Bobby Patterson

Robert George Patterson, known as Bobby or Flea, was born on February 22, 1935, and became a surfing star of the 1950s. The oldest of three surfing brothers, he was one of the first nose riders, a style of standing at the front of the board. He came to California from Hawaii around 1953 and lived in Santa Monica, where he rode for the Surfboards by Velzy team. He and his brothers later formed the core production team at the Hobie Surfboards factory in Dana Point, California. He won the Malibu Invitational surfing competition in 1964, and the article quotes a contemporary who judged that no surfer in the world was better between 1953 and 1960.