Paddling in Memory of LeRoy Grannis

Some of surfing’s most notable athletes, along with friends, family, and local watermen honored the life of legendary surf photographer LeRoy Grannis during a paddle-out ceremony at the Hermosa Beach Pier on Saturday.

The memorial, organized by Grannis’s son John, began with speeches from famous surfers, such as Paul Strauch, and concluded with the paddle-out.

Grannis’s ashes were spread into the Pacific Ocean while surfers, paddling out to sea, formed a circle beyond the waves to say their final goodbyes.

Grannis, a Hermosa Beach native, passed away Feb. 3 at the age of 93. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of surf photography—the famous lensman was also an accomplished surfer in his own right.

“He was a surfer taking pictures of surfing,” said Steve Pezman, former deputy editor of Surfer Magazine. “He loved watching the joy surfers got out of seeing themselves captured on film and I think it served to motivate him to continually push the limits of his photography.”

Grannis left his indelible mark on the sport of surfing during the 1960s and 70s, traveling the globe and photographing some of the world’s greatest surfers. Along the way he produced images that have come to define the sport during one of its golden eras.

Grannis’s ability to capture wave riders in states of surfing that were previously undocumented came to be attributed to his knowledge and understanding of the sports many complexities.

Strauch, famed 1960s Hawaiian surfer who met Grannis during a summer he spent in California, spoke at Saturday’s memorial about the major influence Grannis had whenever he was in Hawaii shooting the pros.

“LeRoy attracted a lot of attention because he always had the longest lens,” Strauch said, adding, “Everyone always wanted to surf in front of Leroy’s camera… if I pulled up to the beach and saw LeRoy out in front of a break I turned around and got back in my car and drove to another break because I knew that particular wave was going to be packed that day.” 

Strauch said that Grannis’s imprint on surfing and Hermosa Beach was immeasurable.

“He’s really responsible for sharing surfing with the rest of the world. It’s like a part of Hermosa is gone,” Strauch said.

Influential surfer and Hermosa Beach native Don Craig regaled the crowd with stories of when his friends and he would dig through the trash outside of Grannis’s home to retrieve the negatives of shots that Grannis had taken of them surfing.

Nacio Feliz, one of the pioneers of Mexican surfing, spoke at the memorial about the importance of Grannis’s photos in jumpstarting the emergence of surfing in his native country. 

“LeRoy and his wife came to Mexico and captured pictures of us surfing and in those days [1960s] having a telephoto lens on the beach was a rarity and having LeRoy behind the lens was a real privilege,” Feliz said. “He gave so much to surfing and to all of us.”

Hermosa Beach surfing legend Mike Purpus recalled the magnetism that Grannis possessed as a person.

“He was just so cool,” Purpus said. “You just always wanted to be around him.  No matter where he went he was always like family to whoever he was with.”

Other famous surfers who spoke in reverence of Grannis were: Rabbit Kekai and Donald Takayama of Hawaii; South Bay legend Hap Jacobs; and the two remaining members of the original Palos Verdes Surfing Club, Fenton Scholes and Dick Miney. 

The Hermosa Beach Historical Museum will exhibit Grannis memorabilia in remembrance.

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