“Surfer Falls of Cliff’ – surf vid from The Hook, Santa Cruz, in 1985

Surfer falls off a cliff and Tony Roberts captures it on film. 1985, he was filming friends surfing, perched halfway up the cliff, when he heard a surfboard fall just to his right. He swung the camera around and started filming as a surfer lost his footing, slipped and fell off the cliff, landing on the rocks below, breaking various bones and suffering major injuries.

This went down on the Eastside of Santa Cruz, California, at the classic surf spot known as "The Hook", or "The Wild Hook" in the 7's and before.

This right point at the base of Pleasure Point was the location of a famous brothel around the turn of the century: the name sake itself for "Pleasure Point". This is the closest surf spot in Santa Cruz to the freeway, Highway 1, which results in a funnel of the masses getting off the exit and are led straight to this iconic spot, infamous for it's crowded lineup and plenty of battles and brawls in the water.

The Hook get's it's name from the thick kelp, known to snag one's board or leash like a hook. The ocean leads straight to tall cliffs, with stairways leading to the beach, that have evolved over the decades. But up until the 80's there were no stairs. only a sketchy, slippery trail up and down the cliff, where this Real Surf Story took place.

Featuring the surfing of Chris Green, Tim Ward, Chris Gallagher, John Hunter, Lars Hansen, and Marcel Soros. 

Music: "Soul Surfin'" by The Rhythm Kings. "I Knew a Guy" by Kevin MacLeod

WATCH IT HERE