Van Dyke, Peter
Candid regularfoot surfer from Santa Cruz, California; best known as the author of a controversial 1965 Surfer magazine article "Big Wave Danger: A Hoax!" and for his dramatic, arms-out, drop-knee turns.
Peter Van Dyke, younger brother of big-wave surfing pioneer Fred Van Dyke, was born in San Francisco (1936), and began surfing at age 14 in Santa Cruz. The cutback move for which he came to be known was developed in the mid-'50s, on a 40-pound balsa board. "The essence of Peter's drop-knee c...