BIG WAVE RIDING: Newquay’s Mythical wave ‘The Cribber’ Is The Tale Of Legends
The Wave of Legends…
The Cribber became part of British surfing’s mythical heritage in September 1966, when visiting Australians Jack Lydgate, Johnny McIlroy and Pete Russell surfed an estimated 20 foot wave.
Veteran surfer John Baxendale who was there on the day had this to say: It was a bright sunny day in September, 1966, that some of the largest rideable waves that Newquay had ever seen pumped in. Jack Lydgate, Pete Russell and Johnny McIlroy paddled out at the Cribber, where some of the waves were in excess of 20 feet (face height). I was there, and saw it for real. It really was huge, and the wind was offshore too!
“It was hard to estimate the exact size,” said John Conway, editor of British surfing magazine Wavelength, who was watching from Towan Head at the time. “But when Jack Lydgate paddled up one wave, he left three hand-hole paddle marks in the face – and he wasn’t even at the top. He was riding an 11 foot board.”
Since then, The Cribber has broken on numerous occasions, but has been ridden by relatively few people.
THE CRIBBER:
The Cribber is located off Towan Head, at the north end of Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall.
PHOTOS:
The four photos shown here are from the book ‘You Should Have Been Here Yesterday – the Roots of British Surfing’ by Rod Holmes and Doug Wilson.
Lyonnesse Surf 