The Surfer’s Library

Today we continue Corky Carroll's autobiography, Not Done Yet, with Chapters 13 & 14. We left Corky last episode at a cross roads. He had just hung up his jersey and retired from surfing and had parted ways with his surfboard company. We pick up with Corky making a big change to get away from the crowds and he trades the beach for the mountains and a whole lot of powder.

Let’s paddle out and follow Corky on his next adven...

This episode we're diving into Chapters 11 & 12 of Corky Carroll's Not Done Yet, and Corky's story takes some seriously unexpected turns.

Corky launches his own surfboard company, Space Sticks

Drama with Gerry Lopez at the 1971 Pipeline Masters

Corky tries his hand at becoming a musician

And somehow… he ends up making appearances on the Merv Griffin Show!

Surfboards, Pipeline, music, television, and plenty of Corky Carro...

Today we’re diving into Chapters 8, 9, and 10 of Not Done Yet by the legendary Corky Carroll.

Another episode packed with great stories from surfing’s golden era, told by one of the greatest surfers to ever do it. We’ll hear about Corky’s contribution to the shortboard revolution, how he won the 1967 International Big Wave Championship in Peru, and even his adventures surfing the cold, forbidden waves of my ...

This episode we learn all about Corky's involvment in the greatest surf flick ever... The Endless Summer. Tune in and hear about the cross country promo trip, getting lost in Indiana, getting punched in the face by Bruce Brown and much much more.

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Also, if ...

We’re kicking off summer and Season 3, with one of our all-time favorite surfers, Corky Carroll, and his autobiography Not Done Yet. Now, if you were listening last season, you probably remember we already read a little bit from this book back on Episode 20. Well, I loved it so much that I reached out to Corky and asked if we could just go ahead and make it the full Season 3 book, and thankfully he said yes. So thank you, Cor...

Today’s episode dives into Hansen: The Adventures of a Surfer, Skydiver, Team Roper, Entrepreneur by Don Hansen with Chris Ahrens, the story of a true original whose life went far beyond surfing. In this episode, we focus on Chapter 5, “In the Shadow of Waimea,” where Hansen spends a pivotal year on Oahu’s North Shore, pushing himself in some of the biggest waves in the world and ultimately landing a coveted...

Today we’re jumping back into The Way of the Surfer by Drew Kampion, reading “The Stylist: Country Livin’ With Bill Hamilton.” I’m a big Hamilton fan, so I’m especially stoked to bring you this one. If you’ve been around surfing for a while, you know he’s more than just Laird’s dad, Bill Hamilton is a legend, and one of the most stylish surfers of the ’60s and ’70s. ...

Today, in our continued tribute to women surfers and women’s history month I will be reading chapter 23 of Jim Kempton’s book Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions. It’s titled The Resurgence of Glide.

Last episode, we explored the pioneering women surfers of the 1950s and 60s, those who helped establish a place in ...

Chapter 6 of Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing from Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions by Jim Kempton moves us into the early twentieth century, when surfing began spreading beyond Hawai‘i and into popular culture. During this time, women played an important role in the evolution of surfing, a role that has not always been discussed. Women like Darrylin Zanuck, Kat...

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m diving into Jim Kempton’s incredible book, Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions.

This book is dedicated to restoring women to their rightful place in the history of surfing. Because from the very beginning, women have been in the lineup.

Long before professional tours, sponsors...

Today’s episode is a heavy one, in the best way. We’re diving into Chris Ahren's latest book Windansea: Life, Death, Resurrection. I’ve been chomping at the bit to crack this book open since the day it landed in my hands.

This book isn’t just about surfing, it’s about place, identity, loss, and what it means to come back from the edge. Windansea isn’t just a wave; it’s a proving ground. Ahr...

Today I’ll be reading from a book I recently picked up titled The Way of the Surfer: Living It, 1935 to Tomorrow by our friend Drew Kampion.

The Way of the Surfer profiles thirteen incredible names from surf history: Woody Brown, John Severson, Dick Brewer, Nat Young, Billy Hamilton, Rolf Aurness, Gerry Lopez, Tom Curren, Lisa Anderson, Kelly Slater, and Titus Kinimaka.

Today’s story is titled “John Severson: Inve...

This episode we revisit Matt Warshaw’s book Surfriders: In Search of the Perfect Wave and read a story called “Masters of the Universe”

In this story Warshaw takes us straight into the pressure cooker of professional surfing, where talent, ego, friendship, and fate all collide. We drop in at Pipeline in December of 1995, at the Chiemsee Pipeline Masters the final event of the season, held at the most dangerous and...

This episode we dig into chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Corky Carroll's autobiography Not Done Yet.

From growing up in Southern California to chasing waves, contests, and a life shaped by the ocean, Corky’s early chapters set the foundation for one of surfing’s most influential figures. These opening pages are filled with ambition, humor, and the unmistakable voice of someone who helped turn surfing into a profession long befor...

This episode we are excited to read selected excerpts (chapters 8 & 9) from Phil Jarratt's incredible book Mr. Sunset: The Jeff Hakman Story. Jeff Hakman was born in California in 1948, and by the age of eight his father had already set him on a surfboard. Four years later, the family moved to Oahu, and a year after that at just thirteen Hakman paddled out at Waimea Bay for the first time. We pick up in 1965, Jeff is 17 and fin...

This episode we are reading Jamie Brisick's short story Young, Loud and Shameless from the book: The Eighties at Echo Beach. It captures the wild, neon-soaked, punk-influenced surf scene of early ’80s Orange County and dives into the youthful chaos of the Echo Beach crew, kids who surfed hard, partied harder, and defined an entire aesthetic of the 1980s surf world. It's nostalgic, fast, stylish, and slightly bittersweet showi...

This episode we’re diving into one of the most powerful stories in modern surf history, the rise and tragic loss of big-wave icon Mark Foo. In Matt Warshaw’s story 'Death of a Legend', we trace Foo’s journey from a driven,...

This episode features a story from Matt Warshaw’s book Surfriders: In Search of the Perfect Wave. It’s called “Morning at Freshwater.”

When this story was written in the 1990’s, most people believed Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to Australia in 1914. Today, we know there were earlier examples of wave riding in Australia, but Duke’s visit to Freshwater remains a defining moment that helped su...