A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Beschen, Shane

San Francisco-born, UC Berkeley-educated gonzo-light journalist and author; editor of Australia's 

 magazine in 1974 and 1975, and author of 1982's 

. "The guy has a knack for being where the action is," the 

 said of Grissim in 1985. "As long as the action involves adventure, billiards, rock 'n' roll, fishing and certain other pastimes."

Grissim was born (1941) and raised in San Francisco, entered the military not long after graduating with an English degree from UC Berkeley, and became a lieutenant in the Navy. In 1967 he moved to Honolulu in part to learn how to surf (he also worked briefly as a Waikiki hotel assistant manager), after which he launched a career as a freelance writer-photographer. A naturally-gifted wordsmith—and already well-connected in San Francisco—he soon became a frequent contributor to the newly-launched 

, where he wrote features on Van Morrison, Jerry Garcia, and Fleetwood Mac, among other A-list artists. (A 1972 newspaper profile on Grissim noted his climb thusly: "For the record, as a freelancer, he took a $400 loss in 1968, earned $1,700 in '69, $8,000 in 1970, and the past year cleared a remarkable $15,000.")

In 1974, on the eve of a year-long round-the-world journey—and helped by his 

 credentials and articles for the surfing press—Grissim landed a six-month stint as "interim editor" at Tracks. Like 

was printed in an oversized newsprint format. Apart from being a first-rate writer and reporter, Grissim's California perspective also served as a bridge between the original version of 

, which often veered into politics and eco-consciousness, and the humor-first 

 of the late '70s and '80s, as modeled by Phil Jarratt, who followed Grissim as 

Returning to the Bay Area, Grissim settled in Stinson Beach just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and over the next decade wrote three books as well as articles for mainstream publications 

He meanwhile continued to write for the surf press and became a contributing editor for 

 published by Harper and Row, is comprised of 11 lively but tightly-written essays that together present surfing—as Grissim says in the book's preface—as "a consuming passion, a lifestyle, a great teacher, a doorway to the world, a kick-ass good time, and generally cheaper than drugs."

 sales were decent, not gangbusters, but the reviews were excellent. "John Grissim," 

 wrote, "has written what is arguably the finest book ever published on surfing."

Grissim has also written books about country music, pool hustlers, and the 1978 discovery of a $30 million Spanish treasure galleon in the Burmuda Triangle—Grissim himself was on the dive team.

 a quarterly newsletter dedicated to ocean-related adventures and oddities, surfing included.

Grissim, John

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Features

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Features