We Use A Lot of Water 
and Waves |
By Lawrence Manson The period between World Wars I and II was a mythic period in surfing. It was a time when there were still men and women living who remembered Hawai'i when it was a monarchy and whose memories carried the powerful imprint of traditional Polynesian life. It was also a time when the population of people who surfed ended its long decline into near extinction. There began to be an increase in the number of men and women who were drawn to the oceanic island lifestyle-not just in terms of surfing, but also in terms of diving, fishing, and the other skills of an all around water person. When we think of the 20s and 30s we, of course, think of figures of premier historical importance such as Duke Kahanamoku. At the same time, however, there were new populations entering surfing in the islands-particularly people of Asian and European descent whose families had moved to Hawaii. They took to island life and their numbers included an island born boy of Norwegian background by the name of Eyvinn Schoenberg. Eyvinn was born on Oahu in 1919 and spent his young life in Pearl City acquiring the skills that island kids learned, including sailing, surfing, and diving. His book, "Board Talk and Other Salty Tales," takes us back to 1932 and begins with a chapter titled "The Tin Boat Fleet of Pearl Harbor" in which he recounts the story of a bunch of neighborhood kids who got together to scrounge materials to build outrigger canoes to explore Pearl Harbor. It's a tale about as far removed from the video kids of the 90's as one can get. As a young Eyvinn grew older, he began to learn other skills. In "How Do You String Your Fish?" he takes the reader free diving near Makapu'u Point and introduces us to the rich, tropical underwater life that only a few "skin divers" were able to visit. Diving with the legendary islanders John and Marion Kelly, Eyvinn learned a lot about free diving and about the ocean's chain of life. When World War II came to the Pacific, Eyvinn entered the Navy and was ultimately ordered to duty as an Assistant Shipping Officer with duty at the Pan American Terminal on the Pearl City peninsula-two houses away from his family's home! Another story, "Air Cargo and Diving in the South Pacific," recounts an inspection tour which allowed him visits (and free diving sessions) to places, including Canton Island, New Caledonia, and the New Hebrides Islands which, more than fifty years ago, were incredibly remote and pristine. The book also includes a section titled "Board Talk" which looks at the various boards Eyvinn rode from his early 30's Hawaiian redwood and Tom Blake style hollow boards through the modern foam board that he surfed in northern Baja and Southern California in the 1960's. "Board Talk" is an elegaic trip into the past of 20th century surfing with plenty of black and white photos which take the reader to places that are distant in time and place. His book brings us people who are not the giants of the history of surfing, but rather people who were like most of us-surfers of average ability who love the ocean life and whose adventures are remarkable and well worth recording for history. It would have been wonderful to share them with Eyvinn as they happened. This book is the next best thing. "Board Talk" is available by mail. Send $18.90 (includes shipping) to:
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated to the Surfrider Foundation. | ||