George Greenough "2005 Surf Culture & 2007 Surf Pioneer"
A Surfing Revolutionary with a Unique Vision/Eccentric Designer, Filmmaker, Wave Rider and Shortboard Revolutionary
Some folks see things through a different light. George Greenough’s love for the ocean and waveriding proved anything goes, as long as you believe in it.
Greenough was born in 1941 in Santa Barbara, California. A descendent of famed American sculptor Horatio Greenough, he grew up in a large Spanish villa in Montecito and walked the road less traveled nearly from the start – often without shoes. His attraction to the ocean potentially spawned from being cast as a recluse from his peer group after open-heart surgery at age 10.
Thanks to the abundance of quality pointbreaks in Santa Barbara’s vicinity, Greenough developed a keen knack for surfing during the 1950s before his tastes for innovation led him to other forms of waveriding, namely kneeboarding and mat-riding. An eccentric little bloke at 5'9", Greenough continued to fuel the sport’s progression by experimenting and developing with newfangled fin templates and spooned out decks for his kneeboards. The sharp gouges and rapid directional changes his innovations allowed were soon recognized by notable Australian surfers Nat Young and Bob McTavish. Young went on the win the 1966 World Surfing Championships on one of Greenough’s fins, while McTavish developed a vee-shaped surfboard bottom, aimed at replicating the turning ability of Greenough’s kneeboards — which in turn sparked the shortboard revolution.
Aside from surfboard physics, Greenough dabbled in filmmaking and photography and, as one would suspect, started using cutting-edge techniques to captivate his audiences. His in-the-tube angles in photographs and, more notably, cinematography, along with cameras mounted on the nose of board (and even his back!) brought a never-before-seen view of a barreling wave. His earth-shattering film The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun (1970) allowed those who’ve never experienced the joy of tube riding to practically be in the moment all surfers dream of.
Despite all his innovative shapes and designs, Greenough continued to ride a mat (it was his first choice for waveriding) and his disdain for footwear continued for months on end. He settled in Byron Bay, Australia, unmarried and continued to surf, think and make stellar films. Rock band Pink Floyd was so enamored with The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun that they donated their music to his next work, Echoes (1972), a film delving deeper in to the sights and sounds of breaking waves. Greenough carried on by working on a host of larger surf films and TV movies. He currently lives in Byron Bay.
Aside from surfboard physics, Greenough dabbled in filmmaking and photography and, as one would suspect, started using cutting-edge techniques to captivate his audiences.
His in-the-tube angles in photographs and, more notably, cinematography, along with cameras mounted on the nose of board (and even his back!) brought a never-before-seen view of a barreling wave. His earth-shattering film The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun (1970) allowed those who’ve never experienced the joy of tube riding to practically be in the moment all surfers dream of.
George with his flexible fiberglass spoon kneeboards, was drawing lines that inspired a design revolution.
George is already inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in the category of Surf Culture in 2005 for his incredible camera work and filmmaking. He also had a huge influence on surfboard design, and is pictured here in Australia’s Byron Bay with a design in the early ’70s of the leading surfboard label, San Juan, where amongst others, Surfing Walk of Fame inductee Nat Young, were testing boards from his influence in the perfect point waves of the north coast of New South Wales.
