1999 SURF PIONEER GEORGE DOWNING

1999 SURF PIONEER GEORGE DOWNING

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George Downing is one of surfing’s most enduring icons and innovators. A tall and slender, he began surfing at age 9. George was one of the early big wave pioneers during the 1940s and 1950s. He shared his surfing knowledge with everyone he met.

George Downing is credited with being the first surfer to develop a subtle quiver and the Rocket, first removable fin system, and thus revolutionized the surfboard and surfing. He also created the first real big-wave gun, a board able to ride a large wave in 1951. With this board, he competed in and won the 1954 Makaha International Surfing Championship Gold Medal and appeared in multiple movies. His sessions at Makaha, sent around the world via the Associated Press Newswire, inspired many of the first wave to make their annual winter pilgrimage to the North Shore. George won the prestigious Makaha International three times in 1954, 1961 and 1965. He later used his knowledge and leadership as the executive director of the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau event held in large surf at Waimea Bay.

After leaving Outrigger Canoe Club, George opened his own surf shop in Kaimuki that later earned him the Legacy Award. He was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.

（I appreciate Wikipedia and the Surfing Walk of Fame for introducing the surfer George Downing. Please let me know if it is against the copyright.）