The SURF of del Rey

......At one time, out here, we had some surf. Waves that stretched from Ballona Creek, (Hoppyland, named after Hop-a-long Cassidy, an old time western film legend who owned land there, ) to the pipe, out in front of Culver Blvd., once known as Tareynton Jetty. I heard It got it's name from the Tareynton cigarette smokin' surfers, Terry Fergus being one of the kids who would terrorize the town and then dive into a bag of french fries at Zaffs Marina Fountain, only 25 cents, a big brown paper bag full, from what my friend Holly Hunter (Johnny Hunter's sister) told me, she lived on Trolley Way back then. 1963 or so. Later, I would go there when it was Captain's Burgers, get breakfast for a buck or a shake then go across the street and see Chuck for a Shackburger, fries and a coke, that's about all he had at the time and it was a "shack". Those are great memories. Thanks Holly, for your info..

This area was known as "Toes Beach" or "toes over"I was told that nickname came from surfing "toes over the nose", during the early years, when all there was were longboards. These waves usually were fast , it definetely wasn't a slow wave. "The Line-up", is what local surf veteren Bruce Peterson knew it as,because there were waves as far as you could see, a south west swell made it happen. The original "Toes Tavern", if you remember the pool hall chain a few years ago, started here below the "Chez del Rey", (the old brick bldg next to the "Shack") a little trivia. Anyways, from what I remember, surfing here was fun and convenient. I started off rafting, we called it, in the late 60's, a 2 ft by 4 ft air canvas mattress with a rope around the perimeter, you couldn't go anywhere else but straight down the face and to the beach, and that was o.k. and fun. Then my uncle, Don Russell Anderson, who lived in Westchester, gave me a long board he glassed, shaped by his partner Bob Russell Brown(Russell Surfboards, moved to Newport 34 years ago and still there end of the 55)...... I took it out at D & W (Dockweiler) with my neighbor, Larry Dickson, now a Lifeguard in Southbay, already into surfing. I had no clue what I was doing. I went out on an unwaxed board and, well, you know, it was like a slip-n-slide, I didn't do much standing.

A little later I tried knee-boarding only to eventually try surfing again. The first standing ride I got was out at R & R's (Rights into the Rocks) at Tareynton, on the north side, with Johnny Nueslin, back in the 70's. There were so many hot, even pro surfers, who came out of this town, that I wouldn't do it justice to try to mention all the names, besides , that isn't why I'm writing this, I'll finish this story another time.

What I'm trying to say is, some of the best waves I've ever ridden, broke right out front , maybe not as often, but just as perfect, if you grew up surfing here, you would have scored some of the most perfect waves, even barrels, such as South Side, R & R's, Northcurl, Mimi's, Gillis, (thank God Gillis still breaks a few times a year, and we need to keep it that way) some of the funnest lefts, at the creek, (It would just keep reforming), D & W, (still breaks in the winter, sometimes) but most of all, Tareynton lefts, when it broke, and it did on a southwest, usually early and late summer, late being best, It was awesome, the water was warm, and that time of year, you could trunk it. This left, would break from 2' to 10' backs, though, I didn't have a tape measure. On a good day, when it held its shape, laying back in the pocket seemed easy, such a rush and an experience I'll never forget, especially at your home break, I was regular foot and loved it, (left foot forward, sometimes a disadvantage on a wave breaking this direction) . At high tide R & R's would take you from 20 to 60 yards north of Tareynton, back to where the rocks met the sand.

Our beach had it's share of surfers, and all of the spectators who loved the sport, usually you could surf something out there, and in the winter, south side, was a literal "SHACK!!!!" The Shack had a local double meaning at that time. Then came the storm in the 80's. It scattered the jetty (groin) rocks all over and I guess brought alot of sand out of Ballona Creek into the boaters pathway to the Marina.

........Well, instead of repairing the groin or jetty, they removed it completely, put an ugly concrete encased pipe (storm drain) which needs repairing anyways, removed all the rocks, dredged out the sand that created the surf that so many of us grew up surfing on, only to allow boats to get into the Marina. Well, if they had a problem before the storm, it could have been thought out with more than just the boaters interests at heart, but since, at that time most surfers weren't well off, (though many are now), the sport was not as respected as it is today. We really didn't know what was about to happen to our surf, our beach, our lifestyle, but afterwards we were angry. Alot of locals moved away, to distant surf spots like the North shore, Oahu, (Playa del Rey's got their little community over there). Some moved to other coastal breaks, some lost interest, some quit, some even worshiped it too much, steppin' away from the lifestyle would've been the wisest choice for them, and of course, some passed on, still, some remain and surf semi-locally, many have become very successful with their lives, and some are active in our community, I hope that you would voice your interest and concern over this issue, even if you don't surf, you may still be able to understand what a wonderful lifestyle it was to be able to surf where you live. Our kids and grandkids still may be able to enjoy this once again as we and so many before us did.

.....On a side note, most real-estate in every surf town in Calif. is good, Malibu, Newport, Huntington Beach, La Jolla, Silverstrand,- Ventura, Rincon,-Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, just to name a few. Businesses also do very well. When the surf's up locally, so are profits, look at Mary Thompson's portrayal of Toes in '75 (click on art below) or come see it on the wall at Cafe Milan's, that's how it was, we would be foolish not to want that for our town.

.......We are blessed with a balance of activities in Playa del Rey. Sports, such as biking, volleyball, skating, boating, skateboarding and surfing should all be acknowledged as part of our beach town activities. I believe somehow a channel could be designed and built to allow the boats to enter safely from the south side, without allowing the sand to interfere with the passageway, sure we may not be able to surf Ballona creek, but the groin in front of Culver could be restored. This would bring back a forgotten characteristic Playa del Rey had enjoyed for years. I wish we knew what was being taken from us-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mike Lind

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Playa del Rey Beach:
Beach stretches north to the inlet of Marina Del Rey. Activities such as swimming, volleyball, biking, even at times surfing and kite flying on this very wide beach area. Good water conditions except when rain prevails and pollution exits to the bay via the LA River. DO NOT swim at the beach for a three day period after a heavy rain until bacteria levels subside.

Marina del Rey:
The largest man-made small-craft marina in the world !Just north of Playa, although you will need to travel around the Marina to enter it. From Playa: (By Car) take Culver Blvd. east to Jefferson east to Lincoln Blvd. (PCH 1). Go left (north) on Lincoln 1/2 mile to Fiji Way. Make a left at Fiji and you are at the southern most side of the Marina. (By Bike or afoot) Take the bike path or Pacific straight across the bridge into Fisherman's Village.

The Ballona Wetlands:
The Ballona Wetlands is one of the last remaining saltwater wetlands in Southern California. The 16.3 acre tidal wetland is a nursery and habitat for marine and mudflat creatures. It is a refuge for migrating birds and a source of peace and serenity for Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey. The wetlands have been considered sacred ground by native peoples for thousands of years. Several federal and state listed endangered species inhabit the Ballona Wetlands Ecosystem, including the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, the most endangered songbird in North America. The National Audubon Society gives nature tours of the wetlands. Please see the Audubon in Southern California or Friends of Ballona Wetlands.

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