Surf legend Tom Curren joins Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan in Pensacola to talk story, Black Beauty, twin fins vs thrusters, and whether Gerry Lopez “sold out” to soft tops by putting his name on Costco foam boards. In this episode of the Pinch My Salt surf podcast, we go deep on core surf culture, style, and the future of surfing while laughing about The Search era, foamie invasions, and “soft top police” writing tickets in the parking lot. Tom breaks down his iconic Jeffreys Bay waves, the magic of Skip Frye boards and Al Merrick designs, East Coast surf stoke, twin fins coming back, and why world titles and contest wins can’t deliver real happiness the way faith, community, and sharing waves can. We also get into foiling, skim-style boards, soft tops vs hardboards, surf industry problems, and how groupies, perms, and silver wetsuits somehow all happened in the 80s. If you love core surfing, surf history, or just want to hear the GOAT of style talk story and roast soft tops, you’re in the right place. Hit play, drop into the convo, and let this one get you psyched to ride real boards, call your local shaper, and paddle out with your crew. #TomCurren #GerryLopez #SurfPodcast #Surfing #SoftTop #SoftTopSurfboard #CoreSurfing #PinchMySalt #SurfCulture #SurfHistory #TwinFin #Thruster #JeffreysBay #SkipFrye #AlMerrick #Foiling
