Mike Smith was from Ventura. His folks had a house on the gated community at Solimar Beach, which had some pretty good surf right over the break water for his backyard. Even bigger surf out on Solimar Reef, just north of Ventura Overhead. We would suit up, go over the breakwater at his house and paddle into the takeoff zone. Mike had no respect for the high tide water’s legal stuff. He would simply tell people to leave; they were in his spot illegally. This picture was late fall of 1973, Pico Creek.
