OCEAN CITY – The premiere of a new surf documentary film by local surfer/filmmaker Danny Herlihy has been announced for Friday, June 17 at Seacrets Morley Hall. Doors open at6 p.m. with the premiere at 7 p.m. Tickers are $10 at the door.
In the early ‘60s, Herlihy set out on a surfing adventure exploring the islands of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Guadeloupe and Barbados. Using recently rediscovered never-before-seen footage, along with historical photos and interviews, his latest film, Caribe the Lost Films, captures the essence of early Caribbean surfing and the legends it created. The film was recently rediscovered from the Herlihy archives.
Many of the photographs included in the film are contributed by celebrated surf photographers such as Dutch Vandervoort, Steve Fitzpatrick and Norm Grossgreutz. Some of the music used in Caribe the Lost Films was created specifically for the film by San Juan Studio Musicians, The Lounge Surfers as well as by local musician Bob Schaller. The art direction was under John Ryan from Vero Beach, Fla. Local voice artist Jeff Osias recorded the narration and the film was edited locally by Nancy Raskauskas.
An iconic wave from Tres Palmas in Puerto Rico is pictured. Tres Palmas was discovered and named by Danny Herlihy and Duke Michael in 1966.
Photo by Steve Fitzpatrick
In 1963, after a summer of lifeguarding on the Ocean City beach patrol, Herlihy made his first trip to Santa Barabara, Calif. where he surfed the world-famous Rincon point break. Little did he know that in a few years he would be surfing and naming another famous break, this time in Rincon, Puerto Rico.
While in Puerto Rico, Herlihy met Duke Michael, the first surfboard manufacturer on the island. They discovered and named surf breaks such as Gas Chambers, Dogman’s, and well-known surf breaks. They were the first surfers to name and surf the world-renowned Tres Palmas, known as one of the top big-wave spots in the east Atlantic. Today Tres Palmas is also a marine sanctuary.
Herlihy and his son Colin are both well-known in this area for their surfing and filmmaking. While in California, Herlihy became the first East Coast member of the famous Windansea Surf Club and he is a member of the Puerto Rico Surf Legends organization. The original film shot in 16mm Ektachrome was the same type of film used in the making of Endless Summer, which also premiered in Ocean City at Stephen Decatur High School in 1964. This film has been digitally remastered for theatrical release.