Paraffin Chronicles

About the Book

Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a surfer in the 1960s? Would you like to experience a magical ride through a decade when surfing grew from an idyllic past-time to a world-wide phenomenon? Experience what it was like to ride the waves of California and Hawaii at a time when surfing reinvented itself on an almost daily basis. Take a journey through time with Paraffin Chronicles and find out how movies, magazines, competition and innovation changed forever the ancient rite of surfing.

Paraffin Chronicles is a first-hand account of one the most exciting and dynamic decades in surfing history. Told by noted surfer "Herbie" Torrens, the story chronicles the dramatic changes in surfing and surfing culture between 1960 and 1970.

Growing up in Newport Beach, California, Torrens shares his experience of battling through the ranks of surfdom, from scrawny wanna-be gremmie to the cover of Surfer Magazine. Along the way we meet many of the legends of the day, and experience the dawning of an age. From the introduction of wetsuits to the pure expression of short-board surfing, Paraffin Chronicles gives us a water-level glimpse of a surfer's journey through life.

You can contact the author at htorrens@verizon.net

About the Author

Herb Torrens had the good fortune of growing up in the Southern California communities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. He began surfing at the age of 11, and went on to become a surfer of note during the 1960s. He participated in the first-ever scholastic surfing event held in the United States, and was a member of the world's first professional surf team: The Hobie/MacGregor Surf Team. He was a charter member of The Wind an Sea Surf Club Junior Division and surfed in the 1964 Makaha International Championships. Photos of him have appeared in Surfing, and Surfer magazines and he won several surfing contests of the period including The Hermosa Beach USSA in 1965, The La Jolla Shores Invitational in 1966 and the Newport Beach Summer contest (1965/1966). He was one of four surfers featured in a story, The Hot Young Juniors," written by Corky Carroll for Surfer Magazine in 1966. In 1967, he moved to Hawaii and became one of the forerunners of the short-board revolution. His picture appeared on the covers of Surfing Magazine Year Book (1969) and Surfer Magazine (1971). A professional writer since 1984, his first published story, "Here's to you Sea Suit," appeared in Surfer Magazine in the early 1980s. He has worked as a journalist, freelance writer and commercial copywriter for more than two decades, and is the father of four children: Brandon, Dustin, Ryan and Alexa. He resides in Temecula, California, and surfs (as much as possible) throughout Southern California.