Surf Talk - Graham, Andy & Barry

Andy Magin (bar): "They were something else. They just made it something completely off the wall, but to get the point across. They were just comical, hilarious. Everyone was always hungover. Sunday morning, ten o'clock in the bar or by the pool. I rarely made the surf talks because we'd been working until such a late hour, I just remember they were funny, it was the dressing up and it was always done with style.

Barry White (lifeguard): "I used to hate them but once you got going it was alright. We just used to cover the basics of how to get up on the board and the sun. We had to because they'd just come in looking like beetroots on the first day, because no one used to wear sun tan lotion then.

Graham Shepherd (lifeguard): There was the guy with the handprints, remember? The basics were: Flags. Hand signals. Do what we ask. If you get stuck in a rip, don't panic - we'll know you're stuck in a rip before you are and we'll come and get you. Don't ever, ever, ever let go of your surfboard, no matter what happens you'll be fine. Don't paddle too far out because the next stop is Canada. Showing them one end of a surfboard from the other – the bit with the sharp thing goes at the back, the sharp thing goes at the bottom and believe it or not ... the wax goes on the top! That's if there is any wax. Always keep the board by your side, like pushing a bicycle. Don't put the board between you and the sea otherwise it will come back and hit you in the face and that hurts. The wave doesn't catch a stationary object. My thing was; if you don't paddle, it will go straight past you like a London bus. There was also the 'Sandy Breakfast', which was if you go too far forward your nose will dig in and you'll go down for a sandy breakfast. If you lie too far back, again the wave will just go past you like a bus.

Andy: And do you know what – I don't think anyone took anything in, because most of them were hungover as well, because it was after their first night.

Graham: The zip on a wetsuit goes at the front, because this was the old days.

Barry: The other one was to try and find one that fits!

Andy: And if you're really quick, you'll find one that doesn't have holes all over it!

Graham: And the small ones with L on them aren't 'small larges', they're 'ladies'. If you get left behind, give us a call and we'll come back and get you. We finally got to have a windbreak so they could find us on the beach, it was fantastic. We also had this old volleyball thing we'd stick up and they'd play that. It was harder to get that volleyball net to stay up than it was teach somebody to surf! So yeh - day one you'd get them down on the beach. Nowadays they'd get them all running around and doing exercises and all that ...

Andy: Didn't bother with any of that, you never saw anyone warm up! Goodness me! Get in the sea ...

Graham: We'd just get them straight in, keep them apart, push them off, catch them, hold them up. You'd say to them before they went in, "Can you swim?" And some would say "No". You'd ask "Are you worried?" and they'd say "No, you said the board will keep us up". "OK, well, thanks for letting us know."

Andy: Surfer of the Week competition

Barry: Yeh, that was always a tough one!

Andy: Whoever bought you the most beers.

Skewjack
Graham Shepherd. 1976. Lifeguard