"Linda Benson, World’s Greatest!”, by Bill Cleary, was the cover story for the November 1963 issue of Surf Guide. This version has been slightly shortened and edited.

Linda, you’ve been surfing for a number of years now, but there were very few other girls when you began. You’ve proven that girls can become good surfers and still retain their femininity. And probably more than anyone else you have provided inspiration for other girls to take up the surfing pastime. But how did you get started?

I surfed a little one summer when I was 11 years old; I guess you could say that was when I began. The next summer, though, my brother got a new surfboard and I was really excited. I stood around and watched him for a long time before he finally let me use it. From then on I really wanted to surf. I began borrowing other people’s boards, but then I broke my arm and didn’t surf much until the end of summer when I finally got a board of my own—a twenty-dollar special. From then on I surfed all year 'round. In the winter we all rode Swami’s and in the summer it was Moonlight Beach. There was just a handful of surfers then; sometimes a few guys would come to surf at our beach, and we loved to have them. It’s a little different now that there are so many surfers. It’s a huge fad now, but it's hard to say how long it will last.

What do you think of girls surfing? Do you think they'll ever become as good as boys?

Women are capable of doing a lot of things that tradition tells them not to. But I do think they should back off most of the time. A man is a man and he wants to feel like a man. Men are stronger and they’re supposed to be able to do things girls can’t. Girls will never be as good as male surfers; some girls are better than a lot of boys, but the best girls could never compete with the best men.

Speaking of competition, what was the first contest you entered?

My first contest was the West Coast Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach in 1959. It was the first contest on the coast that was open to everyone. I entered and won it. I really love surfing contests, but I don't enter to show off. I don’t care who knows whether I’m good or not. I entered the San Clemente Contest this year because I hadn’t been in competition for a long time and wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it.

Some girls have entered paddling contests in the past and this, I think, is unfeminine. That’s just trying to show how strong you are, and I’d never do it. I’m a girl, but I’m strong because I’ve been surfing for all these years. I think my shoulders are big enough as they are.

Because you've been in all the surfing movies and magazines, and are known for being an excellent surfer, how are you received when you surf at the difficult spots up and down the coast and in the Islands?

Around here, well, I’ve lived here all my life and these kids are all like brothers to me, and when I enter contests they’re always there rooting for me. Up the coast, however, it’s a little different. They seem to be on the defensive. I find I have to give all the way; even then people would hit me sometimes, and on purpose. In Hawaii this summer, it was the same thing. Right away the locals think you’re trying to take over their beach. After I was there awhile, though, there was no problem.

Most girls are treated as gremlins because they act like it; they’re all alike. They all have to have the long hair and dress the same. They talk alike and do everything alike. They are carbon copies of one another. There are girls who carry boards around in their cars, pretending to be interested in surfing, but most of them are phonies. They’re just after party-names. I’ve seen girls drunk on the beach in the middle of the day; they’re ridiculous and they’re sloppy. Still, I love parties . . . just ask anyone around here.

Many people think that if you surf, as a girl, you can’t be popular. My senior year in high school I had one of the best years possible—and I surfed. I was homecoming queen. They must not have thought I was too much of a tomboy because the football team picks you. That was one of the greatest thrills of my life and I’m still proud of it.

What spots do you like to surf the best? Where were the biggest waves you’ve ever ridden?

My favorite would be Malibu if it weren’t so crowded. It used to be that when the swell came up, we would run up there right away. I like the Trestle and Cotton’s Point and I love Swami’s. As for the biggest waves, that was either at Sunset or Waimea. At Waimea, I took off in the peak at first, and I really got whacked. But I still got four or five good rides—waves up to an Island-sized 15'. I might have taken off in the peak more, but I didn’t want to get in the way. For example, I wouldn’t take off in front of Buzzy Trent or any of the older guys. I respect them a little more.

Buzzy took me out at Sunset after I had been in the Islands only a few days. He said, "Come on, Linda, I’ll show you the lineup." And that's just what he did. We paddled out just to watch, and that was enough. It was a good size. People over here would call it twenty feet.

But you finally did ride Sunset. What happened; did you find yourself able to perform?

That was three years ago when I was only fifteen. Sure, I’d been surfing for four years, but I’d never seen anything that big. I didn’t even try to perform. I was just trying to prove to myself that I could ride it. When I paddled out, I didn’t know if I could—but I ended up being pretty proud of myself.

Would you say that Sunset is the greatest thrill you’ve ever experienced in surfing?

No, my greatest surfing experience was the Makaha contest. But winning the Huntington contest for the third time in 1961 was quite a thrill too. I didn't think I could do it. It was also a thrill being in the 

. We really had a good time working on that movie. They put us up at the Royal Hawaiian and we were pretty well set.

I've had some memorable days of just plain surfing. I remember one day at the Trestle I was surfing with Dewey Weber. It was fantastic. I also remember one late evening at Haleiwa. Donald Takayama and I were the only ones out. I really had fun. I can remember a couple of days at Malibu, but that was several years ago. For me, the best waves are three, four, maybe five feet. I like them glassy and mechanical and, best of all, with no people!

What about the future; will you be back In the Islands this winter to give Waimea another try?

I wanted to go back to Hawaii this winter, but I’ve decided to go back to school. Maybe I’ll make it over during Christmas vacation. I’ll be attending Palomar State College where I’ll major either in nursing or dental hygiene. After that I want to travel, so I'll probably become an airline hostess.

I have big plans; I want to go to Europe more than anything else. Europe, Spain, France—I just have to see what it’s like. I'm naturally curious about anything I haven’t seen before, I just have to see.

[Photos: Ron Perrott, John Severson, Ron Church]

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