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A competitive juggernaut hailing for Southern New Jersey Matthews would hone his skills on the wave rich beach breaks of Atlantic County especially the powerful waves in Atlantic City. In the 70’s as a young teenager Matthews would earn a spot at the competitive States Avenue lineup near the Steel Pier home of Duke Kahanamoku’s early surfing demonstrations.

A powerful backhand and skillful barrel riding would earn Tom multiple podium finishes in the highly competitive ESA Southern New Jersey District. By the early 80’s Matthews performances would earn him a spot on the NSSA National Team and he soon would embark on a professional career. A top ranking on the ASP East tour in 87 along with other competitive highlights  Tom would start be a mainstay for photographers to bring along for magazine sponsored photo shoots. He would be part of the crew that photographer Dick Meseroll would take for one of the first forays to surf the points of Nova Scotia.

Heading to California to pursue his education Matthews would earn a law degree and soon begin a successful career as an attorney in San Diego. Always maintaining his love surfing he would continue to compete and reach the podium in WSA Senior events and San Diego Pro Ams, he was also part of East Coast All-Star team that won the Jack’s Pro Boardriders club event in 2022. At 60 years old Matthews is still surfing at a high level chasing waves all over the world to satisfy his grom like enthusiasm.

One of the early Seaside Heights surfers Richard first started surfing in 1966 in Sea Bright with cousin, at 15 years old he caught the bug. Soon along with his close friends Greg Mesanko he became a mainstay at Casino Pier. In 67 Custom surf shop began paying to work at the shop in Lavalette NJ and their main job was to test ride boards. In 68 Rich was the number ranked surfer in NJ, but his real love would come soon and that was shaping his own boards.

In his first semester at Brevard Community College he would meet Gene Cottrell who was the main shaper at Surfboards East. Cottrell took into the shaping bay and let him watch him shape two boards, Luthringer found his new calling that day. Heading back to New Jersey Richard ripped the glass off an old longboard and would shape the first of thousands of custom boards for surfers in New Jersey and beyond the state.

Luthringer was a talented competitive surfer first for More Pope where he won numerous events on the Morey Pope Penetrator and was a top ranked ESA competitor during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Still surfing and shaping beautiful boards in New Jersey Rich was also a talented craftsman who also built custom homes.

Growing up on Long Beach Island Surf City local Randy Townsend had many top surfers to look up to that honed their skills on the powerful beach breaks of LBI. Townsend started surfing on the beaches of Surf City at the age 11 after already spending countless hours riding waves on a boogie board during the summer. Receiving a surf board for Christmas he would take to the sport with an enthusiasm that continues to this day. With the quiet winters that are the norm on LBI Randy began surfing sometimes three times a day an approach that would propel him onto a successful amateur and professional career.

Top podium finishes at NSSA and ESA events would help him turn pro especially after winning the 2000 East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach. Randy would win the 2001 Unsound Pro in New York along with wins at multiple Red Bull events. Townsend was a finalist at a number of the New Jersey Grudge Match Championships which pitted the best New Jersey surfers against each other at Seaside Heights Pier along with the Belmar Pro along with pro events up and down the East Coast. Randy has been featured in multiple surf magazines from ESM, Surfer and Surfing and The Surfers Journal. A favorite subject of pro  photographer Trevor Murphy Townsend can be seen in Murphys photos from all of the world at spots in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and many others. Randy’s sponsors include Xcel Wetsuits, Aftermath Surfboards and Jetty apparel a local LBI based company.

Besides his surfing career Randy was a long time member of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol rising to the position of Captain. An active participant in Lifeguard competitions Randy has won multiple paddleboard competitions leading Harvey Cedars to numerous beach patrol lifeguard championships.  Giving back to the community has been a big part of Randy’s life coaching his Alma Mater Southern Regional Surf Team, NSSA Conference Director and a Board Member of the charity organization Waves of Strength that helps children that have cognitive or physical disabilities.

One of the pioneers of women’s surfing in New Jersey and the East Coast. Larkin would become a mainstay at the highly competitive Casino Pier in Seaside Heights. Nearly always a finalist in East Coast surfing contests she was competing against some of the best female surfers on the East Coast, surfers like World Contest finalists Janice Domorski and Barbara Belyea would be her peers on the competitive circuit.

Larkins competitive record would transcend multiple decades. A third place finish in the 1965 Atlantic States Surfing Championship would start her competitive path. Kathy would go on to perform at a top level in contests like the Cocoa Beach Classic, Atlantic City Classic, multiple ESA Championships and the legendary Ocean City Polar Bear and Turkey Trot events.

Larkin has become a role model for young New Jersey female surfers over the years and has become a mentor to many who see her as an example to follow both as a Casino Pier local and a successful competitive surfer.

Justin Citta grew up surfing the beautiful barreling waves of Long Beach Island. A local Surf City standout Justin would set the standard for radical above the lip performance surfing that surfers like fellow Surf City Pro Randy Townsend would acknowledge as the surfer they all emulated. Justin would take to competitive surfing early on with the local ESA events as his first top level results. He states that the young Kelly Slater in 1985 would teach him how to do upside down backside re entries that would lead him to a podium finish in 1987. Citta would soon find himself traveling with Slater as part of an ESA All Star Team and that proximity to top talent should raise his level of surfing so much that sponsors took notice.

Citta would first start riding for Rusty Surfboards and Matt Kechle would sign him on to the Quiksilver Gen X team program which would allow him to start traveling the world for photo shoots and contests. Citta’s radical style would land him multiple surf mag photos and a number of covers for The Eastern Surf Magazine. Justin skills have not diminished and can still be found surfing the different waves on Long Beach Island.

Murray’s surf roots started started in the 70’s in the legendary wave called the Yoke, he credits surfers like Justin Citta and Skip Miller among many LBI legends who encourage is interest and showed him the ropes of being a Long Beach Island local. But, it would be his first camera in the mid 80’s that would light a different fire for Murray that would take him down another surf path. Before he would start his photo career Murray would head to college in Santa Cruz and immerse himself into that big wave community ultimately surfing Mavericks with the legendary Jeff Clarke.

In 1995 an internship at Surfer Magazine would bring Jason under the tutelage of professional photogs like Art Brewer and Jeff Devine. Very quickly Surfer recognized his skills and eventually  made him photo editor in 2000. In 2003 Jason left Surfer and became a freelance photographer ultimately creating some of the most iconic big wave photos of the era. An opportunity with Quiksilver and an eventual promotion to Head of Photography. In 2012 Nike would come calling and Jason would move to the Pacific Northwest where he would become Commercial/Creative Director. With all his moves Jason has never forgotten his roots in New Jersey and every year spends weeks at a time in the town of Beach Haven on LBI.

Growing up in the small town of Longport New Jersey the furthest point south on Absecon Island Walsh quickly was absorbed into the rich history of surfing on the Island that had the top notch quality waves at the piers in Atlantic City. Growing up at the beach Frank initially rode styrofoam boogie boards but as soon as he was gifted a regular surfboard he skills rapidly improved. Entering ESA contests Walsh was a consistent finalist and won the prestiges long running  Absecon Island Surfing Championship beating all comers in the grand final. Heritage Surf Shop  recognized his talent and put him on their team when he graduated high school and Frank immediately headed off to a professional career.

Frank soon was sponsored by Quicksilver, Smith Optics and Sector 9 and began his long time relationship with John Carper of JC Hawaii which bring him to Hawaii where he soon earned a reputation as a surfer who charged big waves. Frank would spend 20 winters on the North Shore competitive in contests at Sunset Beach, Pipeline and Velzyland. He would go on to have a number of video parts in East Coast Hall of Famer Kevin Welsh’s NRG series, Lost and Sector 9 films and in his brothers JJ Walsh’s surfing videos most notable his long form Aqueous vid. Frank thru his relationship with  Quicksilver was able to travel the world surfing some of the most iconic surf breaks in places like Australia, Indonesia and a stint on the Quicksilver Crossing on the Indies Trader.

Frank’s competitive career was notable for wins over Tommy Curren at the ECSC in Virginia Beach and the 2004 Jersey Grudge Match Champion an event he was always a top finisher held at the Seaside Heights Pier before Sandy destroyed it in 2012. During the early 2000’s Red Bull held a mid winter pro event during the biggest swell that would hit the North East inviting all the top East Coast surfers with Frank always in the running to make the podium. These days Frank lives in Ventnor New Jersey with his wife Ashley and young son Frankie JR. working as an Atlantic City Fireman still surfing the local beaches.

Derf Mctighe first learned to surf in 1966 in Sea Bright New Jersey. A local on the Monmouth County beaches for decades he honed his considerable skills traveling to destinations all over the world. His first trip to Puerto Rico in 1970 would begin his yearly pilgrimage to the Island, but it was he’s visits to the North Shore of Hawaii starting in 1974 that would ultimately have the greatest influence on his surfing career. Being introduced to legendary surf photographer Bernie Baker would bring Derf into the circle of legendary North Shore surfers and shapers that would pass through Bakers house.

It was the winter of 74 when Derf would receive an invite to surf in the prestigious Smirnoff Pro Am but it was the relationships with Hawaiian and International shapers like Ben Aipa, Mike Diffenderfer, Rusty Preisendorfer along with Simon Anderson that would light the fire to become a surf board shaper. In 1977 Mctighe would open up his own surf shop in Sea Bright and a line of surfboards both called Island Style. A mainstay in the Sea Bright community for decades until the shop was destroyed in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy which also decimated the costal town.

Derf was lucky to have mentors like Hall of Famers Charlie Kanes and Bill Menders which set the example for him to sponsor many local Monmouth surfers like Gary Germaine, Joe Schluter, Rol Wolson and the Hopper Brothers among many. Derf is still an avid surfer and traveler and you can find him in the water year round on the waves in Monmouth County.

Part of the dynamic duo Mesanko brothers Chris and Greg who would dominate the classic Casino Pier wave during the 70’s and 80’s. Chris’s skills as a surfer and his willingness to police the crowd  at the Pier made him a feared figure in the uber talented lineup. Chris and his  stalwart surf pal Kevin Casey would start to make sojourns to Hawaiis North Shore in the 70’s where Chris would quickly earn a reputation as a charger especially on the difficult Sunset Beach Wave. Chris was one of the first New Jersey surfers to travel the world visiting spots from France to Australia, Hawaii and throughout the Caribbean among other destinations.

Mesanko soon ventured in to the surf industry as a rep for Lightning Bolt and Halo Sandals from Hawaii and then as a developer and distributor for the first surf chords on the East Coast. Chris threw his talents behind the development of waterparks and helped to design the first wave pool affects used in water slides.

These days you can find Chris with his wife Julie living and still surfing the waves in Seaside Heights along with the beautiful point breaks at his second home in Cabo San Lucas.

Chrisner was a surfer first but it was with his keen eye as a photographer that he would make his mark on the New Jersey surf culture first and then outside of the state. Coming from the wave right community of surfers at the Manasquan Inlet Chrisner had plenty of talent to capture and the example of legendary Hall of Fame Photog Dick “Mez” Meseroll to follow.

In 1982 he began to pursue his career as a surf photographer and was lucky enough at that time to have Inlet heavy Charlie King as his best friend. Surfing with King and then shooting classic photos of Charlie getting barreled and ripping the tops off of waves would garner Chrisner early success with the surf mags getting published in 1984. He would soon be traveling on photo shoots and still capturing photos of top New Jersey talent like Scotty Duerr and King surfing pumping surf at the Inlet and in Puerto Rico.

It was not enough for Chrisner to just be a surf photographer he also took on the major role as a sales rep for numerous brands.  Brands like Michael Baron Surfboard and Roberts Surfboards along with Senior Lopez, Lost Surfboards and apparel and Solite wetsuit boots are just a few of the brands that Bruce has represented. He also took on roles in the snowboard industry working as a rep in the Northeast for nearly a decade.

Today you can find Bruce still in the mix of the New Jersey surfing community whether it be  shooting local talent or events, writing articles or posting beautiful photos on his social media pages.