TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | OCT 2018 7
By Allie Hayser - Photo by Wen McNally
Happy Hurricane season y’all! Surfing these swells that storms carry
in leave all of us surfers starry eyed. It’s the most amazing time of the
year because we actually get some longer period waves, more push and
height, scares away the tourists and swimmers, and also brings out all
of your surf buddies that you haven’t shared some ocean with in a while.
One of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and welcoming faces
you’ll see out there is Jimmy Manning, also known as “Unkle” in the
surf family community. I got to sit down with him before a sunrise session
at North End and talk to him about his surfing firsts.
Jimmy grew up in Savannah, GA and later spent time in Florida and
Hawaii after joining the Airforce. He started surfing on Tybee as a kid
with the rental mats on the beach, using them like rafts. Kids that didn’t
live on the island here would hide their boards in the dunes so they
could hitchhike home and back easier. He said, “We were mostly what
we called ho-dads back in the day. A ho-dad is someone who dresses,
talks, and acts like a surfer but probably doesn’t know how to surf.” One
of his first boards was a longboard that was cut off to about 7ft with the
fiberglass shedding on the nose. It wasn’t until he moved to Hawaii that
he realized how much there was to learn about surfing. He lived in Hawaii
for three years, where he surfed from Waikiki to Oahu to the North Shore.
His favorite sessions over in Hawaii were in Honolua Bay. He started
surfing Tybee when he returned from Hawaii in 1973. At that time, Jimmy
was leading aerobics and participating in racquetball tournaments and
continued doing so for 15 years.
Jimmy has always loved teaching and helped with camps and out in the
lineup on Tybee over the years. Alex Arnold was running the YMCA camps
and Jimmy was a volunteer for him. When Alex moved to Jacksonville,
the YMCA asked Jimmy to keep the camps going. He taught surfing and
encouraged kids in the community to compete in the Eastern Surfing
Association (ESA) contests. Thanks to the surf schools, competitions, and
helping out in the lineup, the Tybee surf community grew.
I asked him a few questions about surfing, staying in shape, tips and
Tybee:
• What surf session was the best?
“Well my best session was always the last one. But probably some of the
sessions I had in Maui and Honolua Bay.”
• What’s your favorite part of surfing on Tybee?
“It’s only a half a block away. When it breaks, there’s some good waves
here.”
• What’s the best way to be in shape for long surf sessions?
“Balance boarding and hanging upside down to keep my body and back
in line.”
• In your opinion, what is the most challenging part of surfing for people
trying to learn?
“Well, I say in the beginning, the first two most challenging things are
learning to paddle with enough power and speed to be able to either get
out or catch a wave. Getting out is one of the hardest things in bigger
waves. Popping up, which is going from a prone to standing position on a
moving vehicle that is not very big, can be very challenging. Those are the
two biggest beginner problems. Another problem is convincing people to
use the right size board for their ability and the type of waves.”
• How has surfing changed on Tybee over the years?
“Tybee doesn’t have the aggroness that it used to. It’s become more of
a family-oriented sport. The biggest change in the past year or two is
that the North End has become the most popular place to surf as far as
longboarding or long waves. Looks like little Malibu out there. I think there
were over 30 people out there the other morning. And it’s wonderful... A lot
of kids surfing, young kids.”
• You’ve passed on the love of surfing as a sport and lifestyle to so
many new surfers on the island. If you could give advice to those new to
surfing, what would you say?
“If you are a beginner, take a lesson from a qualified surf instructor. Ask
questions and tips out there. I would rather help somebody become a better
surfer than have to surf with them when they don’t know what they’re
doing. It helps me to help others. Little tiny tips can change a lot.”
Thanks Unkle for being so involved in the surf community, getting us
stoked in the water, and sharing all of those lil tips out there. Every home
break needs an Unkle, and we are so grateful for you! He’ll always be
out there and on it. According to Jimmy, “Look for improvements. I’m
constantly trying to learn. In my own surfing, how I can become a better
surfer, because I’m going to have to get a lot better in the next few years to
surf in that contest when I turn 100 years old.”
Jimmy Manning aka Unkle