Vagabond Surfer

Dick Metz at the Surfing Heritage Cultural Center. Photo by OC Register.

SJC Rotarians were treated to a fascinating visit with the legendary Dick Mertz, who shared his stories of surfing in the early year of the sport.

The waves at Laguna Beach shaped Dick Metz's life from the start. Born in 1929, he grew up with sand between his toes and salt water in his hair. His father's beachfront food business drew Hollywood stars looking for a peaceful weekend away from the bright lights. Young Dick even found himself building sandcastles with Shirley Temple while their parents chatted over lunch. On other days, the local surfers would let him ride tandem as they taught him the basics.

By age seven, Dick was already part of surfing's early days. He'd paddle out at San Onofre alongside legends like Peanuts Larson and Hevs McClelland, learning the ways of the waves from the sport's pioneers. These early experiences weren't just fun—they were laying the foundation for a life that would help shape surfing's future.

After serving his country in the Korean War, Dick headed to UC Santa Barbara on the G.I. Bill, which he stretched to a seven year vacation. But the ocean's call proved stronger than his textbooks. When his father offered him a chance to run a liquor store in Huntington Beach, Dick took it. The business didn't last long, but its failure sparked something bigger. With $2,100 from selling off the store's remaining stock and the liquor license to Disneyland, Dick set out on an adventure that would change surfing forever.

His travel list read like a dream: Tahiti, Australia, Africa, the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and running with the bulls in Spain. The journey started with a thumb out on the highway to Panama. There, he sweet-talked his way onto a French troop transport ship bound for Indochina with a provisioning stop in Tahiti, spending 17 days in the dark ship's hull. He could only come up for air when it was time to pay for his meals, but Dick didn't mind—he was chasing something bigger than comfort.

Working his way on tramp steamers from Tahiti through the South Pacific and Australia, across Southeast Asia, and to Mumbai where he spent a night in jail for riding the train without a ticket. After bailing himself out ($20), he headed to Zanzibar and East Africa where he found work in safari camps.

Wanting to see Victoria Falls, he hitched with a trucker. They arrived at Victoria Falls in the middle of the night. Tired and unsure about bring dropped off in a desolate wasteland, he chose to push on to Cape Town instead of stopping, a journey that took another month. This simple decision would help spark a surfing revolution.

In Cape Town, Dick met John Whitmore, a car salesman hungry to learn about surfing. In those days, there were no surf magazines or videos to learn from. Dick shared everything he knew about boards and waves, promising to send supplies from America. Through this friendship, Whitmore would go on to become known as the father of South African surfing.

During his travels, Dick also discovered a perfect wave at Jeffrey’s Bay (JBay) near Cape St. Francis. Years later, back in California, he mentioned it to his friend Bruce Brown, who was planning a surfing film. That casual conversation led Brown to include JBay in "The Endless Summer"—a movie that would show the world what perfect waves looked like and help turn surfing into a global passion.

The 1960s saw Dick running Hobie Surf Shops in Hawaii and helping expand the business across America. He co-created Surfline Hawaii and later helped build the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, making sure future generations would know the sport's rich history.

Today, at 96, he looks back on his life with joy and wonder. He laughs about dragging heavy redwood boards across the beach as a kid, and sometimes shakes his head about not buying land at Cape St. Francis when he had the chance. But he doesn't dwell on what-ifs.

"I got chased by a rhino, almost killed by a lion, survived the Mau Mau Rebellion and lived with the Zulus," he says with a smile. "Whether you're surfing or skiing, it's all about being right there in the moment, surrounded by nature. That's what makes life worth living."

Sometimes the best waves come from paddling into the unknown, and that the greatest adventures often start with a simple choice to keep moving forward.