wise bodysurfing primer.)
You won’t, and shouldn’t, no need ever, hear a bad word about Mark. Gritties are obsessed with slandering Slater here though, and, I mean, what a target, yes?
Does it surprise you arguably the two best of us in the world are besties? Yup, Mark and Kelly sitting in a tree … here is a twue stowy for WARSHAW:
I am fairly sure it was about 94, another Island Winter and I stopped for Lunch at the notorious [and nowadays notoriously non-Covid friendly, the place is a pig pile as another Mark friend and big meat eater Ken Bradshaw used to call it] Down To Earth Vegetarian health food extravaganza. I couldn’t help but notice Mark and Kelly were a few people behind me in line loading up on tofu casseroles and while not normally a fanboy I was both hurt and proud that the Dynamic Duo got their trays and sat right next to me but without noticing or acknowledging me at all- yes I am that guy who did usually get SOME waves at Pipe, even though they weren’t ever truly far enough behind the far outside peak tbh, oh yeah, that must have been why they didn’t recognize me, of course they only talk to other true behind the pipeline peakers, my loss. Hey Mark, at least you never had to save me, yet. So, we were about 15 inches apart in the tiny chairs next to the tiny tables, and me and Cunningham are both long tall Sallys though Slater fit in there nicely, this was in the upstairs dining ‘room’ for those familiar with this Hawaiian Hippie Haven and of course this fly on the wall had to listen in on their so so so manly and awesome convo, which was all about, I s#$% you not, very sentimental personal stuff about each others families that I would not even repeat out of respect and a lot of sweet talk from both of them about Kelly’s Mom, this is the straight dope … the two best surfers in the world are Momma’s Boys, and, it is very cool … You look up Cool in the dictionary, if we still had those, and there is Cunningham, OK Slater a little bit, but, Mark all the WAY …
My Heroes are Duke, Eddie, Mark and Butch
Lifeguards All
Just heard about KWAI couple weeks ago when she pulled into Honolulu harbor with her hold full of nets and garbage. Thanks for the link. Wow 45 days at sea without any port of call. That’s intense. Cleaning out the garbage patch in the North Pacific gyre is vital and the collaboration with Matson was impressive. Wouldn’t mind crewing on the Hawaii/Cooks run. 43 meters under full sail power would be incredible.
Mad!!
Mostly charters west side Maui to east Molokai and Lanai circa 95 to 2006. Kinda quiet round here lately Goat. Like a ghost town. Planny businesses going belly up The great cull has begun
It’s a participation award society now brother.
Everyone gets a prize. Who needs credibility? As long as you have an IG account, only thing that matters is followers.
Everyone learned to body surf to collect errant boards. As basic to surfing as paddling then. There was dignity in swimming after mistakes, made completed rides that much more successful.
Wow
Talk about riding the foam ball!!
I’d like to take this moment and submit one of the best movies I’ve ever watched – “Bodysurfin’ The Movie”
Another bullshit fractured fairytale based loosely on fake events by Mr cut and paste Warshaw. It’s curious Matt how Mark told me a complete different story of you meeting him at the Surf Expo. I called you out on it back then in the BG comments right after Grit episode 33 and I’m calling you out on it again now. Your EOS has zero credibility in Hawaii. Good luck selling it to the hillbilly VALS. BTW Reno’s still looking for you.
Gritty !
I knew it
Fake EOS news!!
Hey Huli
Just wondering if you were part of the bodysurfing community in the 70s-80’s.
I was friends with 2 guys that met out body surfing pipe in the 70’s. I would tag along to Makapuu with them 89-91.Point Panic was a favorite. Bill Lewin ring a bell?
Yep I remember Bill from the Makapu`u bodysurfing club and met him through Bob Thomas at Kaneohe Marine Base one classic kona wind day at Pyramid rock. I’ve been a dedicated bodysurfer ever since I learned to swim and still one of the old summertime crew at Gas Chambers at Sandy beach. I’ve been a lifelong surfer, wavesailor, paipo, booger, paddler, free diver and 100 ton rated sail-endorsed captain. I’m from Oahu in town and Ke Iki in the country but I lived on Maui for about 20 years during our heyday of wavesailing at Hookipa, Peahi and uncrowded Honolua. Point Panic was always fun too but I can’t seem to get there much anymore. There’s nowhere with the year round consistency, size and ideal conditions for bodysurfing than the Ka Iwi coast esp Sandys and Makapuu. I know you know brah and you must remember those days when you was living on Kahala Ave driving your old beater everywhere. Bodysurfing is sacred.
Haha..I lived next door to Bill.He was a lot of fun.
The other body surfer was his housemate Terry, a huge guy from California that I painted houses with.
Best workout there is, we would be out at Makapuu for hours.
If you like the car, check the airport garage. Might still be there.
Blahlah we bodysurfed Slaughterhouse and Stables ALONE for decades mon … the hippies lived on both beaches back then on Maui and the hot naked hippie chicks served us poha lemongrass tea in between seshs but none of the Flower Children could handle the pounding barrels either spot can generate during Winter months so they just watched us, the only ones with shorts on too, just for protection purposes, we take em off on the beach too, for a free show- I seen my cousin take off at the far right outside of Slaughterhouse cove and bodysurf literally onto the beach on the far left side getting piped over and over, only wearing one fin too … only one old Churchill duck foot … but, nothing tops Sandys, nothing, and if anybody think otherwise we’ll see you there so you can tell ALL the Blahlahs about it … hahaha, like that will ever happen …
No wonder he’s hiding in that city of no god
Jebus – body surfing, fuck me !
What’s next Matt ?
Cripples and nut draggers, I spose.
Curious…is Mark related to Richie Cunningham from Happy Days?
No, but he probably body surfed Joanie.
And “jumped the shark” for sure I reckon.
Is he also dead now? Why are we hearing about this poor old kook bastard.
I think this article is for those of us who do not afford the Surfers Journal.
I like the phrasing you used there Pete. “do not afford” instead of “cannot afford”. Party on.
Party on, Otto.
Would he be classed
As a single fin model
Or a two plus one?
Alaia
Can’t wait for my EOS entry!:
Von Fanningstadt, Karl “KVF”
Medium-low output surf commenter from San Diego, who first made a name for himself (real, of course… and literally) on the pages of Beach Grit in the Wild West, three to five comments an article days writing semi-humorous nothings that caught the attention of the 19 other website regulars and assorted interlopers. A self-described “power surfer of incredibly poor stock who could spray Fanningesque buckets,” Von Fanningstadt was a pretty crappy surfer.
Through a wasteful, verbose style, over reliance on crummy MS Paint art projects, and crippling and chronic bout of loneliness, he was able to build a long(ish) career as a commenter. He rarely went more than four or five days without at least commenting once. His attempts at roasting easy target surf celebrities, though often a failure, could be devastating, especially of former WSL CEO, Erik “ELo” Logan.
Career highlights include popularizing saying Julian Wilson and Jordy Smith were in line for Joel Parkinson Lifetime Achievement Award Titles (for which another commenter later said made him a “legend”), writing two reasonably lukewarmly received BG articles, writing several novel chapters as comments, squeezing all the juice out of the “squirt” era, and never failing to trash Matt George. Those, as well as his song parodies were… kind of his schtick.
A personal favorite story of mine was when he made that one art piece for EOS, the one where he had Sam George claim he invented surf commentary.
He died how he lived and commented: anonymously.
P.S. I have never met the man in my life.
Matt Warshaw
I’m still waiting on mine from a few months ago. Matt is like the Catholic Church and only records the stuff he likes.
In anus domini!!
Dominated in the anus?
Thankfully not yet
Still some wriggle room, eh?
That’s fucking good Karl. You are certainly Beach Grit “legend” status in my book at least. Maybe not Warshaw’s book, but at lest you carved a name for yourself in one book. You can die a content man now.