I just saw on FB that Mike Doyle has passed. I cant find any articles on it as of yet, but apparently he has been fighting ALS for sometime, and finally succumbed. Mike was one of the original modern surfers and innovator. I met him a few times, got him to sign a book for me back in the early 90’s in Encinitas, his old stomping grounds. He invented all sorts of stuff that has stuck, including the soft board. He invented a snow board before there ever was one, called the single ski I think it was.
But most of all, he was a true waterman who followed that lifestyle to the end. When it got busy in North County, he moved to southern Baja, and started fresh in a wild, ocean environment. He was an LA lifeguard in the 60’s, and he kept up with his dory rowing and paddling late in life. He lived the life that most of us old waterdogs only dream of. And every time it appeared he was throwing it all away, he found a way to prosper even more. By all accounts a nice guy too, unlike some from that era(ya, you Mickey D). I will miss hearing about his latest exploit, maybe try and find one of his paintings as a remembrance…