Bill Andrews (1944-2017) was a surfer, documentary photographer/videographer, and archivist. During his daily reportage of modern surf culture, Andrews archived over 20,000 surf-related photographs and videos. His work can be seen on the online chronicl
"A Day with BA"and o
youtube
Andrews grew up surfing in
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
, California. He caught his first wave in 1957 at
La Jolla Shores
La Jolla Shores, with its northern part Scripps Beach, is a beach and vacation/residential community of the same name in La Jolla, San Diego, California. The La Jolla Shores business district is a mixed-use village encircling Laureate Park on Ave ...
Beach. By the early sixties, he had joined the line-up at
Windansea Beach
Windansea Beach is a stretch of coastline located in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. The neighborhood adjacent to the beach is named Windansea after the beach. It is named after the 1909 oceanfront Strand Hotel that was renamed "W ...
, and with other local surfers, he helped establish
Black's Beach
Black's Beach is a secluded section of beach beneath the bluffs of Torrey Pines on the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States. It is officially part of Torrey Pines State Beach. The northern portion of Black's Beach is ow ...
as a world class break.
The Surfer's Journal
''The Surfer's Journal'' is a publication based out of San Clemente, California. Founded in 1992 by Steve and Debbee Pezman, the reader-supported magazine comes out six times a year. It is edited by Alex Wilson and published by Debbee Pezman.
Pr ...
calls Andrews the “first Black’s local”, a considerable accomplishment given the difficult trail or long paddle to access Black's Beach at that time. In 1965 Andrews’ reputation landed him on the cover of
Surfer magazine. The Ron Stone
photographshows Andrews crouched and gliding on infinite wave face glass at Black's.
With time, Andrews' long-lived and vocal presence, in and out of the water, made him something of a surf sage. He was cited in numerous articles and videos on surf history including "Welcome to Windansea" by Chris Ahrens, "The Strange Disappearance of Ron Stoner" by Matt Warshaw, PHOTO/STONER by Matt Warshaw, and Ty Ponder's "Sea Level Pressure." Andrews has also appeared in "Magnificent Obsessions" on Voom Network, "Southern California Son" by James Weaver, and "Core La Jolla Shores" by Fred Stoughton.
In 2016 Andrews was diagnosed with
ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
. Using a walker he designed himself and later, a motorized wheelchair he also customized, Andrews continued to frequent his favorite beaches. Local media broadcast his story to a new audience, calling him a legendary surfer and one of the last great watermen. Bill Andrews died 26 October 2017. An announcement by SURFER ends in Andrews' own words, “Every day spent surfing was worth it, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
RIP Bill Andrews
San Diego Surfer Dubbed the 'First Black's Local' Passes Away At The Age OF 73." SURFER. 27 Oct 2017.”
References
External links
A Day with BA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Bill
Surf culture
1944 births
2017 deaths
American surfers
Documentary photographers
American photographers