4
NEWS
THE CURRENT
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 20 1 3
OBITUARY
Surf designer remembered Lian Murray, who died Sunday, helped establish several big surf brands’ styles. The surf industry is mourning longtime designer Lian Murray, who helped build surf brands Quiksilver, Billabong and Hurley into global brands in their early years. LAYLAN Murray CONNELLY died at REGISTER Hoag HosWRITER pital on Sunday after a severe asthma attack. She was 54. Murray was “truly one of the pioneers of what has become the multibilliondollar action sports industry we know today,” ex-husband Preston Murray said in a statement. She started at Quiksilver in the 1980s after graduating from college. At the time, the surf brand was just making board shorts and T-shirts, and Murray helped to expand into new categories such as denim, wovens and outerwear. After 10 years at Quiksilver, she joined Mossimo for a short stint and helped launch the brand into a mainstream market, before teaming with an up-andcoming Bob Hurley. Hurley at the time was owner of the Billabong U.S. license. In 1993, Murray joined Billabong and began designing products for the U.S. market. When Hurley in 1999 formed surfwear brand Hurley, she joined his team to launch the new Costa Mesa-based company. There, she invented Velcroless board shorts, a patent-
COURTESY OF MONET QUICK
Lian Murray began her design career at Quiksilver.
ed product held by Hurley. She also invented the lowrider girls short that is still a best-selling item. “Lian Murray elevated the level of clothing that surf companies offered. I was lucky enough to be partners with her,” Bob Hurley said. “Her ideas were innovative, inclusive and inspirational. She was a thoughtful leader in every sense of the phrase. A talent like hers cannot be replaced.” In 2008, she decided to set out on her own by creating the Costa Mesa-based Aqua VI brand. “Her legacy as one of action sports’ brightest stars lives on today though the many talented people she worked with and influenced,” Preston Murray said. Murray is survived by her mother, Elyse; brother Jim Lewin; stepfather Lester Wertheimer; her two daughters Taylor and Morgan; and her step-siblings Adam and Kim Wertheimer. A memorial open to the public will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at L Street in Newport Beach. Murray’s family asks that black not be worn. C O N TA C T T H E W R I T E R :
lconnelly@ocregister.com
ASK THE EXPERT
Meet your needs with custom boards Three-time international surf champ Corky Carroll answers your questions each week. Hit him up at Corkysurf@aol.com. Q. I have been surfing off and on for about five years, and I guess I would be considered an intermediate. Up CORKY until now, I CARROLL have strictFOR THE ly been ridREGISTER ing 1 0-foot longboards. Last weekend a friend loaned me his 8-foot-6-inch midsized board, and I had a great time on it. But the problem is that I am short and heavy, and the board really did not float me well enough where I felt confident in catching waves and getting to my feet fast enough. I was thinking about having a custom board built that is in that size range but would give me enough floatation for me to be able to ride it successfully. Do you have any suggestions? A. Yes. What you are look-
ing for is a specialty kind of board that is made for exactly your situation. There are tons of surfboard builders in Orange County who all can build you that board. But what I have found in the past is that it is best to seek out a builder who specializes in, or is known for, making boards similar to what you are seeking. There was a time when I hurt my back, and I was having a difficult time getting to my feet when I surfed. I needed a really thick board, but still wanted one that would surf well and not be just a big blob. So I went to Steve Boehne at Infinity Surfboards in Dana Point, because I had known that he was good at making thicker boards that still performed well. I might suggest you go talk to him about your surfboard needs, and maybe he can help you. Some shapers just don’t make thicker boards well, but Steve is known as a real expert in making boards that float.
PHOTOS: BLAINE OHIGASHI, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tiare Thompson, left, 1 2, of La Jolla talks to her father and coach, Foster Thompson, before competing in the second heat of the all-age women’s semifinal round of the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s event in Newport.
COMPETITION: Younger surfers impressive F R O M PA G E 1
U-16 division. “San Clemente is just a hotbed of surfing,” Aragon said. One kid to really keep an eye on is 10-year-old Jett Schilling, who Aragon says is like a little Kolohe Andino. Schilling, also of San Clemente, has had an undefeated season in the U-10 division, winning his fourth consecutive event. He also entered the U-12 division and made it to second in the finals. “He’s our little hot upand-comer; this kid is going to be one bright star,” Aragon said. “It’s amazing what they are doing now, at the mini-grom level. They don’t hold back.”
A man watches the fourth competition of the season for the National Scholastic Surfing Association Southwest Conference Open from a watch tower up the coast.
NSSA Open schedule Nov. 23-24: San Onofre, Church Dec. 2 1 -22: Cardiff by the Sea, Seaside Reef Jan. 25-26: Dana Point, Salt Creek March 1 -2: Ventura, C Street March 22-23: Oceanside, South Jetty April 26-27: San Onofre, Uppers May 1 5-1 8: Huntington Beach, West Coast Championships
A big tide swing made things hard on the weekend’s amateur surfing competitors at the fourth stop of the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s Southwest Conference Open. The tour’s next event takes place Nov. 23-24 in San Onofre.
Kevin Schulz, 1 8, of San Clemente rides a wave. Schulz took second in the open men’s division, dropping him to second in the tour standings behind Jake Marshall.
Hagan Johnson, 1 0, of San Clemente does a floater during the first heat of the boys U-1 2 quarterfinal round. San Clemente had a strong showing at the competition.
Weekend will bring nice weather, small waves SURFLINE.COM
High pressure extends over the region today and Thursday with beach temperatures into the low to mid-70s, with calm to light offshore flow in the mornings followed by a light to moderate sea breeze in the afternoons. High pressure strengthens off the coast through the end of the week and into the weekend as thermal low pressure develops over the desert southwest. That will set up the return of morn-
ing low clouds, patchy fog, and light/variable to light onshore winds, followed by gradually clearing skies and a light to moderate westerly sea breeze each afternoon. Low temperatures along the coast are steady in the low to mid-50s, but afternoon highs struggle to reach the mid-60s. A small to modest blend of waves is on tap through the middle of the work week, before dropping off through the weekend.
A new northwest swell builds in and peaks today, then slowly fades on Thursday as minor Southern Hemisphere swell blends in. The surf will be in the 2-foot to 3-foot-plus range (knee- to waist-high plus) for much of Orange County, with larger sets for standouts around the most favorable tides running chest high (3 feet plus) to slightly better. Size is down slightly Friday through the weekend,
as a small new west-northwest swell moves in and Southern Hemisphere energy remains minor. Better breaks run from knee and thigh height to occasional waist height (2 feet to 3 feet), with a few better sets for top spots. Check out Surfline.com for all the latest details. Have fun, be safe and we’ll see you out in the water. – Schaler Perry surfline .com