"GARY KONG ELKERTON" 1987: BEST EVER AT SUNSET BEACH
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- Before there was the WSL Hurley Pro at Sunset Beach there was the ASP Billabong Pro World Cup and The Hard Rock cafe pro, and in 1987 Gary Kong Elkerton won both- back to back- cementing his legacy as one of- if not THE- most dominant competitor ever at the fabled open ocean point/reef break of Paumalu- also known as Sunset Beach, Oahu, North Shore, Hawaii.
Gary Kong Elkerton grew up surfing Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast where he was given the nickname 'King Kong' as he was bigger than the other kids.
By the time he was fourteen, Gary worked for his dad as a deckhand on a shrimp (prawn) trawler, diving and surfing alone on the shark-infested, remote open ocean waves of the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's isolated off-shore islands.
The first time I met Kong was at Kirra in 1984. He blew my mind with his powerful surfing and amazing tube riding skillz. Shortly thereafter "The Performers" came out and he became a favorite of surfers worldwide.
His North Shore act became legendary, matching the force of these massive open ocean waves with equal parts power and grace. He was the first non-Hawaiian to with the triple crown, but perhaps his greatest accolade there came in 1987, when there were two events run back-to-back at Sunset Beach, The Hard Rock Pro, and The Billabong Pro. Kong won both. In The Hard Rock, Kong won every one of his four-man heats. In The Billabong, he smoked the field with jazz handed power carving, impossibly deep fades to bottom turns and impeccable timing on one of the most challenging playing fields on the North Shore.
Surfing magazine stated "Gary Elkerton's professional metamorphosis had puzzled many supporters who appreciated his brash, devil may care attitude. Elkerton's extreme commitment to hard, pure, radical surfing when it gets good and heavy puts Gary's in a class of his own!"
Music: Sunnyboys: "Trouble In My Brain"
Hoon: "Australian Dream" lnk.to/AusDream
Addl' Sources:
Tracks
Surfing Magazine
Surfer Magazine
Quiksilver
Gordinho
Don King
Dick Hoole
#surfhistory #realsurfstories #garykongelkerton - บันเทิง
“If you couldn’t compete in Hawaii, you were a nobody “- fast forward to the ‘world champ’Toledo….😂
The contrast with the cowardice of the pitiful Toledo is indeed stark.
Im so sick of these WSL ticket makers from sth America. Toledo is nothing. No one. He wont be remembered like Kong and all the 80s and 90s surfers. No one even cared what Brazil did back then. Still today too. Go make their own surf comps.
Toledo surfs better than you ever will your the nobody he has his deeds to show :D@@mackash
Not to mention chopes. He freaks out there and big tavarua
Settle down mate. Filipe is an incredible surfer@@mackash
One of the best top surfers ever. Does not receive enough credit.
Had a beer with Gary in Kuta Lombok yesterday!
Kong at Sunset , Occy at Jbay , TC at Pipe…. Some blokes are designed for certain breaks 💪
Kong was a real legend ,especially at Sunset.
i remember seeing Kong at a surfing contest at manly beach. he did a massive floater over a section and I'd never seen that before. never forgot it. Loved his powerful surfing.
Similar, I saw him win the IMB pro at Wollongong and he did multiple huge lip glide floaters at full speed. He was head and shoulders better than anyone else that day.
Couldn't imagine young guys riding the boards we rode...
MY FAVORITE SURFER!
The line about walking past the locals and giving them a wink when it’s bombing at the outer reef…good lord that takes balls. That is a horrifying scenario with no one out and getting caught with no modern tech or ski to rescue you. A true hellman and waterman.
I rode big Pipe and Sunset from 74-80 - single fin days. Pipe was lame since Lopez and Russel were hogging all the sets.... but Sunset was the best. Once you got your wave, nobody could drop in, since single-fins wouldn't make it down the face. A good North, and a bigger West was the key, since this would set you up for a rush when you hit the bowl. I saw Elkerton out there when he first came to Oahu. He used to wear this silly hat with ear-flaps... in the water. LOL. But I saw him pull an off-da-lip on about a double overhead wave. I was impressed.
So the single fins of the 50s, 60s, and 70s didn't work? Ask Phil Edward's, Ricky Grigg, Joey Cabell and the rest of those guys.
so Ben Aipa never dropped in on Michael Peterson and then punched out MP's fins claiming MP dropped in on him?
Rabbit was there..@@BarbarraBay
@@jackwest5295 I have a photo of Ben AIPA dropping in on MP. Maybe MP getting punched out was related to a different wave
Good for you .. that was the late 70,s eh..
Ben Aipa was a great shaper and invented the Stinger.. I loved watching Larry Bert surf those ..at V land
Lopez dropped in on me .and everyone else at Pipe... and I,m nobody .. BUT IT WAS STILL an honour to actually be there...
ah the good ole days...@@BarbarraBay
Professional surfing was so good at that time.
Gary Elkerton Rocks!!!!
Thank you Gary for being such a pivotal influence on a generation of frothing surfers! In and out of the water. Where have all the larger than life personalities gone? We need that in our sport...As a Shaper i have shaped 100's if not 1000's of Channel bottom's in the 80's & 90's thanks to you!! #crushkilldestroy
They just gave Kong a bit of a mention on WSL - Sunset comp. Mentioned Mike Parsons got a 10 in the final but Kong still won it. Was on a tear. Good to hear them finally talk about him and recognize some history
Had a feeling this vid might provoke that! 💯
Ted's Bakery .. night surfing velzey Thanksgiving sessions at Jamie s & Ryder's .. backyards ... Too many great memories
Proper maddog when he was young. Did everything full steam ahead.
many an Aussie grommet's hero of the 1980s .... underrated and understated these days unfortunately- thanks for the clip
I grew up at Fingal Head NSW and remember when Kong, Chappy, and Rabbit filmed Kongs Island there, which is actually Cook Island. Cook Island sits off the beach there about half a kilometre and often had incredible breaks we could see as kids, but just couldn't get to it.
Just a side note. A few years ago I read that Kong learned balance skills from working on the decks of his dads trawlers. So, the exceptional balance ability complimented his big wave riding and endurance.
Sunny Coast legend. Old Woman Island.
Kong, a solid force amongst the show ponies 💪
Kong was epic! One of my favorites.
Incredible to see how much shorter the boards have gotten these days. The turns that JJF does in big sunset is another level now. 🤯🤯🤯
Kong yes was amazing at Sunset BUT so was Kealoha and AI!! As far as ripping it/killing it with super smooth style and grace -- hands down AI! Peace
Indeed. Long list of great Sunset performers.
Thanks for this. How have we forgotten such a dominant legend. Thanks again
This is one of the best commentaries I've ever heard on surfing sunset thank you
Great power surfer, one of the best on heavy and challenging conditions. His powerful carves and rail work were always underscored. A true legend!
Love Sunset, Paumalu is its Hawaiian name, “the surprising one.” It really is.
Gary Elkerton and Robbie Page are Good Mates of mine .. Nuff Said....
How good? I've got a glaring question for "Gary".
My Hero from back in the Days.
✌🏾
Lived at Chuns and surfed Sunset a lot in 68 & 69. If you paddled at first light you had it by yourself for a couple hours.
I forgot about that guy, He fucking ripped the freak big swells at the 86 OP pro. The conditions were tricky for even advanced locals, but Kong handled it with ease.
Kong was and still is my inspiration when I surf ! Love the power he has ! He is just a legend
For Kong the bigger the wave the bigger a canvas .....
Growing up in the 70's and living in Newcastle brought a second hand board from Ray Richards surf shop, Mark's father. Australia was blessed with a multitude of great surfer..but amongst then for me Kong stood out, he was at home on any break, the bigger the better..thanks for the memories Gary.😊
One of the best of all time, not just his time.
So so good 😊 thank you so much . Kong is a living legend and it’s awesome to watch his surfing back when surfing was cool
87 triple crown was the first surf vid i owend. Still sick kong killed sunset . And the k rock sounds 🤙
Beast !!
I have a book from the 80s "Surfing Wild Australia" big picture book plenty of Kong it's so sick.
I got a big kick out of reading some of these comments. Was curious to see if there were any rebuttals to your claim Tony. There were - but surprisingly - not one mention of BK! I have one name for honorable mention - my landlord during that era - Mike Latronic...
Spauldo! What up King?! The context is most dominant competitor at Sunset, best ever free surfer out there, albeit more subjective, would be a great video as well!
Legend
Kong. I even watched the YT ads in full man. Can someone load ,performers, best ever surf movie
❤❤❤
Hey Gary...dude long time no here....I here Bully is still ticking along....such a good thing. Your dads boat was the last one I drove...some connection hey.....you look after yourself 'young' fella....best wishes Mark R.
We had many all time surf's together at Kirra with Kong&chappy👍🤙👍♒💯
Gary's the man 💪 ! Hi from Hossegor
Kong was my fav surfer when I was a grom...I was wondering if he made this vid😅
I promise you he would not have signed off on seppo narration or my calling a prawn trawler a shrimp trawler 😂
He was one of my big wave charger idols, Power surfer
Champion.
Loving it 🫥
Awesome
epic
Sick …
KONG!
Queensland's offshore islands lol. That one is only a decent paddle from the beach.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Queensland offshore islands? That shot is Angourie firmly anchored to the NSW coast , DUH!
😂😂😂 It's called Old Woman island in Qld matey
I don't think so.@@RealSurfStories
@@bradleyhalfacre7992 😂😂😂 photographybycalliec.wordpress.com/2015/06/20/old-woman-island/
Is this at Pipeline?
@1:05 hows that setup? #Surfisland
that dude looks like me
👍🍺
By 1987, he was no longer "Kong."
He was Gary Elkerton, Professional Surfer.
Kong and Quiksilver curated his brand on a hard partying, rock and roll hellman image which he wanted to renounce when parting ways with Quik. He issued press releases and even legal requests. That phase was short lived, and after falling out of the limelight, he made a comeback declaring himself "Kong' is back" and has embraced his original moniker ever since.
Garry Would Go….
I watch Gary back in the 80s at Sunset and can tell you he was good but JJF blows everybody out at Sunset he in a different place then most good guys.
The context of this video is Kongs competitive dominance at Sunset. JJF won Sunset once (2011).
@@RealSurfStoriesplease forgive me for being old enough to remember. Sorry Kong is the greatest to ever ride Sunset. I stand corrected.
Jack robbo is catching up
did he ever compete with jerry Lopez?
Absolutely!
I only recently got into the names/faces and stories of surfers back in the day. This year is my 22nd year learning how to surf so I fiqered its time to look for guidence from people that know what their doing!@@RealSurfStories
Laffin, just laffin at the aging testosterone in the comments. Including mine 😔
What is that song? Fucking rocker! Sounds like Dead Kennedys.
Sunnyboys "Trouble In My Brain"
Good boy, today have only freak boy.
Kong one of the best power surfers ever inspired me as a kid in the 80ss
I was on the beach at Sunset watching...My friend and former ASP Top 16, Dave Parmenter, was taunting Kong to take it out the back with him rather than sitting on the West Peak...No disrespect to Kong. But, Dave was way gnarlier of a charger than Kong...Just the facts
What was Dave's best result at Sunset?
Check out the Wart on Mauice Coles left testicle...@@RealSurfStories
nah.
Kong was a far more radical surfer
@@hannotn Perhaps, but the context of this video is Kong's competitive dominance at the venue.
I never liked Kong's style... EXCEPT at Sunset and Haleiwa 🔥🔥
And Pipeline
Power Waves will speak for them selves ..it takes a certain kind of Power to Excel at those breaks..in Hawaii..
I suggest you go try it..
He was a beast at Teahupoo. Always deeper than everybody.
1987 when surfing was carvs hitting the lip and tubes. Airs were here and there, punk rock was still legit and Hawaii could be had on a budget.
2024? the government is taking over Lahaina and the cost of a dozen eggs or steak is insane.
Remember chappy jennings?
3:14
JOB's biological father.
Dig Kong & Potz, saw Kong surfing at Queenscliff in 6 - 8ft no nonsense storm swell ( I;m thinking it was the surabout contests... vs Merick Davis a apolished point scoring surfer anyways Kong did two turns on these waves I'll never forget, massive bottom turn huge thirty metre roundhouse cutback wave done.. next!! )ripoff of ripoff they judged multiply verts' better than his carving awesomenss.. when will the judges give proper surfing proper points!?
Merrick Davis.... that name's a blast from the past. I vaguely remember that for a few years he always seemed around the top echelon of surfers in the pro-am comps in Aus. Saw him at Cronulla a couple of times when I lived there... very stylish.
I used to surf Sunset at night back in the day but only over 20 feet i had night vision goggles made from pringle containers. Rode my 5/8 twinny in a pair of white shit catches to keep away the sharks they hate white undies. Doing massive airs 720s (made em all ) 12 second toob rides i used to come in around 4 am to get ready for my day job as a professional bull fighter id tell you more but i hate bragging !
Shit hot lol
Goat cant surf sunset
Mahomes could if he wanted.😅😂
When men were men!
Never heard of him.
I don't know a single MMA fighter's name. But I don't go to MMA channels to make comments about it trying to diminish the value of their accomplishments.
Brush up on your surf history. Consistently a top ten surfer in the eighties, and the bigger it got, the better he surfed. The video clearly shows great surfing on what today is inferior equipment. Man ripped.
Jesus Christ read his book he will tell you all about himself
whats with the crap music?
Aussie surfer. Aussie Rock. Perfection. 💯🎯
Is your volume button broken?
Awesome music. Real music. Timeless. Go listen to whatever your crew did back then, it obviously wasn't with us. At least its not raphop. Ha.
@@mackash Some videos hip hop works well. Others rock. There's a mood and style of surfing for most every type of music. Someone's always going to hate either way.
Sunnyboys! One of the all time greatest albums. Not known outside Australia, but who cares, Aussie rock especially from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s was and still sounds better than anything, totally biased opinion but I love it to bits.
As for Kong he was a bit tortured by all those world title runners ups. Especially one he was properly cheated out of. (Carissa has had this happen twice, but at least she had a few world titles in the bank). Don’t underestimate his small wave game, I always preferred him to Occy, he and Oc and Pottz and Carroll were the animals to terrorise waves from the mid 80’s, and in Curren you had the style genius. Those 5 were far and above the rest of that time period.
worst style ever
Jhef Hackman was better
Different era. Kong was much more of a radical 80s power surfer. By that time Hakman was probably more into smack than surfing.