Hawaiian Style Master Paul Strauch Passes Away

And while he was best known for his understated style, Strauch was also a formidable competitor during surfing’s transitional era from classic longboarding into more progressive performance surfing. His competitive résumé is quietly stacked. Strauch finished second in the juniors at the 1958 Makaha International, then won the division the following year. He captured the 1963 Peru International, placed second at the 1965 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, and finished third at the 1965 World Surfing Championships. He added the 1966 Hawai‘i state title, won the 1969 Makaha International, and competed in both the 1966 and 1970 World Championships. He also placed third in the SURFER Magazine Readers Poll in both 1963 and 1965, recognition from fans who understood how far ahead of his time he really was.

Strauch’s most lasting contribution, though, came through innovation. He’s widely credited as one of the first surfers to consistently use deep bottom turns in larger waves, something he began experimenting with in the late ’50s. At the same time, he developed a radically different noseriding stance: squatting low on his rear haunch, extending his front foot toward the nose, and keeping most of his weight on the back foot for stability. The move became known as the “cheater five,” or “Strauch crouch,” and it allowed surfers to noseride in bigger, more critical surf, something that hadn’t really existed before.

To those who saw him in his prime, the effect was startling. Hawaiian power surfer Barry Kanaiaupuni later said of Strauch, “He was the best surfer in the world. It was like Star Trek; like something out of the future.” That sentiment echoed throughout the era. Strauch didn’t just surf well, he surfed differently, blending control and flow in a way that seemed decades ahead of his peers.

Watermen who shared the lineup remember the same thing. Peter Cole recalled Strauch riding Sunset Beach in the early ’60s on a 10-foot gun shaped by Pat Curren, drawing elegant S-turns and carving beautiful bottom turns, another example of his ability to merge style with performance in serious surf.

Despite his influence, Strauch largely avoided the spotlight. He appeared in only a handful of surf films, including Barefoot Adventure (1960), Gun Ho! (1963), and the genre-defining The Endless Summer (1966). Even then, he didn't hunger for the spotlight, preferring to let his surfing do the talking.

Beyond the water, he balanced surfing with a grounded professional life. From 1963 to 1965, Strauch co-owned Alii Surfboards in Honolulu, contributing to the era’s board design evolution. He later earned a B.A. in business from the University of Hawai‘i in 1968, then built a career first in real estate and later in marketing. He lived in New York from 1985 to 1991 before eventually relocating to Southern California, where he remained connected to the surf community.

In 2013, Strauch took on a leadership role as Executive Director of the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center in San Clemente, helping preserve the sport’s history for future generations. It was a fitting position for someone whose own contributions had shaped modern surfing’s aesthetic vocabulary.

The lines Strauch drew emphasized patience over aggression, elegance over flash. Even today, his influence remains refreshingly pure. Every crouched five in solid surf, every long, composed bottom turn on a clean wall, carries a trace of his impact. Strauch didn’t chase headlines. He didn’t need to. His surfing said it all, and it changed everything.