Author Patrick Moser discusses his book “Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture”
Surfing can offer an abundance of benefits. For some, surfing is a way to let loose and absorb the sun and salt; to others, it’s considered a competitive sport, and for many, it’s considered a lifestyle.
Author Patrick Moser dives into the history of surfing in California with his book “Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture.”
“Malibu was the center of surfboard building in terms of innovation, technology, and in terms of the progressiveness of surfing itself,” Moser said during his presentation. “The 1930s is really when the rest of the nation starts to associate California Beach Culture with surfing; surfing becomes part of California’s identity. The Santa Monica Beach Club’s supported the beach culture, but at the same time, the long-term impact for women and people of color, it wasn’t highlighted until the 1960s, and the first female lifeguard until the 1970s.”
Moser highlights the inspiring life of George Freeth, the mixed-raced Hawaiian athlete who brought surfing to Venice, California, in 1907 and taught Southern Californians to surf and swim while creating a modern lifeguard service that quickly transformed the beach into a destination for all things surf.
Moser shared Freeth’s accomplishments as well as a brief history of Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport of surfing. Freeth coached Kahanamoku and Ludy Langer, who went on to win gold and Silver medals in the Olympic Games.
“I wanted to give a little history about the birth of California Beach Culture and the man who created the foundation of the California Beach Culture by combining surfing and lifeguarding,” Moser said. “He [Freeth] came to California and taught people how to swim, how to surf, how to row, and how to dive. Sort of this day in and day out, twelve years, kind of like a Johnny Appleseed of surfing. He worked from Los Angeles down to San Diego, teaching people how to swim, getting people how to enjoy the ocean, and not be afraid of it.”
The presentation followed with a Q&A. Audience members included Malibu residents, avid surfers, and even Kathy Kohner, America’s original surfer girl, also known as “Gidget.”
“It was terrific; they knew about the history, they know about the people and the places,” Moser said. “Malibu is special for California Beach Culture because it adds glamour to California Beach culture, so with Malibu Colony there by the break it gave California Beach Culture a platform for the newspapers, the magazines, and the movies, so the rest of the world associates surfing with the California Beach Culture with Malibu so it’s a very special place.”
Freeth’s life story helped shape and define Southern California Beach Culture. He founded California’s first surf club and persevered as the “father of modern surfing.” Freeth died of influenza in 1919 at the age of 35.
Patrick Moser is a professor of writing at Drury University and editor of “Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surf Writing.”
To purchase Moser’s book “Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture,” visit press.ullinois.edu.
