surfresearch.com.au  surfabout : world contest, 1966

THE HIGHLIGHT OF SURFING this year, was the world contest held at San Diego, California, from September 26, through to October 2.
The original concept was to have three separate events.
A point break, reef break, and a beach break contest.
Actually, it ended up as three separate beach types.
Two were held at Ocean Beach, and one across the breakwater at Pacific Beach.
The one at Pacific Beach was blessed with 6 foot tubular lefts, and all contestants raved about the shape.
Ocean Beach had 3-5 foot beach peaks that were excellent for performing.

The long awaited battle between David Nuuhiwa and Robert "Nat" Young fizzled out in the second event.
David, through lack of experience, poor judgment, or what ever other excuse you can think of, failed to catch the required five rides in his qualifying heat, and there went the California team's hopes.
I didn't see Nat in anything but the finals.
All of the six finalists were superb.
The thing that Impressed me most about Nat, was his wave judgment.
While the others were riding everything that came through in the final heat, Nat waited for the bigger waves and made the most of them.

In Saturday's event, Midget Farrelly and Peter Drouyn were outstanding.
Nat had already qualified for the final and did not compete.
Both of these surfers easily won their qualifying heats.
Midget was so far ahead of his other competitors it looked like a mis-match.
John Peck from California, also had a standout performance Saturday morning.

Page 9

All of the Australians did well.
When it was all over, they had a first and sixth in the mens, and fourth and sixth in the womens.
This was against the largest field of world competitors ever assembled and in the Californians
backyard.

There was a flaw in the system, where it was possible for the winner to be known before the final event.
This detracted somewhat from the finish, at least for some of the finalists.
However, nothing can change the fact that a great champion was so far ahead of the field after two heats, that all he had ito do was go in the water the last day to win.
So, he went out and won again.

The passing up of the contest by Felipe Pomar, last year's champ, left a bad taste, but Felipe knows as well as anyone that beach surf is not his cup of tea.

All of the contestants were well housed and fed.
The General Motors Corporation furnished each team with a new Cameo model to help them see the San Diego area.
Midget Farrelly's wife, Beverly, wowed the local press with her well filled Australian bikini.

The Australians came to California to win and they did not go away empty handed.

Nat Young,  World Contest Cutback, 1966. Surfabout Volume 3 Number 6, page 12.

Midget Farrelly, World Contest Cutback, 1966. Surfabout Volume 3 Number 6,  page 11.

Unaccredited:  1966 World Championships. Surfabout Volume 3 Number 6,  December 1966, pages 9 to 12.

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