FSM continues its mission of preserving Florida’s surfing history with the first phase of our Digital Archive Project. We recently completed the archiving of Wave Rider Magazine, an important Cocoa Beach, Florida based surf magazine published by John and Gunnar Griffin.
(John Griffin) Surfing was trying to gain a permanent image in the early seventies, and promotion of the sport was mainly centered in California due to the two main stream publications Surfer and Surfing Magazines. East Coast Talent had to sell out to the West Coast imaging to gain any type of publicity or coverage in either of the Magazines, and manufacturing sponsorship for an East Coaster was limited to impressionism from the so called mainstays of the sport “Surfer” and “Surfing” whom were touting their own Champions.
My brother and I wanting to build the sport and not agreeing with the nepotistic way of building a Champion on paper in current use decided to add our support in building a sport dearly loved by ourselves. Our quest began in the late 60’s with financing, publishing, advertising, promotion, and printing. It took almost five years to gain funding and to learn the ends and outs of publishing.
At this point, we decided to go for it and on the following pages you will “through our eyes” see an East Coasters view of history and the promotion of the sport.
The Magazine was in print from 1975 to 1982 and featured extensive coverage of Florida and the east coast surfing and skate scenes which were largely ignored by the national media. Contributors included Dick Catri, Greg Lohr, Pete Dooley and local photographers such as Roger Scruggs, Eric Olson, Kevin Welsh, and Tony Arruzza.
The magazine later included Skate Rider in its format and covered many milestone events in the Florida skate scene including the first photographic evidence of Alan Gelfand’s seminal move-the Ollie. You can find the link on our webpage here:
https://floridasurfmuseum.orglinks
Mahalo to Torrey Cranston, who spent many hours scanning and organizing this important document.
So cool!! The 76/77 issue with the cover missing has a sick Spanish House shot of my Dad, (Robert Volland), getting shacked on page 41. He is riding a custom 7’4″ O’Hare that Pat made him when he got home from Guam/Nam in 1972.
Subsequently, I broke the tail off that board at the Salick Paddleout, stripped and reshaped it into a 5’10” for my Daughter, but kept it as a Singlefin with the basic shape and bottom that Pat put in in 40 years earlier!! Pat and my Dad have been the best of friends since meeting in 64′, and my Dad was one of his earliest team riders and underground Canaveral Pier legends like the McRoberts and Haulk Brothers!
I have been looking for this pic all of my life!! Even the photographer, Floyd Foist, who is still a family friend, can no longer find the negatives nor slide!
Considering that Pat passed away yesterday, and not only my entire family, but most of the local surf community are in mourning,…. This picture truly made my weekend!!!
Thank You to the Museum and those who worked so tirelessly to put this all together and show such respect to the past!!!!
This is the first board that I ever got tubed on at 7 years old and now my lil girl and I both ride it as a reshaped single in Memory of Pat!!
Sean J. Volland
“Surfing” on the net, I found this site. One of the things I’ve been searching are photos taken by Joaquin Garcia….I know he did some work with Wave Rider Magazine. And, that he was associated with one of the surf shops in Jax Beach. I’ve been trying to make contact with him for many years now, as I know he shot many, many in-water photos at the “Blowhole” in St. Augustine. A couple of folks from Jacksonville tried to help, but still wasn’t able to make any contact. Do you know of any photo archives of his that may have shots from the Blowhole?? Thanks, “Crawdad”…William Crawford