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Gene
"Tarzan" Smith: Surfing Conqueror
Laird
Hamilton is considered one of the best all around waterman
of our modern times. An expert big wave surfer Hamilton
is well known. He is the first to be recognized for
combining high-powered jet skies, giant waves and surfing.
He is also an amazing paddler. Hamilton has paddled
the English Channel as well as completed many long distance
paddles all over the world. Years of surfing, swimming,
diving, sailing and other water skills and pursuits
have resulted in a toned well-sculpted body. Tall, tan
and with movie star good looks he appears in the new
upcoming James Bond movie. His broad shouldered and
sinewy strong muscles radiate strength. An all time
great waterman, one of the many aspects that separate
Hamilton from others is his ability to do things others
haven't even dreamed of. Laird sets standards for human
excellence and achievement.
Many
times if he is not doing something brand new he is pioneering
surfing spots that no one has ever surfed before. Laird
has broken the ice at exotic spots like Teahupo'o in
Tahiti, Jaws in Maui and outer Back yards on Oahu. In
short Hamilton is amazing.
Someone
who is equally as amazing and maybe more is Gene "Tarzan"
Smith. In the late 1930's very few surfers had ever
experienced the huge powerful waves of the North Shore.
Smith from California was the first mainlander to do
so by discovering the wild surf of Haleiwa. Built like
a Greek God he was no ordinary guy, standing tall at
a powerful 6'5" or 6'6".
Think
back to what it must have been like on the North Shore
at that time. Very few people were around; let alone
other surfers or lifeguards. Heavy wooden boards were
used and of course there were no leashes. If anything
were to go wrong help would be a long way off. It must
have taken a lot of courage with no shortage of guts.
Even
with his physical prowess there were still many challenges.
There was a shortage of money. Living on the island
and surfing, money wasn't as easy to catch as waves
or fish. He decided to become a beach boy like the Waikiki
south shore local boys. The only problem was there was
a strict hierarchy at the time. To be a beach boy one
would have to start around 14 years of age. After years
of servitude, raking the beach, carrying boards, getting
lunch etc. one would be promoted to assistant. After
still more years of hard work and dedication, usually
around 25 years of age, one could take a test. If they
passed they were promoted to the prestigious title of
"Beach Boy" and entitled to the accolades
and privileges that went with the territory. At the
time only Hawaiians were beach boys. Smith was white
or "haole".
Things
went rough in the beginning. Thinking he was just going
to get some boards and set up shop on the beach would
be easy he decided to circumvent the traditional chain
of command and set up as an independent. That move landed
big Tarzan in the Hospital after he was severely beaten
one night while returning home from the local tavern.
While
most might have given up Gene nursed himself back to
health and went back down to the beach. No one said
anything to him. He even passed some of the time with
the very characters that had pounded him so brutally.
In the end one by one he
returned the beating to each one who had pummeled him.
With perseverance and tenacious courage he became the
very first mainlander to become a legendary beach boy.
Perhaps
Tarzan was infamous for many things but he was most
proud of his paddling ability. Known for his solo inter
island-paddling conquests. He is a true conqueror, conquering
vast distances of inner and outer strength. Navigating
with only a compass and the stars through sometimes
horrendous conditions with huge seas up to 30 feet in
the middle of the night proved to all who were witness
that he was a man to take seriously.
He
would paddle for hours towards the majestic horizon
and many time's the setting sun and then back to shore.
One time he took off and didn't look back. He kept on
paddling to the next island, which took him eight hours.
The
holy grail of paddling to this day is Gene "Tarzan"
Smith going from Oahu to Kauai on a 13-foot primitive
wooden paddleboard. Some Hawaiians believe family souls
leave this world from Kaena Point. This is where he
chose to launch. With miles of muscle cramping and nonstop
open ocean paddling his only nourishment was water,
oranges and chocolate. Armed with a long knife in case
he encountered dangerous sea creatures (they did find
a 40 foot squid) he persevered on and on. Covered with
blue bottle jellyfish stings his body welted up, he
didn't stop until arriving 30 hours later on Kauai.
Gene Tarzan Smith became the first and only man to this
day to accomplish this historic feat of endurance faith
and courage. No one, not even Laird has been able to
even come close to anything like this.
Two
well-known watermen attempted to repeat what Tarzan
had done many decades earlier. In 1999 California's
Sam Hawk and Hawaii's Tom Stone left Oahu's Waimea Bay
one early summer evening hoping to reach Kauai. They
almost made it. After trying all night and into the
next day crossing approximately 80 miles of deep open
ocean, fatigue and the bluebottle jellyfish stings forced
the adventures to capitulate.
The
genius of Eugene Tarzan Smith and of Laird Hamilton
is that they didn't believe in simply following the
standard but instead chose to define, set and exceed
standards for past present and future generations.
If
we each define and set our own standards aiming higher
and further we to will become conquerors expanding our
inner and outer strengths and exceed what we ever thought
possible. Sea you in the surf.
The Willis Bros. are surfing experts recognized for
surfing the worlds largest waves and teaching thousands
in Hawaii and California to surf.
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