Hey haoles… howzie?
This is my first blog post from the website Wave Sliding Club! Awesome to have you reading this, I’d also bet that if you’re reading this… you too are a fan of the greatest film of all time – North Shore.
In a series of posts I’m going to let you know how the idea for the website came about, the people I’ve met and spoken to along the way, research undertaken, updates on products and ideas that made it or not onto the online shop – and share some of the amazing comments and feedback I get from around the world!
Finding North Shore
I grew up on the south coast of the UK. Living just a few miles from the beach, my bro and I spent our entire school years living and breathing surfing. Every day of school we rang up for the surf report, every day of summer was at the beach and every weekend was at the local surf shop – Bournemouth Surfing Centre (shout out to the boyz).
In my opinion living and breathing surfing is a perfect foundation for life, it teaches you about the power of nature, keeps you fit and gives kids something to focus their energy on rather than getting into trouble.
“Knarly movie yah, like it was the last one…”
I watched this movie endlessly in the 90s after buying the only copy from the local video store when it closed down. An absolute bargain at £2. North Shore was always in the VHS playing in the background and we would all constantly quote Turtle’s lines. Yeah.. No!
Last month the movie celebrated being 32 years since release and I’ve just turned 40. I studied art and design for 5 years, then forged a living in the design industry before setting up my own design company and surfing business. I’ve also been lucky enough to have travelled the world a few times living and breathing surfing – taking the values… and one-liners of North Shore with me.
Cosmic Brah
The idea for a website started in 2005 when I met Clay H on a message board. We were both searching for the soundtrack from the movie. We exchanged details and helped each other complete the album. We called it a ‘cosmic happening’ back then, these were the days before Facebook, iTunes or iPhones. Clay made the original Chandler Diamond logo and posted me a tshirt he made, this was the foundation of the shirt you can now find on the shop. We still keep in touch to this day – what a dude. 🤙🏻
Released 14 August 1987
The film is a 80s cult classic about friendship and surfing – as well as earning and offering respect, learning from each other and a reminder not to take life too seriously – not everyone makes it pro.
William Phelps and his team did a fantastic job, the surfing cinematography is truly amazing for the era, the pro surfers of the 80s grant the movie kudos. Yeah the love storyline is cheesy, but the one-liners Turtle has given us opened up a whole new surf language, this is exactly what makes the movie all the better and everyone who watches it takes a one-liner or two with them to the beach.
Stay loose haoles! – Chad