Donald Takayama at the Leroy Grannis Memorial June 28th, 2011 Photo By: Ciley Karrington
By Eddie Solt Jr.
Legendary Surfer/Shaper and Hermosa Beach Walk of Fame Inductee Donald Takayama passed away today. A central figure of the South Bay surf scene during the Golden Age of the 1960s, Takayama worked, surfed, and innovatived surfboard designs for Velzy, Jacobs, Bing, and Weber.
“Donald was the Dick Brewer of the early 60s while working for Jacobs and Bing,” Mike Purpus said. “He was the innovator and best shaper of the three stringer, a design that would be picked up on later by Mike Hynson and Skip Frye with the G&S Red fin.”
His handy work was felt and ridden under the feet of Jacobs, Bing, and Weber teamriders like Miki Dora, Lance Carson, and David Nuuhiwa. With his popular signature models, Takayama was no stranger to the podium. “I swear, every final of the USA AAA division it was always Me, Corky, and Donald,” said Purpus.
Tune in to an exculsive feature and pictorial in celebration of Donald Takayama by Mike Purpus in the November issue of Drop Zone.
Eddie Solt, Jr. can be reached at ESolt@Easyreader.info
Tonight I paddled out in what was basically 3 foot blown out surf
at the Stoner’s parking lot at C Street, where I live.
The sun was going down and I had to go out, I had to pay my respects
to Donald Takayama and this was my first opportunity, I also wanted to pay my
respects to Jack Cantrell, a well known Ventura Surfer who recently passed on.
People might say, what’s the big deal, you didn’t really even know these guys.
That didn’t matter, I had to do it for all the grom’s they mentored , to say thank you.
I had to do it to connect with them to express my spirituality, my mortality, the same way they did….by surfing. In short – I absolutely had to get a nose ride.
Well the sun went down and the beautiful after glow began to diminish…Everyone got out and I finally saw what appeared to be a three wave set, the first two waves were better than anything I had ridden so far but I could see the third wave, I paddled out farther, I was committed to that wave. The tide was now pretty far up and the waves were bumping and bowling…I swung my board pushed it into the water, popped out,
two double strokes, arched up, pushed down waiting to feel the drop. As I dropped into the wave I looked down the line and let my rail turn me right into the pocket.
The one thing I knew was I had to get some speed. The wave, only about 3 feet,
began to wall and stand up as it crossed into the cove section. I walked to the nose and started to hang five…NO, not this time, not this wave, you gotta hang ten braw.
So I dragged my right foot up to the nose and waited…it was dark, but I could see
the lights on the pier reflecting in the wave in front of me.
My speed took me through the section and the little wall just kept on coming.
I was planted and screaming down the line on this perfect three foot wave.
As close to the essence of Mr. Takayama, and Mr. Cantrell as I will ever get.
I was stoked, on the nose, and filled with Gods grace.
I got out and did the rock dance…went over to my truck, a guy who was leaving
said “I saw your last nose ride”…I told him it was for Donald Takayama and Jack Cantrell, he smiled, and nodded his head, and said “It was cool”…
With sincere respect.
wavewalker.