An extract from ‘The Outside’, written by Larry Blair and Jeremy Goring. Intro by Luke Kennedy.

Raised in the 60s and 70s amongst a network of flamboyant career criminals, which included his mum and stepdad, young Larry endeavoured to make his own way as a surfer. While his family ducked and weaved their way through a suite of nefarious ventures, Larry escaped down to Coogee and Maroubra where he cultivated a talent for hiding behind the curl of hollow waves.

In 1978 Larry’s barrel riding skills earned him victory in what was then pro surfing’s richest event, the 2SM Coke Surfabout. In the famous final against Wayne Lynch in throttling North Steyne tubes, Larry was a relative unknown. Although well deserved, to the unsuspecting pros his victory almost felt like one of those elaborate heists his criminal kin were notorious for.

However, Larry proved the Surfabout was no fluke by becoming a back-to-back winner of the Pipe Masters. Pitted against heavyweight opposition and an increasingly hostile Hawaiian contingent, the Pipe victories required Larry to call on all his cunning, guile and tube nous. To this day surfers still marvel at Larry’s back-to-back Pipe wins in 1978 and ’79. You’ll have to read the book to find out exactly how he pulled it off. 

Brilliantly crafted by Larry Blair in conjunction with Jeremy Goring, this is a riveting tale that takes readers to places hitherto unknown in the surfing genre. It literally is the ‘Lock Stock and Smoking Barrels’ of Australian surfing.

Larry, flying back from Bells after he finished runner-up to Cheyne Horan, in the 1979 Surfabout. Photo: Peter Crawford.

Part 1: Melody Street

… Once the dust began to settle after Dad’s death, Mum started spreading her wings. She was moving steadily up the criminal ladder, fulfilling many different ...