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We open with Phil and Mickey looking at shots of themselves riding Sunset Beach on a Hobie Catamara. They haven’t seen them before and are quite interested to see how large the waves look. Phil, looking at the largest wave shot of he and Mickey riding Sunset, opens with the comment: “That’s the largest wave I’ve ever seen break at Doheny.”
Phil : Where’s my pictures; I have some pictures of big waves. (Phil pulls out a stack of photos taken by Bud Browne in the late 50′s of giant Makaha surf, looking like 25 to 30 feet)
Munoz : I don’t know, Phil, you keep looking at those.
Phil : Hey that’s Cabell. That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone go on a surfboard. That thing was unreal. It looked like it was shifting gears or something. I had a picture of a big wave with Pat Curren on it – there it is. Besides that shot of Greg Noll at outside Banzai, I think this is the largest wave ever ridden.
Pezman : What about Makaha back in ’59? Wasn’t there some 35 foot happening back then with Downing and those guys?
Phil : Oh, yeah, Downing came up bleeding from the ears and spitting blood. He got driven so deep; I wasn’t there, but Bill Drako was there. He came up bleeding from the ears, and you know all those guys can all dive 50 feet.
Munoz : Well, Buzzy’s hit bottom in 65 feet of water there.
Phil : And to that add whatever the wave was above that figure for the full round trip (chuckle). Like if it was 20 or 30 foot wave and it drives you down 70 feet, you’re going a hundred feet straight down, just like that.
Phil : We’ve just got to ride a bigger wave. A wave that’s cresting right on top of the peak of the mast.
Pezman : Why?
Phil : Just to do it. You’re better off in a boat than you are on a surfboard, especially with those new shortboards.
Pezman : The boats faster?
Phil : Oh, gee, you have so much more authority with a boat. We were pushing over the backs; we had a better wind on that small day that we went out. We could go right up over the back and catch the wave.
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