World Surfing Championships 1964

The annual Makaha International had long been regarded as the unofficial world title, but progressive surfers, by the early '60s, were beginning to think of the Makaha event as a relic from the wooden-board era. In 1963, Australian surf filmmaker and magazine publisher Bob Evans convinced Australian oil giant Ampol Petroleum Limited to sponsor the first official World Surfing Championships; the event was held the following year on May 16 and 17 at Sydney's Manly Beach. Australians Midget Farr...