Cape Fear Surfing: A Local’s Nostalgic View

By Bill Edens

As the surfing fever grew in New Hanover County during the late fifties and early sixties, three surfing groups emerged. One was from the peninsular cities of southeastern New Hanover County (Carolina Beach, Wilmington Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher).  A second group was from Wrightsville Beach. The third group was from greater New Hanover County.  I got to know these groups well because I spent my summers on Wrightsville Beach, where I surfed every day. I also went to Sunset Park Jr. High where most of the Carolina Beach kids attended. I also played football for New Hanover High School.  This is my perspective on the early surfing days in New Hanover County.
 
The Sunset Park Surfing Pack
 
Dennis Williams, who lived in Sunset Park, was an adventurous teenager in the late 1950’s.  Dennis yearned to emulate the surfers of Hawaii. For his 9th grade shop project at Sunset Park Jr. High, he built his own 7-foot fiberglass balsa wood surfboard.  Dennis received an A from the instructor.  The surfboard looked great.  After many trials on Wrightsville Beach that summer, the work of art Dennis had created was a flop in the water.  It floated him at chest high when in sitting position.   But that did not stop Dennis.  He converted the surfboard to a large skateboard.  Instead of ocean waves, we surfed down a steep hill on Sunset Avenue.  Sharks were not the problem, but the large 18-wheelers were.  Dennis Williams had become the leader of our pack, which also included cousins Bill and Jim Edens.
 
In 1963 Dennis bought a 9-foot, 8-inch Styrofoam surfboard with aluminum stringers.  Dennis had us up and surfing! By the end of that summer the board was so water logged and broken we had to say goodbye to an old friend.  But, we were hooked, stoked, and addicted to surfing. 
 
In November 1963 my 10-foot Greg Noll (a figure 8 redwood inlay with a red wood stringer and red side panels) arrived.  Within two weeks Dennis and Jim got their new Hansen surfboards. Dennis’ was 9-foot, 6-inches with 3 red wood stringers) and Jim’s was the same size with a bossa redwood stringer. All were made of polyurethane foam and fiberglass.
 
Our pack traveled in style. Dennis had a bright red 1964 Impala Super Sport, with surf racks on top (I do not remember the racks ever coming down).
 
Although we lived in Sunset Park, we were always the first in the water to catch the surf. We hunted waves from North Topsail to Long Beach.
 
One day Jim and Dennis were not so lucky.  Dennis watched the waves breaking just north of Jonnie Mercer Fishing Pier.  Dennis waved us over and we paddled close to the pier. I caught a wave and ended up next to the pier. I came to rest back in the lineup, heard a thump next to me, and saw a fishing line over the nose of my surfboard. The fishermen were throwing lead weights at me and the others.  I scurried away, but Jim and Dennis were arrested for surfing too close to the pier.  The Star News headline read “Nine Youth Fined In Surfing Case.”
 
Most of the time we started out at Wrightsville Beach Surf Club at the north end of the beach. One of our favorite spots on the north end was the inlet between Wrightsville Beach and Shell Island. The inlet is long gone. On Wilmington Beach we would surf at what is now known as Stumps. When the swell was big and out of the north, the cove was the greatest place to surf and featured long lefts and big swells.  On days when the winds were ugly out of the northeast, or it was hurricane weather, we would go directly to Long Beach, near the Long Beach Fishing Pier.  I remember one day the swell was so big and the wind was so strong that there were no fishermen on the pier.  The top of the waves were going through the pier. We ran to the end of the pier and threw our boards over and jumped in.  What a rush! Dennis has a picture of himself surfing that day. The shore break was overhead and closing out BIG time.
 
One day the wind was out of the northeast and we had gone to Wrightsville Beach early that morning. We looked at each other and said: “Long Beach, here we come.” When we arrived at the pier, we saw numerous cars with surf racks and license plates from the state of Virginia. The boy’s from Virginia Beach were as thick as thieves. Carpetbaggers!!!  Long Beach was never the same.  
 
Herb Walker
 
Herb Walker was a good friend of mine at Sunset Park.  I would give Herb surfing magazines with ads for surfboards, hoping that he would get one and join the pack.  Herb would wear the pages out during study hall trying to determine the best board for the best price, along with the best manufacturer models available. As Herb tells it – this is kind of funny since he had never even tried to surf !!
 
During the Easter holiday of 1965 Herb and I spent the weekend camping at a secret spot now known as the Cove at Fort Fisher. There was a swell all weekend — about 3- to 5-feet with calm winds until noon each day then turning SW until just before dark and returning to smooth faces. I had my Greg Noll and Herb was one of the only spectators watching me and 6 to 9 other surfers.
 
I talked Donnie Pye into letting Herb use his board but not his wet suit. It was about 10am Sunday as Herb eagerly got over the rocks and started to paddle out to the outside. Herb was so engrossed with paddling out that he did not notice the set of waves that had broken and was heading his way until just before it washed over him and the surfboard. In a panic, Herb held on to the board, remembering what Donnie had said as he left. If you ding my Board you will pay!!  As Herb got back on the board I realized that he was not breathing!! Herb had not prepared himself for the cold water.  He sat up and decided that his first surf session had come to an end and he very carefully paddled back to the beach trying to keep his body on top of the board. Nevertheless, Herb was hooked! I found Herb a cheap surfboard (actually a 10-foot, 4-inch paddleboard ) that Jim Edens had, and Herb’s surfing career was off and running.
 
Herb tells the story that in April, 1966, he, Glenn Russo, Larry McSwain, Warren Waggett, and Joe McEntee would camp out on Friday nights in the dunes behind Sutton Apartments just in close to the dredge pipe. In the morning at first light they would paddle out and surf until around mid-day.  One weekend they were at Crystal Pier when a guy in his early twenties walked up and asked if anyone wanted to buy a surfboard. He wanted $60 for a beautiful nine four canary yellow Bing surfboard that was in great shape.  After selling a Civil War sword for $25 and adding $10 and some negotiating, Herb became the proud owner of a great surfboard.
 
Over the years Herb has owned many surfboards — by Hobie, Surfboard Hawaii, Dave Endress, Will Allison, Herbie Fletcher, Rick James, Gordon & Smith, Harbour, Stewart and Hotline. He has surfed the East Coast from North Carolina to Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Oahu and Kauai.
 
Not only is Herb a good surfer, he has spent considerable time giving back to the sport.  Herb co-directed the Southern NC District Eastern Surfing Association with Clark Wallin, worked with Kim Waters, Paula Bushardt and Karen Allison in the East Coast Wahines, ran the Pleasure Island Surf League in the late 80s, along with his wife, Nancy, and Jeff Wolfe, David Nelson and Wayne Bland and all of the Members in the Wrightsville Beach Longboard Association (Facebook).

Jim Edens, Dennis Williams, Bill Edens