Surfing Legend Pays a Visit to Bunger

An evening of thunderstorms didn't deter a crowd of surfers and surf-culture enthusiasts from getting out and visiting Bunger Surf Shop to meet and greet a living legend of the sport.

Shaun Tomson, who rose to surfing prominence in the 1970s and helped usher in a new phase of surf competition, was the special visitor last Thursday night and many Babylon surfers who came by remembered getting swept up in the new surf craze of that decdade. Even some younger surfers stopped in to pay homage to the sport's history.

James McGaley, of Babylon, works at the surf shop, recalls hearing stories of how Thompson dominated the sport

"He came out when tournaments started getting popular, and went out to Hawaii and showed the Hawaiians that other surfers from other parts of the world could compete on a high level," said McGaley.

Tomson, whose rise coincided with surfing becoming a professionalized sport, is well-known worldwide for his environmental activism.

His book, "12 Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life," reflects on the importance of surfer ethics, including the importance of preserving the beaches and marine environments that many surfers love and feel an obligation to steward. A spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation, the surfing legend said he was happy to come to Bunger and conduct his book tour "outside the surf-industrial complex."

Tommy Bunger, son of Charlie Bunger, original owner of the still family-owned and operated shop, explained that "the surfing community is a pretty small-world."

"Eventually everyone gets to know each other," he said, and added that it was through those connections that Tomson arranged to make his tour stop at the village business.

The small-world aspect of surfing was evident during the event, as many attendees had heard about the appearance through a web of personal connections, many involved with Bunger Surf Shop itself or Surfrider Foundation. Surfing's popularity has remained high on Long Island ever since the 1960s heyday when Bunger first opened its doors.

Gilgo Beach provides a popular and highly-regarded surf, and Babylon's proximity and the Bunger shop helps make Babylon one of the western outposts for the lifestyle.

"A lot of great surfers come out of Babylon," Tommy added. "It's hard because of our short seasons, but surfing continues to be popular."

Marc, a surfer from Babylon who asked that his last name not be used, marveled that Tomson "completely changed how we surf. He basically invented tube-riding [riding inside the barrel of the wave]."

It's a testament to how Tomson and his contemporaries revolutionized the techniques, as the iconic image for many is that surfer inside the tube, but in fact Bunger Surf Shop predates even that era. Opened in 1962, the shop, run by now three generations of family members, still serves as a locus for the Long Island surfing community, evidenced by the generation-spanning turnout for the event.