It was in my first few years of surfing that I saw his photo in a Surfer Magazine Jacob’s Surfboards ad. The surfer, Hawaiian-raised Paul Strauch Jr., was flying like an aquatic Mercury, racing down the line of a sizable Haleiwa power wall.
After cutting the image from the magazine and stapling it to my bedroom wall, I tried imitating a move alternately known as a “Paul Strauch Five,” or a “Cheater Five.” The Paul Strauch Five, or PSJ, is the only surfing move I know of that is named for the surfer who invented it.
Many who saw Strauch in his glorious prime said he was the best of his era, and the inventor of the modern bottom turn. Yet Paul remains relatively unknown because he never sought headlines, magazine covers or starring roles in surf movies.
And it’s not that he was shy. He was, in fact, outgoing, taking the time to speak with anyone who approached him. He embodied aloha, something he was schooled in through his friend and mentor, the Father of Modern Surfing, Duke Kahanamoku.
As a member of Duke’s surf team, along with Joey Cabell, Butch Van Artsdalen and Fred Hemmings, it was Paul’s job to help Duke answer questions at press conferences. Duke, who enjoyed napping, wore dark glasses during interviews, something he hid behind to get a little shut-eye. One tap on the leg from Paul meant Duke would answer the question with a yes. Two taps meant the answer was no.
While a loyal friend, Paul was not in Duke’s or anyone else’s shadow. He was his own man, and went his own way, riding waves for the fun of it rather than seeking to be known as “best in the world,” an unofficial title bestowed on him by some of the world’s top surfers of the ’70s, including Gerry Lopez, Jeff Hakman and Barry Kanaiaupuni.
Strauch held his title like he did most of his other achievements: loosely. In my three decades of knowing him, he never once told me about a wave he ripped or any contests he won, which were relatively few. I just don’t think he had the drive to be known, but instead seemed content hanging out in the water or on the beach with a few of his many friends, especially at San Onofre or Waikiki.
In all the time I knew him, I only saw Paul surf once. It was at San Onofre on a decent-sized south swell. He was seated far outside, took off on an overhead wave, faded and leaned into a beautiful and seemingly effortless bottom turn.
While he was in his 60s, and far past his prime, his surfing was poetic in its calm minimalism. I was hoping he would run to the nose and do a Paul Strauch Five. He didn’t, and he didn’t need to. He finished the wave as he started it, pulling over the top with his signature style.
Paul Strauch Jr. died April 27 at age 83. As a memorial to him, it is suggested you try a Paul Strauch Five at your local break. If you are unable to do that, do something anyone can, live aloha.
