Simon Anderson Bells 1981

[@henrymorgan3982]

The greatest free gift to the world of surfing. Thank you Simon Anderson.

[@SidewaysSurfDrinksHQ]

In my 55 years, this contest result is the most easily recalled. Because it was the most defining result of any surf contest and monumentally changed surfing forever. What a story!!

[@surferdude8086]

What an awesome story. I was a ten yr old in 81' who loved to surf and was completely into everything surfing. I had every surf magazine from every continent that sold surf mags and totally remember the introduction of the tri-fin. Simon was the man. What a legendary story. Stoked. 🤙😃

[@michaelm3285]

I was there that year .Big congrats to Simon and his amazing board. Two mates and myself went to Bells to watch the contest . We slept in my HQ Holden wagon in the carpark and like others have mentioned it was an unforgettable swell. I took some pics but with the old camera I had then they never really captured what it was really like that day and weekend . Big Cheyne Horan fan back then. All the guns were there.

[@hoksipgau]

Perhaps the greatest innovation in surfboard design ever. Mahalo nui loa Simon.

[@patricknoveski6409]

Thank you Simon. You gave the world the correct board. And kicked ass in the process!

[@robsmall8398]

This is great. I’m from Cornwall in the UK and in those days we only found out about what was happening through Tracks and the American surf mags, and they were always 3 months after the event. So in ‘81 the mags arrived and we saw the Bells pics and Simon’s victory on the new three finned boards. Then hot on the heels of this there was the first international pro event in Newquay (which actually had waves in the early rounds!!) and we got to see some of these guys surfing for the first time. Although I don’t know if Simon Anderson himself was at the event. Thanks for posting.

[@markusbroyles1884]

Thanks Simon ! We all recon you gave surfing a boost with this gift ! Good on you ~ALOHA !

[@clarkewi]

We had 2 great surfers from Santa Cruz, California compete in this event. These being Richard Schmidt and Vince Collier. They came back from Oz raving. What a contest.

[@FrostedSeagull]

Bells '81 as many people before me have written is legendary. I remember Hawaiian surfers Michael Ho and Jerry Lopez being stunned by the power and strength. From a fading memory of my Tracks monthly Aussie surfing newspaper, Michael Ho said the Sunset waves are fast, hard and yeah keep you under, but 30 foor Bell's was like Waimea at 50 foot i.e. a slow building wave with immense power and keeps you under for a long time only to surface and b e kept under again.

[@clarkewi]

@@FrostedSeagull That's why its on the tour.

[@dvfallon6345]

🙏🙏🙏

[@stevemccomb69]

And Davy smith from Santa Barbara

[@clarkewi]

@@stevemccomb69 Phenomenal surfer.

[@ozzydoop1473]

He Singlehandedly Changed surfing forever, just Like Mark Richards did

[@tonynewell5712]

Was there that day to watch Simon Anderson tear it apart , head and shoulders above anyone else !! As it turned out it was an historical day for the surfing world with the thruster to become the board of choice !

[@aussievapezaussievapez__3320]

This was amazing - Thanks for posting this one folks.. well done !!!

[@tank.4496]

Great story, thank you Simon

[@gummball]

I went out at Bells the following week (from memory, first time there) and it was almost as big. Paddling out I kept getting pummelled and my legrope (nylon cord with handkerchief) also broke and the board washed in. Didn't catch a wave except for a few I rode backwards while trying to paddle out the other way

[@Bazzaland]

I still have the huge Piping Hot poster with Simon surfing Bells......and a photo of him mailed to me from the '83 Gunston 500. Legend!

[@realbudgiesmugglertwohatsb2611]

I remember Simon taking a 20 footer on the head that contest maybe 30 foot whatever it was a huge wave and apart from his surfing Simon was a brilliant waterman tough strong and capable those were the days ..

[@duncanmcewan839]

Thanks Simon!

[@paulotonedef]

I had a Simon Anderson thruster for a time, back in late 1980’s. Best board I ever had. An early thruster, square tale. Beautiful board.

[@gregbristowe3057]

I was there that weekend, it looked a lot bigger than 12ft , you could feel the ground shake when the big ones broke.

[@johnbenson2937]

YEA I VE FELT THAT THERE , THICK KINE ' BRUDDA '

[@paulotonedef]

I love swell like that. The sonic overload that makes the crackle. Like bombs going off.

[@FrostedSeagull]

I'm 53 and I distinctly remember m a ny sources reporting Bells that Easter at 30 feet with some people claiming at dawn on that famous Easter Saturday morning in the Bells Beach o f 1981, the waves were in the 30 - 40 foot range, with the occasional rogue 50 foot set ! 👍🇦🇺 🙀🙀🙀

[@HT-vf7ok]

I remember watching Simon Anderson catching big storm waves at Dee Why point in the 1970s 80s and 90s those were the days.

[@evolveausevolveaus]

thank you Simon Anderson

[@patrickallen4120]

Simon ruled with style on his design!

[@larrydecoursey8056]

The Lender and Legend! 🤙🏽

[@adammorton3338]

Fantastic.

[@lorenzo6mm]

Met Simon Anderson. in 1990. Good guy. Energy surfboards. Surfed 'Bells' and 'Winki Pop'. too. They hold up massive swells. A complete ditto of 'Zoomers' and 'Razor Blades' on the lower Ranch in SB County, California. Still surf my Doug Haute West Side Santa Cruz 6'-7" Thruster with a boxed center fin to change out for Big Waves . It surfs great as a twin too. Michael Peterson and Simon Anderson, the best of the best.

[@freddesmet259]

A Big Thank you to Simon Anderson. We laughed when we first saw the Thruster in Huntington Beach in the early 80s. Little did we know within a very short time we will have ditched our twin fins and single fins and never looked back. Surfing definitely changed for the better. Thank you Simon !!

I remember those days well.

[@clarkewi]

Vince Collier (RIP) and Richard Schmidt were flown down all the way from Santa Cruz. They placed in this epic contest. And put Santa Cruz on the map as surfing was starting to go global. Tri fins became the standard.

[@chuckb8945]

Tom Hoye of Santa Cruz had something to do with introducing twin fins to Australia .

[@laowai2000]

Mind blowing...

[@clarkewi]

Hard to believe that is 40 years ago.

[@burtbenz9964]

Surfed a minchinton. 7 3. Thruster at sunset by Oahu. 8 2 12 ft yea Simon see. I ripped it. Only on a thruster. 1986. Thx. Simon

[@surfzion]

If you remember a swell in 1981 , it was a special day for sure.

[@rayvelasco2059]

Most Excellent ¿

[@73gmiller]

Man those days were the best

[@clarkewi]

Two Santa Cruzers put themselves on the map in this historic event: Richard Schmidt and Vince Collier.

[@gladyspepper8423]

In 1970 he won the championship of Surfing Rolf Aurness the son of James Arness in Bell Beach, Australia..

[@petebowling1668]

Nothing beats a thruster.

[@justtowatch111]

Twinnies are great but most people can't ride them.

[@petebowling1668]

@@justtowatch111 oh I can ride twins but a truster is the end all be all.

[@justtowatch111]

Yeah, I'm just reliving my early days of surfing when I was loving Twinnies and then the thrusters came out and most of them in the beginning were crap. I'm in New Zealand and I had a early Rabbit thruster that was horrible and several kiwi thrusters that were even worse, it was like they had boat anchors off the back!. I do agree that thrusters are overall the best boards but I have a very big soft spot for my little 5'8" Aloha twin that was good up to 8 feet.

[@petebowling1668]

@@justtowatch111 lots of fun in small surf

[@pt4430]

Legend

[@rabidwookie606]

So Rad!

[@XXMDQ-o9y]

Remember 81...Huge. I nearly drowned at Bells in about 75. 6-8 foot Solid Bells got caught inside and pinned on the bottom. Came up one short breath and back down to the bottom again. Fuck I was rooted luckily washed up onto beach my big wave days were over. Always remember that day when I see Big Surf. Oh yeh we measured surf from the back not the front LOL

[@coolhand1964]

Sounds like a few of Captain Goodvibes stories from Tracks magazines back in the 70's, but he never gave up the big waves, or the doobies...🤪

[@beenjammin7187]

Simons thumbnail looks like every bloke you meet paddling out at a new spot

[@nusasurfvideos]

A turning point day for surfing. It's interesting that the "surfing world took notice of the Thruster" but the contest commentator didn't?

[@billcarson4566]

Imagine what that board would be worth. Introducing the world to the thruster.

[@surfworldtv]

Funny thing is Bill, we have an even earlier thruster in the museum, the first thruster to ever win a contest.

[@deluxairhead]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't thrusters being ridden in Hawaii before Bell 81, by the way Bells at 8-10' isn't that heavy paddling out to Winki at that size can be tricky, just time it right fellas.........

[@barrycouda8481]

....I have a collection of around 10 of these original SA Thrusters .....and around a thousand people trying to get one off me !!

[@WhiteNacho]

And so it was....

[@jphedley]

& he still rips.

[@mozdickson]

Always rated Simon as a surfer. To me he was an animal in the mold of Nat. Him and Col Smith (both of them actually! Haha in joke for old blokes)

[@williamyoggerst2875]

Great narrative, but where's the vid?

[@williamyoggerst2875]

Found it...at the end. Amazing how the WSL woman rip better now.

[@brianhurford3319]

I surfed the Whangamata Bar in 81. An Aussie showed up one day ( I was there a whole week on an epic swell) and he was surfing a 5 fin board. There I was on a single fin POS from California. I had never even seen a tri fin. My favorite board was a twin fin at the time. Of course, it was a MR knock off. When I returned home, I read about that Bell's contest and the Thruster in Surfer Magazine. No internet back then. Aussies were and are out in the front on design. I right away found a shaper in Carlsbad to make me my first of many thrusters.

[@chriszablocki2460]

Some dude sold me that board. I didn't ask where he got it. Also, I promise not to carry weapons out in the water. Unless I'm night diving.

[@owenmurray2549]

Teenager when the Thruster came out to Hawaii !!

[@bunyip1936]

Glad i never had a bonza though.

[@marcduncan139]

No jet ski assists to get out