It’s certainly not the first time pro surfing has come to Narrabeen. The grinding Northy lefts have played host to major events and top surfers for decades. The free-surfing clip from earlier in the week illustrates what the modern elite can do with a decent Narrabeen line-up. After the contemporary exposure, take a time warp to the 1981 2SM Coke Surfabout, which was then, “The Richest Surf Contest in the World.” Dig the bold Surfabout fonts and the soaring intro track by Steve Winwood (While you see a Chance) and get a feel for how pro surfing has evolved.
While Narrabeen is a worthy location, the key element the current WSL could borrow from Surfabout is the mobility factor. The original Surfabout event could go mobile to any Sydney beach and sometimes beyond. In 1979 they flew the final 12 surfers from Sydney to Bells (Sydney went flat) where Cheyne Horan defeated Larry Blair in pumping waves in the final.
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