How one man shaped South African surfing

JOHN Whitmore is remembered as the pioneer of surfing in South Africa, a man whose influence shaped the sport for generations.

- LUTHO PASIYA

Author Miles Masterson has captured Whitmore's life in the self-published biography The Oom, tracing the journey of the man who discovered iconic surf spots such as Elands Bay, Jeffreys Bay and Bruce's Beauties, and who introduced Hobie Cats and modern surfboards to South Africa.

Whitmore also connected with California's "Dana Point Mafia" in the 1960s, a crew of pioneering board-builders and wave-riders who shaped the global surf scene, and played a role in inspiring Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer.

Masterson, who grew up on the Atlantic Seaboard and began surfing at Hout Bay in 1979, holds vivid memories of Whitmore's influence throughout his early years of surfing.

"We used to listen to his surf report on Good Hope FM before school," he recalled.

"Later, at Camps Bay High School, we would sometimes see him in Camps Bay and talk about it for hours. John Whitmore was like a god to us grommets. The older surfers passed down stories of his accomplishments like folklore and fables."

Masterson also became a competitive surfer, earning Western Province colours on several occasions, and knew Whitmore's youngest daughter, Sian, from high school.

The idea to write the biography came in 2008, when The Surfer's Journal commissioned Masterson to write an 18-page feature on Whitmore.

Sian Whitmore mentioned that journalist Tony Heard had once considered writing a biography but was too busy.

"That sowed the seed in my mind," said Masterson.

"I had just published my first book,