Cover: Herbie Fletcher at Maalaea, Maui, 1976 · Photo: Art Brewer
Herbie Fletcher is one of the most influential figures in surf culture: a fearless big-wave surfer, filmmaker, inventor and pioneer who helped shape the modern action sports world. From charging heavy Hawaiian surf to his groundbreaking work behind the camera, his impact on surf filmmaking is hard to overstate.
A surfer ahead of his time
Born in Pasadena in 1948, Herbie grew up in San Clemente and started surfing at nine. By the 1960s and '70s he was pushing performance surfing at Pipeline and the North Shore's heaviest breaks, with features in films like Free Ride (1977). In 1976 he invented Astrodeck, the world's first surfboard traction pad, and the slogan of his Dana Point surf shop, "The Thrill Is Back," captured the energy of a new era.
Behind the lens
In the mid-1980s Herbie began producing and directing his own surf videos. Wave Warriors (1985) was followed by Wave Warriors II (1987), III (1988) and IV (1989), and later Super Natural (1991), starring his son Christian. With high-octane footage, jet skis in the big-wave lineups and punk-rock soundtracks, the series changed how surf films looked and sounded. Over his career he made more than 50 surf films as a director, producer or featured surfer.
He was also among the first to bring jet skis to the outer reefs, towing into giant swells at Pipeline and Waimea Bay and helping lay the groundwork for modern tow-in surfing.
A family legacy
Herbie and his wife Dibi, daughter of surf pioneer Walter Hoffman, raised surfing's most storied family. Sons Christian and Nathan carried the torch, Christian revolutionizing aerial surfing and Nathan charging the world's heaviest waves, and grandson Greyson blends surf and skate. Today Herbie and Nathan both serve on the Nalu Film Foundation board.
A legacy preserved
The Herbie Fletcher Archives are housed in the Nalu Vault: Super 8, 16mm and videotape spanning decades, from a 17-year-old Kelly Slater at Trestles to Laird Hamilton and Brock Little in the late '80s. The Wave Warriors films have been restored and stream on Nalu TV, and the work to scan and protect the rest of the raw footage continues.
Explore the archive
Visit the Herbie Fletcher Archives to watch clips from the Vault, or stream the Fletcher films on Nalu TV. To help preserve the rest of the archive, $250 scans one 1,000-foot reel of film.