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

Alexandre, João (Dapin)

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, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Early professional surfing contest, held from 1969 to 1977, more often than not at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. As noted in a 

 feature story, when the Smirnoff Pro-Am made its 1969 debut in Santa Cruz, its $4,350 prize purse was "an all-time high for a surfing contest." Men's division winner Corky Carroll earned $1,500; women's division winner Margo Godfrey had to settle for $150. The following year the Smirnoff contest went to an all-male format, and was moved to the North Shore, where it remained until 1977.

The Smirnoff was regarded throughout its nine-year history as one of the sport's most prestigious events (it was sometimes referred to, informally, as the "world surfing championships"), but its reputation was made on Thanksgiving Day, 1974, when the final four heats were held in gigantic 25-foot-plus surf at Waimea Bay, for what was later described by Australia's 

 magazine as "the most spectacular day in surfing history." Five of the 18 Smirnoff competitors had never ridden Waimea before, and some made it clear they wanted nothing to do with the huge waves. Contest director and 1968 world champion Fred Hemmings finessed the situation by offering to paddle out and catch the first wave, to prove it could be done. Not wanting to be shown up in front of 5,000 spectators, the competitors agreed to surf. Hawaii's Reno Abellira, as surf journalist Drew Kampion put it, was the event's "most graceful, composed and sophisticated surfer," and he beat Jeff Hakman in the finals by a half point to take the $5,100 first-place check.

Smirnoff events were featured in a handful of surf movies, including 

1969: Corky Carroll, Margo Godfrey (Steamer Lane)

1976: Mark Warren, Jericho Poppler (Sunset)

1977: Reno Abellira, Jericho Poppler (Sunset)

Smirnoff Pro-Am

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