The Real Stories Behind The Internet’s Most Viral Surf Shots – Part II

A little while back we set out on a quest to uncover some of the stories behind the internet’s most widely shared surf shots.

In the process of our digital sleuthery we discovered all sorts of intriguing tales of doctored lineups, forgotten surf trips, legendary characters and even an innovative approach to managing surf tourism.

Since then, we’ve stumbled across many more images doing regular rounds on the web that left us wondering about the folk featured and the circumstances in which they were taken. And so, last week we figured it was time for round two.

The series originally appeared on our Instagram, but we’ve pulled together each instalment for you here too:

First up, it’s the shot widely regarded as the defining image of Teahupoo, captured in 1999 by @joliphotos during the first-ever world championship event at the spot. ⁠
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While QS comps had run there in the two years prior, (each beset by logistical difficulties, including a beach marshal boat wrecked on the reef and the repeated destruction of the judging tower,) 1999 was the first time the surfing public got to see the world’s best taking on what was then considered the world’s most challenging wave. Right from the get-go, conditions pumped, with terrifying backless beauties detonating on the reef from sun up till sundown.⁠
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“Richie Porta and I were the ones that had to make the call,” then ASP manager Steve Robertson told Surfline, “[and] we figured that about 25% of the surfers revelled in it, 25% were okay with it, and half of them didn’t want anything to do with it.”⁠
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“It was the first contest I’ve ever been in where people were yelling ‘Don’t go! Don’t go!’” adds competitor Tim Curran. And from this image, titled ‘Reef draining’, you can see why. The shot came second in a Tracks Mag reader poll for most influential surf shot of all time and, based on the rate at which it’s reshared (often with a wonky crop) it continues to resonate over 20 years on. ⁠
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Photo: @joliphotos

Next up, the strange tale of James “Jimbo” Pellegrine, widely regarded as the best XXL surfer on earth. ⁠
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While seeing a man of Jimbo’s advanced stature expertly navigating a Padang tube is noteworthy in of itself, it pales somewhat in comparison to the many dramatic twists and turns of his life on land. After 15 years living in Bali, distributing Lost surfboards, silk boxer shorts, and hiring out luxury villas, Jimbo suffered a rapid succession of misfortunes that changed up his life for good. First, he was struck by lightning, then, sometime later, buckled his knee dancing in a club and was subsequently hit by a car while attempting to get help. Fortunately, he emerged from each largely unscathed but was less lucky in 2016, when a road traffic accident in Kaui saw him lose the bottom half of his left arm. ⁠
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To make matters worse, he was then hauled up on terroristic charges for threats made to the emergency respondents attempting to tend to his severed limb (although was subsequently cleared.) Nowadays, he says his shortboarding days are behind him, however, before he fell silent on social media, it looked like he was still managing to surf a bit, making him possibly the only XXL amputee shredder on earth. ⁠
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Photo: Unknown⁠

Next, the dark history of an iconic Kiwi point. ⁠
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In December 1817 a crew of prospective settlers dropped anchor in Otago Harbour on New Zealand’s South Island and went ashore. At some point, an altercation occurred with the local Maori and the men were viciously attacked. The exact reason for the skirmish is subject of much debate. One account claims a member of the group had stolen a preserved head on a previous visit. Another reports the foreigners had mistreated local women. A third theory supposes the attack may have just been revenge for previous killings of Maori by Europeans, which were common at the time. Whatever the reason, three of the ship’s crew were killed and subsequently eaten, prompting the remaining would-be settlers to go on a rampage, murdering large numbers of Maori including a village chief, destroying canoes and setting fire to a town. ⁠
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In light of the fracas, the location in the photo was dubbed ‘Murdering bay’, a name it retained for over a century until, in 1998, its original Maori moniker of ‘Whareakeake’ was restored. ⁠
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Nowadays it’s a peaceful spot, popular among nudists, nature lovers and of course, surfers, thanks to its rare but serene point setup.⁠
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Photo: @coryscottimagery

This shot features maths teacher and surf team coach Mr Deegs taking a calculus class at Dana Hills High in Southern California in the late 70s. ⁠
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The image was first posted to an online message board in 2014 by one of Mr D’s kids where it was met with a mix of admiration and confusion. (Does 1+1 really = tube? Or is it twoob? Or is it, in fact, + and something to do with an absolute positive? Answers on a postcard please.)⁠
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Among the commentators were many of Mr D’s ex-students, who all seemed to agree that although sometimes things got a little mad in his lessons (he once ate some chalk to get the classes attention), he was really the most engaging maths teacher you could ever ask for. ⁠
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In 2016, Mr D retired after 40 years of teaching at the school and moved out to a little surfside pad in Baja, where he’s hopefully enjoying the fruits of all that physics with plenty of 1+1 = tubes. ⁠

Next up, this shot of Teri Melanson, surfing topless at Rocky Point in the early 70s.⁠
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According to Surfer staff photographer Bernie Baker who captured the image, Teri was “the best local haole girl surfer living out [on the north shore] at the time… she knew everyone, so she got any wave she wanted out there.” However, there’s no doubt 40 years on, it’s this wave for which she’s best known. ⁠
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Although the combination of her bare breasts and laid surf back style have seen the image become an emblem of the era’s freewheeling approach, it turns out it was more wardrobe malfunction than bold cultural statement. Terri’s flimsy bikini top had been ripped off on the wave prior and since the lineup was uncrowded and the waves still pumping, she’d opted to continue surfing. ⁠
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Baker figured the mags wouldn’t run it, so he and Teri decided to release it as a poster instead, emblazoned with the words ‘Hawai’i…. Naturally.’ “Within a few months, we were out of copies,” he remembers, “it had gone around the world to every surf shop and more. Today, I have only one poster to my name and that was a gift from one of my best mates!”⁠

Photo: Bernie Baker

Next up, this crazy snap by @clarklittle featuring @jonnycorrea1 in a Hawaiian spin-cycle.⁠
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“This particular evening Pipeline was firing,” remembers Jonny, “proper six to eight-foot but extremely crowded, so I decided ‘screw the crowd,’ I’m going to go down to Keiki.” ⁠
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Keiki shorepound is the favoured playground of young surfers looking to work on their air drops, bodyboarders looking for crazy sand-sucking caverns and shorebreak photographer Clark Little, who was already there that evening when Jonny arrived and wasted no time in telling him to get out there. ⁠
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“I ran back as fast as I could,” Jonny continues, “but my heart was coming out of my chest. I knew it was going to be super heavy… I was shitting bricks!”⁠
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For the first half-hour or so, he picked off a few smaller ones, with Clark egging him on from the impact zone. Then, as the sky began to darken, Jonny remembers turning to see a solid one looming outside. ⁠
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”It was like a massive dark wall blocking my vision of the sky,” he says. “Suddenly, Shannon (a super respected local) and Clark were yelling their lungs out saying, “Go Jonny! Go get that fucker!” So I had no choice.”⁠
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“Right before that flash went off I remember being in this massive cave, fully suspended in the air,” he says. ⁠
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Then, a surging backwash collided with the pitching lip, slingshotting him out into a cartwheeling freefall, which ended with a thud down onto the barely covered sand bottom below. As soon as he popped up, he and Clark started screaming at each other through the almost darkness. They already knew they’d nailed something special. ⁠

Photo: @clarklittle
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For our penultimate instalment, it’s this iconic image of @bethanyhamilton taking to the air. ⁠
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By now, everyone surely knows the story of the young Hawaiian surf sensation who lost her arm in shark attack aged just 13. However, the incredible thing about Bethany is just how far she’s ascended since that day.⁠
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As she told us herself in the latest episode of our Inspired Surfers podcast, presented by @jimmysicedcoffee, she’s always been determined to show the world she’s more than just the little girl portrayed in Soul Surfer recovering in hospital.⁠
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Over the last decade, she’s set about putting in the work needed to rise to the top of a multitude of surfing disciplines, from towing in at Jaws, charging solid tubes at Chopes and landing results as a CT wildcard to developing one of the most progressive air games in women’s surfing. And through it all, she’s been a mother, a mentor and an inspiration to all. ⁠
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Photo: @lieberfilms⁠
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Finally, it’s this heartwarming image of the late Sion Milosky surfing with his youngest daughter Sariyah at Chun’s Reef in 2006. ⁠
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Sion was a salt of the earth underground charger and family man from Kauai, who rose to rapid fame in 2009 after a series of memorable rides on the North Shore (squeezed in alongside his job as a welder), including the then biggest wave ever-paddled on a huge day at an outer-reef. In March 2011, he flew to Mavericks for the last swell of the season. After 6 hours in the lineup, he fell on a 30 foot set wave, suffered a two-wave hold down, and never resurfaced.⁠
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Sion left behind a wife and two young daughters and a surf community in mourning. However, through the establishment of the @livelikesion foundation, his legacy has been one of shining positivity. Over the last decade a host of events, including a recurring Pipeline photo comp and an annual grom fest, have been held to honour his memory and promote the family and community values by which he lived. ⁠
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Photo: Jamie Ballenger ⁠
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