50 Years Later Claude Codgin Still Rips
Surfers attempt to mimic his effortless flow, yet cannot quite attain his style. He fluently cross steps across his pale white long board while youthfully belting out chuckles and yeeww’s, adding a quirky form to his surfing. The waves can be one foot and choppy, and he will cruise across them while maneuvering cutbacks and off the lips. Or, they can be 6 foot and glassy and he’s in the tube without getting one drop of water on his head. This prominent Cocoa Beach local has been shredding the pier for centuries, witnessing surf culture and its prevalent evolution.
67-year-old Claude Codgen has been surfing since age 12, and stands out as one of Florida’s most historic and talented East Coast surfers. Claude was the East Coast’s juniors division ratings leader in 1966, and lead the men’s division in 1967 and 1969. In addition, he competed in the World Surfing Championships in 1966, 1968 and 1970. Not only that, but he was one of two East Coast invitees to the 1967 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational.
“Here’s a trophy from the invitational contest,” smirked Claude. His humble attitude is as charming as the way he rides a wave. “They held that contest at Sunset Beach in December of 1967.”
As I held a significant piece of surfing history in my hands, I felt as though I was holding an Oscar. The trophy weighed at least 10 pounds and had collected dust from aging through all of the years. I observed Claude’s room, and stood in awe at all of the surfing memorabilia collected throughout his space. His room resembles a surf museum, from an autographed poster by Greg Noll to 1960’s Claude Codgin Surfer Magazine advertisements. I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like surfing back in the 60’s.
“Originally it was all longboards,” said Claude. “Then the shortboard thing came in really big and everybody was cutting their boards in half, reshaping them, and now the longboard thing is back really strong. The whole industry has basically recycled and we now have a hodgepodge of all kinds of boards from short boards, to fishes, to longboards.”
In 1966 Claude signed on with Con Coburn to make a Claude Codgin signature model called CC Rider at the World Surfing Championships in San Diego where he represented the East Coast. His thriving CC Rider model with Con continued until his contract ran out in 1970. Soon thereafter, he began shaping boards and started Sunshine Surfboards. Claude sells boards all over the United States, yet he maintains that the East Coast is his biggest selling spot which keeps him living in Cocoa Beach.
“Owning and riding a CC Rider longboard is the dream,” said local surfer and CC board owner Gaspar Viero.
Claude grew up in Cocoa Beach witnessing the pier and all of its changes. Despite the many transformations, such as the growth and shift in surf culture, Claude maintains that the pier is more or less the same. A gentle longboard break, with numerous surfers dancing along the horizon. When asked what his favorite surf spot is, he mentioned Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. However, it appeared as though Codgen had a difficult time choosing between the three.
In 1996 Codgen became an original inductee in the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. Although glory and fame are gratifying, Claude advocates that the most important thing in surfing is that you are having a good time.
“A lot of people forget that surfing is all about having fun,” said Codgen. “They are so caught up in the competition that they forget how to have a good time.”
If there is anybody who can surf and have a good time while doing it, it is Claude Codgen. Maybe it is because he is so talented at the sport, but between the quirky sound effects and his elusive style, surfing with Claude is anything but dull. Some of Claude’s best surfing memories include surfing with Gerry Lopez at pipeline, and surfing in Australia for one month.
When asked what surfing meant to him Claude replied, “you gotta have water in your life, that is what it is all about!”
Overall, Codgin has set forward a prominent path for the surfers of today, showing us that the sport is about having fun and staying classy.
