The bodysurfers: the battle for north side of the Manhattan Beach pier
John Shearer goes right, at the Manhattan Beach Pier. Photo John Shearer found his cathedral in the summer of 1968. He and his buddies had just graduated 8th grade from American Martyrs and each received a pair of swim fins as a gift. They typically bodysurfed at 14th Street but had been eyeing the south swells at the Manhattan Beach Pier. Finally, with their new fins, the boys went for the big time. “We would look over at the pier and kind of built up our courage,” Shearer recalled. “We saw good waves right at the pier, so we started going there. It was quite a goal, quite a thrill to advance to the north of the pier.” The north side of the pier had already been the premier spot for bodysurfing locally for as long as anyone could remember. The pier causes the formation of sandbars, so the waves break there with more velocity, creating an ideal takeoff for a bodysurfer to catch a wave. For Shearer, that summer was the beginning of what would become a lifelong love affair. His family lived at the foot of the pier — this was a time when it was still possible to be of modest means and live at the beach — and so Shearer was able to keep a constant watch for waves. He also surfed and…
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