Now that sounds like a great retirement! I'm hoping I can find something similar to that one day.

First time surfing, I don't remember anymore but I do have a lot of memorable hurricane wind chop sessions in my first 5 years of surfing. After that waves just started to seem small and weak, but that's probably because that's when I outgrew my surfboards. I still remember my first two boards a 6'2 University Surf & Skate and a 5'11 Cannibal thumbtail thruster. I used to love paddling out thinking the surf was pumping when in reality it was probably only 5 or 6ft wind chop. We had a lot of good surf sessions as groms and always paddled out no matter how small or crappy it was. Since then I have been on surf trips and surfed much better waves than when we started surfing, but nothing tops off my first 5 years of learning to surf in Cocoa Beach.

Maybe the waves were better from 2000-2006, but I still think learning how was the best part and can still remember 5 or 6 amazing sessions and waves all from the first 5 years.

Ahh... found an old school pic of me and my first board. That board was the bribe that got me to cut all my hair off.

1964 I started getting rides from my sisters boyfriends who would sit up in the car and make out; I got to ride their boards. 1st board was an Oceanside, then a Con then hundreds since then, I have spent a college education in surfboards.

I grow up in NJ.  We lived about an hour from the nearest beach. My Father hada small boat that for many summer he kept at a marina on Long Beach Island.  As kid we would go down to Ship Bottom and while my dad and one or two of his Fishing buddies went fishing, the wives and us kids would head for the Beach.  We Had canvas mats and i loved riding them.  I never saw a Surfboard untill I read an artical in Look or maybe Life magazine. It was in a Nov or Dec issue. From those few photos I learned about the craze taking over in Calif. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a Board and try riding waves.  The Following Summer Ron Jons opened their first shop in Ship Bottom. I begged my Father to rent a board I was 13  He made deal with me If I cut the lawn at his sample homes ( he was a builder )  He would rent a board My first efforts were pathatic. I spent most of the day underwater or getting hit by a 35 lbs log.  I have no idea whay I tried again. A sane kid would have just given up. Then again getting a case "Surf Fever" is a sure sign of insanity. On my next attempt an older kid took me under his wing showed me a few things and in a couple of hours it all cicked I stood I turned and The rest of my life was happily ruined by Surfing.