Blears' sister, Laura Blears, was one of the world's top female surfers during the 1970-80s.

From the 1960s to the 1970s, virtually every top surfer wore Katins and appeared in surf magazine ads.

"What changed overnight is that these days just about every one of the world's top surfers has epoxy in his quiver," Mr. Merrick said.

She is a top surfer at Malibu and is nicknamed, "Queen of the Waves".

"One, because she's only 13, and two, for it to be a top surfer in her age division, it's a heart-twister," Ballard said.

The problem lies not in the glories of nature or the athletic abilities of the film's stars, who are among the world's top surfers.

The great majority of top surfers now are as much careerists as top golfers or tennis players.

By the end of the decade, he was the world's biggest surfboard manufacturer, his work sought after by the country's top surfers.

Disciplined in ritual dance from an early age, there are now several young Balinese who rank amongst the world's top competitive surfers.

He persuaded top surfers to let him mount cameras on the noses of their boards to photograph them on the waves from out front.