The Beat Generation Comes to Rincon Point
The Beat Generation comes to Rincon Point
Photo taken by Dick Metz of his friends and surf fans at Rincon Point, 1951.
These exuberant surfers were not the first to surf famous Rincon Point but they were among the first to rediscover the point after World War II, riding the waves of the Queen of the Coast on their monster wooden boards.
Probably the most well-known of the 1950s Rincon surfers was Dick Metz who snapped this photograph in 1951. Dick grew up in Laguna Beach but found his way to Santa Barbara in the early 1950s to attend what was then the Santa Barbara College of the University of California. Like many beach lovers after him, Metz picked Santa Barbara for his studies mostly because of the excellent surf.
When not feuding with college officials over requirements like having to wear shoes on campus, Metz found plenty of time to surf Rincon with surfing pals including Billy Meng, Joe Riddick and many others. Among Metz’s memories of those early surfing days:
Road trips north to Rincon and Santa Barbara. Starting in Hermosa Beach, Metz and crew would stop at Malibu for a surf and then drive on to Ventura and Rincon, eventually reaching Santa Barbara.
No wetsuits! Just like the 1930s surf pioneers at Rincon, Metz and company had only army-surplus wool to fight off Rincon’s cold water. Surfers wore wool sweaters into the water and generally had a beach fire going while they surfed. When a surfer was in the water, his partner was supposed to keep the fire going to warm his mate when he emerged from the waves. (Another 1950s Metz photo shows Billy Meng tending a fire at Rincon.)
Boards were limited! So, it was a “take turns” situation.
Today, Metz (going strong at a young 92 years old) is a legend of legends in the surfing world, directly or indirectly involved with some of the most important events in surfing history. Among them: a round-the-world surf trip (1958-1961) that prefigured and inspired the famous “Endless Summer” (1966) film, a partnership with Hobie Alter (of surfboard and sailing fame) that brought Metz into the surf business, and as founder of the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente to preserve the history of the sport (and as a repository for his world class surfboard collection).
Through all this, Rincon Point was a touchstone for Metz and his early crew of counterculture comrades who made surf history and bridged the gap between the earliest board riders of the 1930s and the explosion of the sport beginning in the 1960s.
So, if not Dick Metz and his crew, who was the first person to surf Rincon Point? Local surf historians agree that Gates Foss (1915-1990) was likely “the first,” or at least the first Anglo American, to surf at Rincon Point, way back in the mid 1930s. Foss was a local lifeguard who named Rincon Point “Three Mile” because of its distance from the Carpinteria train station.
Were Dick Metz and his merry crew of early surfers really “beatniks”? Although Carpinteria’s beaches are a long way from Greenwich Village, the Beats and early wave riders (and even a few surfers today) had much in common, most importantly a keen desire for new and “real” experiences over the evils of materialism, conformity and other adult concerns. In short: rebellion.
And certainly nothing could be more “real” than facing the icy winter water at Rincon Point with just cut-off jeans, a wool sweater and a massively heavy board. Clearly everyone in this historic photo seems to be having real fun!
Local resident and historian Vince Burns is researching, writing and collecting historical photographs and accounts for an upcoming book on the history of Rincon Point and the surrounding area. He is actively seeking photographs from the community for the project and is grateful for submissions of photographs for possible inclusion in the project. Vince will promptly scan and return your photographs. He can be reached at vinceburns805@gmail.com and (805) 758-0338.
From Carpinteria Coastal View: http://www.coastalview.com/news/the-beat-generation-comes-to-rincon-point/article_00c2fee8-ade2-11eb-b0f7-4f39225022d4.html
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