John Whitmore

Who was John Whitmore?

John Whitmore pioneered the sport of surfing in South Africa.

His early career as an abalone and crayfish diver quite literally put him in touch with the ocean and the waves which would so determine his later career. After having read about surfing in Hawaii in the late fifties, John became so enthused by the prospect of surfing he set off to build his own surfboards. This led to the sport of surfing being born in South Africa, at Muizenberg and Sea Point. Affectionately known to Capetonians as "die oom", Whitmore gave daily surf reports from his sea-front home bathroom window. Refer to The Endless Summer II surf film.