He would soon become a pivotal figure in the South Bay and Malibu surf culture. She was born in 1945 to Benny and Kay Merrill. In that first era of surfing, you represented your country, and he was one of the standouts, said Peter Townend, a former world surfing champion known as PT, who is a co-chairman of the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, California, into which Doyle was inducted in 2003. You can also go to Doyle Surfboards on Facebook and read the heartfelt stories that people posted for Mike to read leading up to his death. In 1964, he was the runner-up at the World Surfing Championships, according to The Encyclopedia of Surfing, by Matt Warshaw. Legendary surfer Mike Doyle passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Gringo Hill, San Jos del Cabo, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Doyle Surfboards, This was from a shoot for a Time-Life Collier How to Surf book, taken a Del Mar in 1966. He now wants to start entering surfing competitions. 2022 Discover Baja Travel Club - All rights reserved. About the same time, she began covering the 42-miles of Orange County coastline, focusing on lifestyle, environment, surf culture and anything having to do with the beach. Lots of it. Sales secrets revealed from 10 of the worlds biggest surfboard brands. Mike Doyle counts among his accolades a 1970 World Surfing Championship, the 1969 Duke Kahanamoku title, he was twice voted Best Surfer in the Surfer Magazine, and is an inductee into the prestigious Surfers Hall of Fame.Doyle's artworks are bright with colors inspired by local landscapes and the odd creatures that inhabit them, infused with Doyle's devotion to a life of soul and adventure. Sometimes at the end of the day we break down our kiting gear and, instead of heading home, the tequila and ukuleles appear and a party breaks out right there on the beach. By age 19, Hodgkin's disease had started a process that would finish his life in 1983. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Mike Doyle Los Cabos Classic Stand Up Paddle Races. There are so many articles written about his accolades, Ill leave it to you to research it, or get a copy of his autobiography, Morning Glass. To sum up Doyle in some kind of words, heres a really fabulous guy, a real icon and definitely a champion, Morey said. He recalled Doyles big smile under a floppy hat his mother made a popular character with a big stature and unique style in the surf. Partly cloudy. People always say, Whos the best surfer in the world? I go, The one having the most fun. , Michael Doyle, 78, Surfing Champion of the 1960s, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/obituaries/mike-doyle-surfer-death.html. He was 78. Sun and a few clouds with gusty winds. Roper continues to surf and run Joe Ropers Righteous Ding Repair with his family. Kiting with friends Annie far right, me on the left. He passed away in January of 2016. According to his family, who took to his Instagram account to inform his friends and loved ones, "Mike slipped away peacefully in his sleep early this morning at his home on Gringo Hill, with his loving wife, Annie right by his side." Doyle was currently living in Mexico at the time of his passing. Photo courtesy of Doyle Surfboards, Commanding stature, unique style. The one part that I never look forward too, however, is when it comes time to write about the death of a fellow surfer and friend. Mike Doyle in the 80s - from longboards to short. So, how much is Mike Doyle worth at the age of 69 years old? He peroxided his hair until it turned blond, rode a mauve-colored board with white stripes and had a theatrical flair when he was riding the waves, laughing and throwing back his head with a scream as he skimmed down the face of a wave. on it goes. Four anonymous surf guides describe the reality of their roles and share some advice. Symbicort and COVID-19: A DangerousCombination. The mid-year snip is finished, the CT will show off hot new rig in Lemoore. Corky Carroll: Mike Doyle was one of the best, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Corky Carroll: Mike Doyle was one of the best big wave riders in history and one of the best friends, too, Corky: Surfer-turned-filmmaker keeps on creating, Corky: Power surfers are a style on their own, Youve got a blank canvas; now be creative and live fully alive, Hundreds of OC teens participate in Global Youth Service Day, Orange County restaurants shut down by health inspectors (April 20-27), More land sliding at Casa Romantica; residents evacuated, trains halted through San Clemente, Then and Now: Photos of Casa Romantica show damage caused by landside, Orange County Artist of the Year winners announced, The DMV says permission to drive is based on ability, but older drivers are scrutinized more, OC Marine who volunteered in Ukraine, survived rocket attack: I would do it again, Joe Bidens re-election bid is off to a bad start, Henry Winkler advises find a passion and stick with it, no matter the stage of life, A look at Orange Countys baseball teams and the CIF-SS playoffs, Fire at Barnes & Noble in Orange disrupts book-signing event, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. He just did everything with the water diving, fishing, surfing, canoeing, sailing, she said. Mike Doyle first put his feet on a board in 1953 when surfing was at best a cultish hobby shared by a handful of hardened, sun-blazed surfers. Mike died peacefully in his bed in the morning with his wife Annie at his side. His ten-foot plus gliders which can take years to get, are among the most coveted surf craft in the world. It wasnt until Laird Hamilton came along that another surfer separated himself from the pack in the same fashion. PO Box 3120 Check out Tiki Mikes house and artwork. Don Hanson, of Hanson Surfboards in Encinitas, spoke about the early days of his association with Mike and told a story about when he sponsored Mike and Garth Murphy on a road trip to east coast in a brand new Ford Mustang. In talking with John Fries, while reflecting back on Mikes life and discussing Mickeys karma comments he simply said, he packed a lot of life into those 78 years.. The surf community lost a legend on Tuesday, April 30th, Mike Doyle. He was 78. According to the Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center in San Clemente, Doyle famously sold Kathy Kohner, aka Gidget, her first surfboard in 1956 and then worked as a stunt double in Gidget in 1959. Mike Doyle has passed way in his sleep aged 78. Mike Doyle's income source is mostly from being a successful . Those two were my mentors through my teen years. In a move every surfer has considered at one time or another, when shit got too hectic in the US, Doyle kicked out, and in 1980 moved to San Jose Del Cabo to paint, create, surf and chill. Privacy Policy. Jeff did the honors of placing some of Mikes ashes into a conch shell and leading us all in a tribute before he cast the shell into the depths. And I hate racists.. Doyle began winning regional championships in the early 1960s and was competing in global competitions by the middle of the decade, according to The Encyclopedia of Surfing, which described him as arguably the 1960s best all-around surfer. In 1964 and 1965, he won reader polls held by Surfer magazine. Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Even though it was expected his last months were very hard on both him and his wonderful wife, Annie it still came as very hard and sad news when he passed recently after just turning 78. Photo by Mike Doyle. None of us bought it. Mike Doyle today in front of his Cabo San Lucas home, 1993. Mickeys comments to me about Mike, who hes known since the early 60s, were that Mike was an articulate, well read, intelligent, and amazing surfer and all around waterman. He said Mike could always beat him at surfing and paddling, and he knew something wasnt right when he started catching up to him in the last few years. Annie is also an award-winning Stand Up Paddle Board Race champion shes been a medal winner in all three Mike Doyle Los Cabos Classic Stand Up Paddle Races taking 1st in 2010, 2nd in 2011, and 3rd in 2012. Jeff King emceed the event and spoke first. 17 subscribers Legendary Waterman Mike Doyle led an exemplary life. The Encyclopedia of Surfing described him as arguably the 1960s best all-around surfer. In 1964 and 1965, he won reader polls conducted by Surfer magazine. Champion regularfoot surfer Rusty Miller was born in 1943 in La Jolla, California. Competitive? Since the beginning, every Skip Frye Surfboard is made only by its namesakes hands. Doyle was runner-up at the World Surfing Championships in 1964. He was runner-up at the World Surfing Championships in 1964, won the U.S. Surfing Championships and both won and placed at the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational on the North Shore of Oahu, according to the Encyclopedia of Surfing. He was 78. Slight chance of a rain shower. His biggest competitive accomplishment came in 1968 when he won the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational. You could see the trail and the track of water. . Doyles life as a surfer started in 1954, while he watched South Bay icons Dale Velzy, Bob Hogans and Greg Noll ride waves at the Manhattan Beach Pier, according to an article in the Daily Breeze. But I dont look at it that way. Doyles passion and skill took him around the world. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. By the early 1980s he had founded Bessell Surfboards. A true gentleman. Shes so excited to get out there and catch breakfast that shes been known email me at 4:30AM to tell me she cant sleep from the anticipation! He was also an amazing artist, a whole story in itself. Doyle, who had been battling ALS, was a champion, inventor, boardmaker an icon in the sport of surfing. 1965 World Champion. Today, you see soft surfboards everywhere, especially in the novice crowd and Mike Doyle is in the Snowboard Hall of Fame. Linda Merrill is a goofy foot surfer from San Clemente, California, who took the surfing world by storm in tandem surfing with partner Mike Doyle. Insurance Services provided by: CA surplus lines broker Lic. Bought one of Mikes paintings several years ago. By all accounts, it was one hell of a ride. Terms and Conditions, (Changing your region, will clear your cart). Curated stories, fun places to hang out and top events. Born in 1941, he grew up in Lawndale and caught his first wave at the Manhattan Beach Pier at age 13. He also helped to create surf wax and a single ski, the Monoski, the seed for what would become the modern-day snowboard.