Nat Young

“The great thing about surfing is, we are riding nature and nature changes.”

- Ashtyn Douglas

Competition can take some of the fun out of surfing.

The early ’60s were all about having fun. There was no sort of competition involved and surfing was a really social thing. We were competing with ourselves because we wanted to get better, but no one was saying “I’m better than you” or “I’m going to win this contest.”

True genius is rare in surfing. George Greenough is a genius.

George was the first guy I saw ride a wave how I wanted to ride a wave. I’d never seen anyone able… to place themselves inside the curl. Prior to that, it was all about passing by the curl and just waving at it.

People who can give genuinely and unconditionally are really special.

That’s what Greenough was to me. One day, he took the fin off my Magic Sam and put a new one on it with more energy and bounce, sanded it and got it ready for me. The board was spot-on and that’s the board I won the ’66 World Championships on.

People say “Everyone wants to see a winner,” but in retrospect, I don’t think that’s right.

I actually believed that for a long time, but I don’t think surfing ever qualified as a very good competitive sport.

Surfing is completely subjective.