Bob Pike (surfer)
Encyclopedia
Bob Pike full name Robert Hughes Pike, was an Australia
n surfer
who specialized in big wave surfing
. One of four sons born to a former surf champion in Sydney, he was taught the fundamentals by his father and entered his first competition in 1958. Developing a passion for big waves, he became one of Australia's most famous surfers and travelled to Hawaii
in pursuit of the best and biggest surf. However, he disliked the professional competition that increasingly took over the sport after the 1960s and withdrew from the public eye. He continued to surf until an injury in 1997 left him unable to stand on a board. He committed suicide
in 1999.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n surfer
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
who specialized in big wave surfing
Big wave surfing
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or "rhino chasers". Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as...
. One of four sons born to a former surf champion in Sydney, he was taught the fundamentals by his father and entered his first competition in 1958. Developing a passion for big waves, he became one of Australia's most famous surfers and travelled to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in pursuit of the best and biggest surf. However, he disliked the professional competition that increasingly took over the sport after the 1960s and withdrew from the public eye. He continued to surf until an injury in 1997 left him unable to stand on a board. He committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1999.
Filmography
Pike appeared in the following surfing documentaries:- Locked In! (1964)
- Stop the Wave, I Want to Get Off (1965)
- The Endless SummerThe Endless SummerThe Endless Summer is a 1966 film in the surf movie genre.Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. Despite the balmy climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter...
(1966) (cameo)
External links
- Bob Pike -- biography at SurfLine