Malibu surfer Jojo Perrin died in early January 2023, at age 72. He was best known as the lightning-quick 14-year-old Santa Monica High freshman who took on the best surfers in the state during the 1964 Malibu Invitational and finished 3rd—ahead of Miki Dora, Mike Doyle, Rusty Miller, and other A-team surf stars. While he transitioned easily to the new short surfboards in 1968, and for a few years continued to have a presence in the surf media and on the competition scene—he also designed and shaped his own line of boards—Perrin didn't become the game-changer many predicted he'd be.

He was nonetheless a creative and spontaneous surfer who looked for and often found new angles on a wave, new combinations of moves. He put his considerable talent in the service of trying new and unexpected things, and if you took your eye off him you risked missing out of something spectacular.

Perrin dropped out of public view around 1972 and later struggled with mental illness.

Here is a brief look at Perrin's career in photos and magazine clips. Some of the text below has been slightly edited.

"PICK OF THE HOT YOUNG CROP," Surfing Magazine, Oct 1965

One of the smoothest riders of the younger crop is Jojo Perrin. Born in Santa Monica, California, fifteen years ago, he now resides in the Malibu area and attends Santa Monica High School. There, he is a member of the swimming and water polo teams. He likes surfing because of the freedom and being out of doors, and hopes to find a job that will let him continue to enjoy the sport when he is finished with his education.

Jojo started surfing in 1959 at Latigo Canyon, a few miles north of Malibu. He used his brother's board while learning, as well as his brother’s know-how. A couple of top surfers, Roy Seamen and Butch Linden, have been Jojo's surfing companions since he began. He joined the Malibu Surfing Association and takes many surfing trips with the members. His favorite board is a 9' 8" semi-gun, which was shaped for him by Harold Iggy. Surfing spots he particularly enjoys are Haleiwa and Chun’s Reef in Hawaii, and Rincon and Malibu in California. Last winter he went to Hawaii for the first time, with Dewey Weber, and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

In the contest circuit, Perrin was first in the boys at San Clemente in '64, third in the Hermosa Beach boys in '64, third in the '64 Malibu Invitational, and third at Pacific Beach in '65. He was rated #3 in a recent magazine poll of up-and-coming surfers.

DEWEY WEBER SURFBOARDS AD, Surfer, March 1965

Jojo Perrin: "I like my Dewey Weber surfboard because it'll do what I want it to. Deweys are the only boards I've ridden that don't spin out! My personal board is really good-looking, with three black walnut stringers. What's most important is that it's the best board I've ever ridden. And I'm not saying that just because somebody told me to

"PROFILE: JOJO PERRIN," Skateboarder, Spring 1965

Jojo Perrin, surfing and skateboarding star from Malibu, discusses his surfing and the new sport of skateboarding. Jojo was recently selected to participate in the second annual United States Invitational Surfing Championships at Oceanside. As a Junior, he also rated a nomination among the outstanding surfers in 1964 in the Second Annual SURFER Poll award. Jojo also is known up and down the coast as a hot skateboarder. That's quite a reputation considering he’s only 14 years old.

How did you get started in skateboarding?

About four or five years ago, I just saw a lot of the guys doing it. One of them was my brother Steve. He started with metal skates and a big thick board—a two-by-four—and he got me interested in it. I lived at Latigo Canyon near Santa Monica at the time.

It didn't take me long at all. I just stood up and went straight. Of course, it took me longer to perfect the turns and really get my style down.

What keeps you interested in skateboarding?

It’s a lot like surfing. When there’s no surf, it's just the thing to do.

Do you prefer trick skateboarding or slalom contests?

I do everything. I’ve never been in a skateboard contest. I usually just skateboard after school and on the weekends and when the surf's down.

Do you think skateboarding helps your surfing?

It does in some ways. I guess it kind of keeps you in shape. It definitely has a surfing feeling.

What similarities do you find between skiing, surfing, and skateboarding?

Surfing and skateboarding are pretty much alike, but skiing’s a lot different.

Speaking of surfing, how did you do in 1964?

Pretty good, I'd say. I got third in the Malibu contest and first in the San Clemente Surf Capades.

You said you hadn't entered any skateboard contests. Do you plan on competing?

How about the National Championships? There will be a flatland slalom, a kick-turn race, trick skateboarding, and downhill slalom. Do you think you'd participate in a contest of this sort?

What do you think of skateboarding today and what do you look for in the future?

I hope it gets to be real big. It probably will. It already is awfully big—it should be almost like surfing, I’d say. It's developing its own terms. Some of the terms are different from surfing—like wheelies and kick turn, but most are still taken from skiing and surfing right now. As skateboarding grows, it'll probably have its own terms.

With all of the skateboarding and surfing that you do, do you find that it interferes with your schoolwork?

By the way, what are you studying for in school, or have you picked a career yet?

I'm planning on being a gym teacher or architect—something like that. I'm still a little young to pick anything out yet.

Where do you think the center of world skateboarding is today?

I guess Santa Monica. Or just California. But I don’t think it will always be here. Possibly the center will be in the midwest. They don't have waves and would probably spend more time skateboarding.

Jojo, do you have any advice for a beginning skateboarder?

Yes, don't fall down hard. Remember, it's not like surfing, you don't hit the water. A skateboarder should leam how to roll—learn how to fall and don't ride straight downhill as so many beginners do. A beginner should learn how to turn and go back and forth first so he can slow down his run. If you start going too fast, jump off and sort of run to a stop. When I get out of control, I just kind of jump off the side and run with it.

What's the best age for someone to start skateboarding?

Do you really think a five-year-old can start skateboarding and do well?

Yes, I've seen some of them do pretty good.

I don't know. Just as long as it lasts, or as long as it holds my interest—and it probably will for a long time.

EXCERPT FROM "WHAT IS SURFING?" Surfer, Nov 1970

What is surfing? (Sport, art, religion, mystical experience, etc)

Surfing is a feeling, a flowing liquid beauty so free and loose that when done well, no other art is comparable to its beauty, or as real. Surfing is a way of life, my life. Without it, I would merely exist.

What other experiences are parallel to surfing?

Corky Carroll said once that surfing was like sex, and one always returns for more—that’s stuck in my mind. Music, too, would have to parallel surfing. Being able to play an instrument well would be comparable [to surfing], because whether you play or listen, you are still riding waves. Music picks me up and takes me with it; it pulls me together when I’m apart. Surfing does the same, but even more so.

What feeling do you get when riding in the tube?

Riding in the tube is like no other place in the world. No church has a prettier stained glass window than that of a flawless round tube. Being inside is so stoney—watching it spin up and over and down, then exploding below, all so fast it makes me dizzy. The explosions and echoes are so loud, but from the inside I am beyond hearing it. I am fully conscious, but at the same time I am beyond conscious thought. After the tube has passed over and I’m out in the sunshine again, I feel good, I feel clean, like I’ve just been born.

What do you hope to get out of your surfing experience?

Pleasure, peace of mind, freedom, health, sunshine, fun, friends.

[Photos: Art Brewer, Ron Dahlquist, Ron Stoner]

A LOOK BACK AT MALIBU'S JOJO PERRIN

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