Gene "Tarzan" Smith
The Definitive History of the Legendary Surfer & Paddler
Aloha and welcome to this introduction to the complete chapter of Gene "Tarzan" Smith, available for ordering at the LEGENDARY SURFERS.
He was one of the great ocean paddlers of all time - some say the greatest.
An early California surfer, he was also a lifeguard, Waikiki haole beachboy, fighter, and - later
a Honolulu cop. He's credited with helping rediscover the North Shore of O'ahu as prime surf territory
and his inter-island paddles are the stuff of legend. One day in the early 1980s, he walked out into
the California desert and left the beach and all who knew him forever behind.
His name was Gene Smith, although he is best remembered by his nickname of "Tarzan,"
after the character immortalized by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Despite all that we know about him -
especially his paddling records - he was such a loner, so different, and left surfing so strangely,
that mystery surrounds his memory even today.
Thanks to friends like Gary Lynch and members of the Smith family, over the past five years or so,
I have been able to get a clearer picture of who legendary paddler Gene "Tarzan" Smith was, the accuracy of the
legends that surround him, and a full inventory of his accomplishments.
Many of you have read the two articles I wrote about Tarzan for The Surfer's Journal:
"Last
Chapter: 'Tarzan' Smith", The
Surfer's Journal, Volume 7, Number 4, Winter 1998.
"TARZAN DEDUX: Chapter Fill-Ins From The Life of Gene Smith,"
The Surfer's Journal, Volume 13,
Number 2, Spring/Summer 2004. Photographs from the Smith Family photo album.
Well, I have proceeded to combine the research for both printed articles into one chapter for the
LEGENDARY SURFERS collection. This chapter contains all the information from the two articles,
plus material that was left out due to space considerations with the magazine versions. Total length
is approximately 14,200 words, comprising 38 pages, including footnotes and vintage photos from the
Smith family collection. To order
the ebooklet for just $7.95, deliverable to your PC within 24-hours of ordering, please click the PayPal button:
Comments, suggestions, questions, subscription info, history to add, etc.:
malcolm@legendarysurfers.com
Copyright © 2005 by Malcolm
Gault-Williams. All Rights Reserved.
Related Resources
TOM BLAKE: The Journey of A Pioneer Waterman
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