- One of the gnarliest surfer dudes of the 1960s whose expert talents were utilized for the front pages of "Surfer" magazine and in a number of "beach party" movies.
- At the height of his surfing popularity, he decided to flee the U.S. in 1970 after a warrant was issued against him for credit card and check fraud. He traveled around the globe surfing for a living before returning to California in 1973 and facing probation, which he broke. He was in and out of jail twice and spent much of his later years in France.
- Resurfaced in the documentary Surfers: The Movie (1990) and became the subject of his own film In Search of 'Da Cat' (1996).
- A regular Malibu surfer known for his offbeat, anti-establishment behavior during the late 50s, he was part of the sun crowd that included the original "Gidget" inspiration Kathy Kohner.
- Also an expert ping-pong player, he was inducted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame in 1966.
- Hired for a number of surfing documentaries in the early 60s, his friendship with surfer Ed Garner led to his association with AIP and the beach movies, usually hired to do double and/or background work. He never expressed interest in acting.
- His stepfather, Gard Chapin, was a surfer who introduced him to the sport.
- Doubled for James Darren in Gidget (1959).
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