Dirty Old Wedge
A movie about the rise, fall and resurgence of body surfing
“Dirty Old Wedge” is different than the typical surf movie. There are three things that set this documentary apart: It is not about those surfers that the whole world talks about, it is not about free surfing, but body surfing – that’s riding a wave without a board, just the body – and it tells the story of a surf spot you probably haven’t heard good stories about. In fact, the sub-heading reads “The story of the world’s most infamous shore break and the people who live it”. The spot at Newport Beach, California, is called “Wedge” and it is never spoken about as The Wedge, it simply is Wedge. It is also referred to as a “man-made mistake” because it gets its size by bouncing off the jetty that had been built in the first half of the 20th century. This giant wave builds up very steeply in shallow water. That’s what makes it so special, so beautiful and photogenic and so scary.
The documentary Dirty Old Wedge was made in 2016 by director Tim Burnham and the producers Jack Murgatroyd and Edwin Eversole of Hunthousepictures in association with Hurley and Viper Fins.
About the movie
The story is told by board shaper and photographer Ron Romanowky who also contributed a lot of the photographic material alongside Kevin “Mel” Thoman. Both were parts of the Wedge Crew by surfing that wave and documenting it in pictures from the beach.
The making of the movie took three years. They went through all the old pictures and rolls from the ’60s and ’70s until today and created additional material including plenty of interviews. It won three awards in 2016:
- Newport Beach Film Festival: Audience Award
- Approaching Lines Film Festival: Best Film
- San Diego Surf Film Festival: Best Film
The first to share their memories of Wedge are Roger Goodan who was one of the first bodyboarders there at the end of the 1950s and Fred “Viper Fins” Simpson. Back in the day, they had this shore break for themselves, body surfing wasn’t common practice, and traditional surfboards at that time were too big and too heavy to hold up with this wave.
The Rise of Body Surfing at Wedge
Starting with these very first body surfers at Wedge, the movie tells the story of how the Wedge Crew came to be. It was in the ’70s when a group of body surfers joined at Wedge. They respected those who were already surfing there and surfed well enough to stay on. And soon enough, nobody would dare to mess with them. They invented the speedo culture in Newport Beach, they were THE local surf crew, and most of all, they were a very united group who would stick together. To become part of this group you had to share their values and surf very well.
Apart from the speedo culture, they brought a new event to the beach which was a fun-filled tanning contest every year and shaped the local culture. You can expect some funny pictures when you watch the movie.
Good vibes under threat
It was all about fun and good vibes – as surfing usually is! There was no social media or surf magazines, just locals surfing together and enjoying life. That was about to change in the early 90s when the so-called Boogie board was invented and heavily advertised. Soon, there would be hundreds of bodyboarders at Wedge because this board made it easy to ride that wave. The line-up became crowded, those who really knew how to surf at Wedge were the minority. Dirty Old Wedge documents this situation and the disrespect that came with it very well through interviews and video footage. The original Wedge Crew became ever more important. It was a difficult battle they had to fight but they had a lot of local support and more than 50% of the city council on their side. They founded the Wedge Preservation Society and it was from then on forbidden to enter the water with any kind of board, you were only allowed to take your body with you. The body surfing culture was reborn and at its peak.
The Resurgence of Body Surfing at Wedge
Apart from the commercial aspect of surfing and tourism, they soon faced another enemy: time. As the original Wedge Crew got older and started family life, body surfing began to fall. It came down to one member of the crew whom they called “Potato” who brought it back to life by recruiting a younger generation of body surfers to Wedge. At the end of the documentary, you can experience an outstanding demonstration of mutual support of the older and the younger generation of the Wedge Crew living the dream together and keeping the spirit alive at Wedge.
It’s all fun and games until…
Another aspect of Wedge is equally well communicated in the movie and it must be mentioned here as well. Big waves have a certain attraction, that’s why we have surf competitions like Nazaré and Jaws, and surf movies like Heavy Water. It probably won’t come as a surprise for the surfers among you: It is not just a beautiful, big wave, it is a wave that can kill. The adrenaline that goes with that is part of what makes it so attractive to surf there or simply watch others do it.
“The older guys have a saying at Wedge… ‘Small days break necks. Big days will drown you.’” (Tim Burnham)
The movie shows images of accidents at Wedge, surf accidents, and what we can call “stupid-tourist”-accidents. The power of the water should never be underestimated. Charlie experienced that herself during a near-accident whilst surfing in Fuerteventura a few years ago.
Two lifes, two stories to tell
Terry was part of the original Wedge Crew and you’ll hear a lot about that big wave he rode in 1983 in the movie. His fellow body surfers refer to it as “witnessing history” when they saw him surfing, but it also is a very emotional moment in the movie. The fact, that you can’t see Terry being interviewed in the movie speaks for itself. Numerous injuries at Wedge have taken a toll on him. According to director Tim Burnham, it would have been possible to interview him, but the movie would have taken a very different turn and they did not want to tap too deep into Terry’s personal life.
Gene on the other hand is present in the movie, either sitting down or walking on a cane. He wasn’t part of the original cast but was interviewed in 2012 just before he went into surgery. Hopes were high that after that last surgery, he would fully recover from an accident at Wedge and be able to surf again despite the fact that he had already passed the age of 60 at that point. That in itself shows the spirit and the attraction of this wave. This dream unfortunately did not come true. The movie Dirty Old Wedge is now dedicated to Gene. Those who currently surf Wedge feel blessed by all those good waves he is watching over from up in the sky.
What it’s all about
Dirty Old Wedge is not like other surf movies and some free surfers might frown upon the fact that it is about body surfing, but it is a true representation of everything surfing stands for: camaraderie, bonds between different age groups that are all connected by a common passion, love to the ocean and life.
The movie shows how surfing becomes a lifestyle, no matter what type of surfing, with or without a board. The moment you become a surfer, you become part of a community that sticks together and watches out for each other. It is all about having a good time and challenging each other in the waves.
“Wedge has made my life and it has also ruined my life in many ways. My neck hurts every single morning when I wake up… My hips? Busted, pretty much. Sometimes I just wake up and my hip hurts. But literally, I wouldn’t change anything that’s ever happened at Wedge because the friends I’ve met, the waves I’ve gotten and just the overall good times I’ve had out there made every sacrifice I ever had to make completely worth it for that wave, that vibe and everything you get down there. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I can’t wait to show my son the same exact thing I’ve done down there.” (Lee “The Sheriff” Hernandez in Dirty Old Wedge)
Another difference of the Wedge Crew is that as opposed to similar groups such as the Momentum Generation, surfing was always a hobby. They did not become professional surfers and didn’t make money from surfing. That is the side of surfing that usually puts an end to the fun and the good vibes, and the Wedge Crew was lucky enough to never experience that side. After all, surfing as a business opportunity is what made other groups of that kind fall apart.
