For the Surfers, by the Surfers

The 1971 Expression Session luau was the year’s social event on the North Shore. Every hot surfer was there. It had taken Tiger Espere weeks of planning to pull off the logistics. First, a suitable pig was selected, paid for, and fattened to 450 pounds. Someone secured a connection to the liquor department of a local military commissary, and 40 cases of Miller and Bud were scored, along with gallons of tequila and other firewaters.

A luau pit in Tiger’s backyard was reopened in one torrid hour of shovel work. An afternoon was spent searching out and cutting the right type of wood for the fire, with Eddie Aikau, Corky Carroll, and Dick Graham manning the power saw. (It was rented for $20 a day, used for an hour, then sat in Tiger’s backyard for a week, running up a rental bill of $120, which could’ve bought a new saw. But Graham gave the rental guy his real name and couldn’t skate. He talked him down to $40 anyway). 

The festivities began at noon and ran to 10 p.m., which everyone attributed to the high quality of everything present. Sol Aikau, Eddie and Clyde’s father, officiated over the pig. When the time came to pull it out of the pit, there was no way a haole could get a hand in to help—no way! Sol stuck around just long enough to make sure Tiger was happy with the way things were going with this rather untraditional luau, then split. Sol is beautiful.

The Expression Session got the best waves of any Hawaiian event of the previous few years. The first day was Pipeline, 8 to 12 feet—full-on, juicy, scary, cylindrical, board-snapping Pipeline. The surfing was spectacular. Gerry Lopez ruled. He took off farther back, took steeper drops, pulled up into it just right, rode deep inside, way back, and got spit out at least five times. Rory Russell showed the same understanding and got deeply buried too. Now, remember, I’m talking about 12-foot Pipeline. It happens right in front of you, not out in the distant mist. 

Jim Blears rode the inside and got barreled on several smaller waves. Owl Chapman rode the biggest waves, made outstanding backside turns, and cut back with just as much juice. Sammy Hawk went right and stood arching until disappearing. He also went left, made late drops, the whole bit. David Nuuhiwa rode well, considering he was just off the plane. It was Eddie and Ben Aipa’s first go-out ever at Pipe—considering the pressure, the fact that they went out and rode earned them a hand.

That day at Pipeline was maybe the most spectacular an event has ever had. The next day, it was even better, but the surfers voted to ride 10- to 12-foot Sunset—the regular stances wanted their chance. The ’71 Session was a surfer’s event. They controlled where and when. It was for the surfers and no one else, and thus, for them, it really was an expression session.

[Photo by Jeff Divine]