Greg Noll

Greg Noll, born Greg Lawhead in San Diego, California, on February 11, 1937, was an American pioneer of big wave surfing and a prominent longboard shaper who died on June 28, 2021, aged 84. Nicknamed Da Bull by Phil Edwards, he moved to Manhattan Beach as a child, began surfing at eleven, learned shaping from Dale Velzy and served with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards. After moving to Hawaii in 1954 he surfed Waimea Bay in 25 to 30 foot surf in November 1957, and in November 1964 he was the first surfer to ride a wave breaking on the outside reef at Banzai Pipeline. In December 1969 at Makaha he rode what many believed was the largest wave ever surfed. He produced the five Search for Surf films, appeared in the documentary Riding Giants, and later ran Noll Surfboards.