"Deadly Perfect:" How SURFER Revealed a Top-Secret Indian Ocean Military Base
The United States Air Force is currently deploying a number of B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers to the tiny Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. A show of force in the volatile Middle East, "this unusual movement of stealth bombers may indicate preparations for potential strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen or serve as a deterrent message to Iran," reports ArmyRecognition.com.
In full transparency, no top secret war plans have been sent to any of the editorial team at SURFER via encrypted group chats. Additionally, we are not currently in communication with any of the leadership at the U.S. Defense Department or Homeland Security ... but I'm sure they have our numbers if they want to loop us in.
Point being, Diego Garcia is holding some A-plus surf, and in 1982, about the same time President Ronald Regan was setting his sights on Iran, SURFER received an unlikely dispatch from the middle of the Indian Ocean. At only 11 square miles, Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, but besides secret U.S. and British military personnel, nobody's allowed on the island. Which is a bummer because there's a reef break there that looks a whole like like Cloudbreak in Fiji.
"In 1975 a young sailor from Palos Verdes named Tom Cress became the first person to surf Diego Garcia," wrote Mike Perry in the August 1982 issue of SURFER.
"Carrying his trusty 8'6" pintail he was fortunately equipped for the down-the-line tube. Diego Garcias has little else in the way of surf. Coral reef points and angled staghorn coral shelfs offered waves that wound for 100 to 150 yards. Never under four feet and very often too big, the waves were deadly perfect," wrote Perry."The main hazards were no other surfers, shallow coral, fire coral, stonefish, and a variety of hungry, nosey sharks. This guy had more shark encounters than you could point a bangstick at," described Perry.
"I joined the Navy as a screwed up kid and got out with a trade. I also got to surf Diego Garcia and I'm hoping this piece might help some other poor grunt headed that way," conceded Cress at the end of the piece.
Funny side note, there's a special thanks to Daryl Diamond at the end of the magazine piece for connecting Perry and Cress. Diamond was a pit boss for Clark Foam and a key player in the Dana Point Mafia scene. Today, his son, Eric, is the pit boss for the Dana Point Surf Club, has run the Cosmic Creek Festival for over 20 years, and is a true ambassador of stoke. He's also one of the little babies in the opening scene of the Jimi Hendrix movie "Rainbow Bridge," which is rad.
As for Diego Garcia, you'll have to enlist and or get an invite from a top secret group text to get on the island. But should you find your way to that tiny speck of sand and stealth bombers in the Indian Ocean, pack a pin-tail. It's holding.
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