Probably the most visible surfer of his era, Joe and his “electric hair” frequently graced the pages of Surfer Mag in the late 60's and early 70's. In 1964, just two months after catching his first wave, Joe bought his first board with money from mowing lawns. It was a locally made “Bonzai” that weighed 25 pounds, and he had to drag it to the beach.
With cat-like prowess, he was soon riding waves from the outside, all the way to the beach, without ever leaving the tip. But it was in 1968, during the shortboard revolution, where Joe believes he found his niche in surfing.
That was the year that the newly formed ESA crowned him their first Men's Champion. He also won third place in the Peruvian International Big Wave event.
Joe's style was influenced by the Australian's. He saw it first-hand as a competitor in the 1968 World Contest in Puerto Rico and again in Australia for the 1970 World Contest.
Joe had his own model boards by Rick & Hansen Surfboards, then started shaping his own boards in '72 under the Roland-Miniard-Rosborough label. Joe understood a lot about board design and was into playing with various design elements,
including thickness, rocker and outline.
Joe was recently inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame and is featured in the new Encyclopedia of Surfing.
After Joe retired from competition in the early 70's, he started traveling to New Zealand and Hawaii. Now 53, his surfing is still comparable to today's hottest kids, riding only a shortboard in all conditions. Joe divides his time between family, surfing, computer programming for the city, and plays guitar, keyboard and flute at church and for EPIC Surf Ministries.
