The Surfer’s Library

Chapters 15 through 17 of Corky Carroll's autobiography Not Done Yet.

Corky experiences the highs of TV stardom, along with some of the tougher moments in his personal life. Behind the surfing legend, the success, and the larger than life personality, there's a real person dealing with family struggles, heartbreak, and some pretty difficult changes. These chapters remind us that even the people who seem to have it all figured out have their own waves to navigate.

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Today we continue Corky Carroll's autobiography, Not Done Yet, with Chapters 13 & 14. We left Corky last episode at a cross roads. He had just hung up his jersey and retired from surfing and had parted ways with his surfboard company. We pick up with Corky making a big change to get away from the crowds and he trades the beach for the mountains and a whole lot of powder.

Let’s paddle out and follow Corky on his next adventure.

If you'd like to help support the podcast, you can do so at buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary

This episode we're diving into Chapters 11 & 12 of Corky Carroll's Not Done Yet, and Corky's story takes some seriously unexpected turns.

Corky launches his own surfboard company, Space Sticks

Drama with Gerry Lopez at the 1971 Pipeline Masters

Corky tries his hand at becoming a musician

And somehow… he ends up making appearances on the Merv Griffin Show!

Surfboards, Pipeline, music, television, and plenty of Corky Carroll stories from one of the wildest eras in surfing.

So kick back and join us as we paddle out into another trip through surfing history, culture, and legend.

If you'd like to help support the podcast, you can visit Buy Me a Coffee at buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps keep the stories coming and helps keep the pages of surfing history alive.

Today we’re diving into Chapters 8, 9, and 10 of Not Done Yet by the legendary Corky Carroll.

Another episode packed with great stories from surfing’s golden era, told by one of the greatest surfers to ever do it. We’ll hear about Corky’s contribution to the shortboard revolution, how he won the 1967 International Big Wave Championship in Peru, and even his adventures surfing the cold, forbidden waves of my beloved Oregon back before all the wonderful wetsuit technology we get to enjoy today. Nat Young, David Nuuhiwa, and Jeff Hakman are just a few of the surfing icons who make appearances in Corky’s memoirs this time around. All of that and much, much more.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or by email at [email protected]

This episode we learn all about Corky's involvment in the greatest surf flick ever... The Endless Summer. Tune in and hear about the cross country promo trip, getting lost in Indiana, getting punched in the face by Bruce Brown and much much more.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or by email at [email protected]

This episode we continue reading Not Done Yet by Corky Carroll. Chapters 5 and 6 to be exact. Join me as we learn about Corky's first trips to the islands and his first time surfing the famous breaks of Oahu. We'll also learn how he became the very first professional surfer in the world. Let's paddle out.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary.

We’re kicking off summer and Season 3, with one of our all-time favorite surfers, Corky Carroll, and his autobiography Not Done Yet. Now, if you were listening last season, you probably remember we already read a little bit from this book back on Episode 20. Well, I loved it so much that I reached out to Corky and asked if we could just go ahead and make it the full Season 3 book, and thankfully he said yes. So thank you, Corky!

Corky Carroll is one of the funniest, wildest, and most influential characters surfing has ever produced. From growing up in Surfside, California, to becoming a three-time United States Surfing Champion and one of surfing’s very first pros, Corky helped turn surfing from a little beach subculture into the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Along the way, he starred in classic surf films like The Endless Summer and Five Summer Stories, made people laugh everywhere he went, and built a career completely on doing things his own way. In Not Done Yet, Corky shares stories from decades of surfing, travel, contests, business adventures, media appearances, and all the craziness that came with the golden age of surfing.

So settle in, because this isn’t just the story of a surfer, it’s the story of a true original who never stopped chasing waves, laughs, and adventure. And since we already covered Chapters 1 through 3 last season, if you want to skip ahead, you can jump straight to Chapter 4 at the 33-minute mark.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected]

Today’s episode dives into Hansen: The Adventures of a Surfer, Skydiver, Team Roper, Entrepreneur by Don Hansen with Chris Ahrens, the story of a true original whose life went far beyond surfing. In this episode, we focus on Chapter 5, “In the Shadow of Waimea,” where Hansen spends a pivotal year on Oahu’s North Shore, pushing himself in some of the biggest waves in the world and ultimately landing a coveted Surfer Magazine cover, so let’s paddle out and drop into Hawaii in the fall of 1960 and experience this defining moment in his remarkable journey.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected].

Today we’re jumping back into The Way of the Surfer by Drew Kampion, reading “The Stylist: Country Livin’ With Bill Hamilton.” I’m a big Hamilton fan, so I’m especially stoked to bring you this one. If you’ve been around surfing for a while, you know he’s more than just Laird’s dad, Bill Hamilton is a legend, and one of the most stylish surfers of the ’60s and ’70s. And if you don’t believe me, go back and watch classics like Free and Easy or The Sunshine Sea.

In this chapter, Hamilton comes through as more than a surfer, he’s a thinker who sees riding waves as a mental and spiritual discipline, pushing past fear to become one with the ocean. Kampion explores his total commitment to life and surfing, his ability to adapt through the shortboard revolution, and his identity as both an artist and a fiercely independent spirit, capturing someone who truly lived the idea that surfing isn’t just something you do, it’s a way of being.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected].

Let’s paddle out.

Today, in our continued tribute to women surfers and women’s history month I will be reading chapter 23 of Jim Kempton’s book Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions. It’s titled The Resurgence of Glide.

Last episode, we explored the pioneering women surfers of the 1950s and 60s, those who helped establish a place in the lineup during a transformative time in surfing. Now, we fast forward into the 1980s and 90s, where women continued carving out their path in a competitive, male-dominated sport. Through the shortboard revolution and the early days of the professional tour, they weren’t just participating—they were progressing the sport right alongside the men.

But this chapter offers a different perspective on progress.

It reminds us that surfing isn’t only about pushing harder, faster, or more aggressively. Sometimes, progress looks like returning to something deeper—style, flow, and connection to the wave. This is a story about beauty in motion, about grace and rhythm, and about how women surfers helped bring longboarding, and the art of glide, back into the spotlight.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, you can visit buymeacoffee.com/thesurferslibrary. Your support helps cover the platform fees that keep the show going each month.

Also, if you would like to sponsor the podcast or have any story ideas or feedback for the podcast, please contact us on Instagram or at [email protected].

Let’s paddle out.