Saying so long to a dear friend who had the stoke

It was a hot, sticky August day at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Music pumped, announcers blared over speakers and chaos almost seemed normal.

A novice journalist was there to cover the East Coast Surfing Championships.

The end-of-the-summer beach party was in all its splendor – live bands, food, cold beer and a wide arrange of beach related sports.

An energetic crowd was elbow to elbow up and down the southern-most end of the Boardwalk.

It was no quieter on the sand.

There, at the very end of the zoo, was the surf competition – an event that has since become the oldest, continuous-running surfing contest in the world.

It all seems like yesterday.

The young reporter was lost in so many ways – kind of in a state of amazement as the sea of people pulsed and activities went on and on as far as you could see.

He was lost, that is, until someone introduced him to a guy who would turn into a lifelong friend.

Pete Smith.

“This guy is one of the originals,” an event official told the reporter. “He can help you.”

And boy did he.

Pete shared stories and explained the surf lingo of the day. The talk was filled with a language unique to the scene – the moves, boards, things the judges were looking for.

The reporter fell in love with the event, especially the surfing, and definitely with folks like Pete.

Smith died Tuesday after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 86. That’s Pete in the green T-shirt and hat in the photograph taken last summer.

His parting was both a stunner that brought most to tears and at the same time offered a time to appreciate the life of one of surfing’s true icons.

Tuesday evening, as the news spread like wildfire, was not easy for those who knew him and were lucky enough to call him a friend.

“Oh my gosh, he was a very kind soul,” said D. Nachnani, owner of the ECSC’s lead sponsor Coastal Edge. “You meet all kinds of people in the surf world and then you meet people like Pete. He was a legend, an ambassador and an inspiration to so many generations.

“He meant a lot to us all. This is a tough time.”

Nachnani said plans are already in the works to hold a ceremonial “paddle out” to honor Pete at the upcoming event in August.

If you’re wondering, I was that young guy with the pad and pen, taking pages and pages of notes and absorbing every word the 1996 East Coast Surfing Hall of Famer uttered.

Others – like Pete’s former business partner Bob Holland, professional surfer Wes Laine and contest organizer Paul West – would step in to help educate me until I became a quasi member of the family.

I was an outsider trying to cover a sport I knew little about.

But Pete kept a watchful eye as I dedicated myself to covering the event. He was there when I was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Championships Legends Hall of Fame during the 50th anniversary.

Through it all, even with all of the outstanding people, Pete always stood out.

My wife and I looked forward to his weekly calls to talk and check in on us.

But that was the kind of person he was. No matter how up or down his own life was at the time, he made sure to keep the stoke alive.

“He just always wanted to be remembered as someone who was kind to everybody,” said fellow HOF member Ron Swan. “He just wanted to be good to surfing.

“He was just a good man.” 

Hundreds – heck, probably thousands – feel the same way.

At my induction ceremony, Pete smiled and gave me a thumbs up before I spoke. I thanked him for instilling in me the courage to use his catch phrase in stories.

That word will be forever etched in my mind.

Cowabunga, Pete.

It was and always will be my utmost honor to say you were a friend.