Surf Through Time: Wilbur Kookmeyer’s 1899 Barrel

Back to the Future for the Ultimate Uncrowded Session

In this classic Wilbur Kookmeyer strip dated October 2, 1999, Wilbur and his faithful dog, Fido, trade high-tech gadgets for historical swells. After some final adjustments to their homemade time machine, the duo sets their coordinates for October 2, 1899, at Rancho De La Playa Point. Their mission is simple: find perfect, machine-like waves without another surfer for a thousand miles. Upon arrival in the turn-of-the-century past, they discover flawless, “virgin” waves all to themselves. However, even with an entire ocean at their disposal, the two can’t help but drop in on each other, proving that some surf habits never change.

A Wilbur Kookmeyer comic strip where Wilbur and Fido build a time machine, travel to 1899, and surf empty waves at Rancho Point.
Even in 1899 with no one else around, Wilbur and Fido manage to drop in on each other.

Comic 40-10

Wilbur Kookmeyer comic strip by Bob Penuelas showing Wilbur performing various surf maneuvers with captions like "He Rips," "He Tears," and "He Shralps."