Getting Stoked on ‘Surfing for Life’

“Surfing for Life” offers an engaging glimpse at the golden years of young-at-heart men and women who spent countless summers riding the waves in Hawaii and Southern California.

Blending interviews with solid archival footage, writer-director David L. Brown profiles bronzed enthusiasts in their 60s, 70s and 80s, including John “Doc” Ball, the country’s oldest living surfer at 93 and one of the sport’s pioneering photographers.

“Why are we still doing it?,” asks Ball, a surfer for more than eight decades. “Because we love it. It’s stimulating. It keeps you stoked.”

That’s certainly the consensus among his peers, who smile broadly as they reflect on their competitive lifestyles and fellowship as well as the sport’s widespread influence on movies, music and pop culture. After all, who could forget “Gidget”?

John Kelly, 80, a longtime activist who fought against atomic warfare, was taught to appreciate Mother Nature. “Love the land and love the sea,” he says. “And only take what you need.”

Woody Brown, 88, loathed Wall Street and loved gliding. He once met aviator Charles Lindbergh and always felt like a “nature boy.”

And for Fred Van Dyke, 70, everything was secondary when the surf was good. In looking back, he admits his love of surfing ruined relationships and hurt some people. But like the others interviewed in this 68-minute program narrated by Beau Bridges, Van Dyke would not alter anything about his past.

Those of us who never picked up a board or experienced a wipeout might have difficulty comprehending the unbridled joy these individuals felt as they glided along the ocean’s seamless surface.

Perhaps their obsession is best summed up by Peter Cole, 69, who tells Brown, “A lot of people think of us as being a little weird. Surfers generally are nonconformists. And a lot of good ideas and creativity come from a nonconformist.”

* “Surfing for Life” can be seen tonight at 10 on KCET. It is rated TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children).