John Adams

John Adams helped pioneer surfing around Penzance and Sennen in West Cornwall in the early 60s. He also ran ‘The Winter Gardens’ a dancehall in Penzance, a hang out for local surfers and set up Three S Films which created some early British surf films.

Interview: Level Films and Helen Munro Berry Ref: AV4073 and AV4002

Full interview available in The First Wave Archive.

Surf spots

Themes

Timeline

Cold up north

Looking tanned

Surfing stoned

A small scene

Cheaper than a board

Rod’s bikini

It was animal

Surfers a different breed

Music and surf films

Finding Porthleven

Localism

Welsh identity