Seventy-Seven and Still
Surfing with Style
Mostly Retired Architect Andy Neumann
Rides the Long Wave of Life
By Tyler Hayden | August 22, 2024
Read the rest of our 2024 Active Aging cover story here.
Andy Neumann grew up on the not-so-mean streets of Montecito, but that doesn’t mean he started out with a silver spoon. Just the opposite, in fact.
The acclaimed Santa Barbara architect and celebrated surfer was born on a war-torn Indonesian island shortly after the release of his Dutch parents and sisters from Japanese-controlled internment camps.
At 8 years old, following the sudden death of his father and in the throes of his mother’s mental collapse, Neumann exited the school bus at Montecito Union wearing bladeless ice skates for shoes and speaking no English. He got in a lot of fights and was held back a grade.
Then he found surfing, starting slow with the funky little break at Miramar before graduating to Hammond’s and eventually becoming one of the top riders in the United States, well before a livelihood on the water was the possibility that it is today.
Now 77 and retired from an architecture career that saw him designing some of the choicest, most organically elegant homes in our region — he counted Kevin Costner and other big Santa Barbara names among his clients — Neumann has a bit more time to hit the waves, when he’s not enjoying grandkids or helping his older sister.
Just last winter with double-overheads at Drakes, Neumann was the strongest surfer out there, according to those who witnessed his masterclass in trim firsthand. They, around half his age, marveled at his economy of motion and pinpoint wave selection.
Just like the rooflines of his projects that match the Santa Ynez Mountains, and their subtle, timeless aesthetic that folds into the landscape, Neumann was utterly enmeshed in his environment. He exudes the same appreciation for the moment in conversation.
Over a recent cappuccino while his wife of 50 years, Yvonne, strolled nearby, Neumann offered anecdotes and advice on life, aging, and surfing. He was a little reluctant to do so, having just been diagnosed with a blood clot that will keep him out of the water for six months. He didn’t exactly feel like a model of senior health.
But once he got going, as if dropping in, he was hard to stop. I found no reason to try.
First Dip
“In 6th grade — 1958 or ’59 — we had a party at Park Point, and there was a guy there named Fred Hepp. He’s a real fixture in the harbor and used to date my sister. He took me to Rincon and pushed me into some waves on a balsa-wood Velzy-Jacobs board. That started it.”
Grom Days
“I lived in Montecito Oaks, and I’d ride my bike and trailer to Miramar. The worst days were Sundays, when everybody was dressed up and walking across the parking lot to All Saints [by-the-Sea Church]. I’d have to weave through them. I didn’t want to make eye contact because I felt like I was going to the devil or something.”
The Miramar Incubator
“What’s interesting about Miramar is that for a pretty soft spot, it’s produced an amazing lineup. I met Steve Bigler at Montecito Union. He got fourth in the 66th World Contest. Tommy Curren’s house — he was a world champ — was on the corner of San Ysidro and North Jameson. Conner Coffin used to get ‘headaches’ at Montecito Union, and his mother would take him down to Miramar. Lakey Peterson lived really close. And a guy named Marc Andreini, who’s one of the top shapers, was five or six years behind me.”
Architecture Beats Surfing
“The year I went to UCLA, I surfed in a lot of contests. I ended up sixth in the United States Circuit Association. I was doing really well, and they chose me to represent California for a contest in Peru, and I won that. And then I got third in a Pro-Am. I was into it. But the prize money was $100. I figured I shouldn’t quit my day job. I was studying in Berkeley when Yvonne got pregnant, we got married, and the rest is history.”
On Finally Retiring
“My wife told me to. Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier — all these famous architects, they worked ’til the end. I was one of those guys. Then one day, my wife just said, ‘It’s time.’ I’m really glad she did. What’s funny is it seems like I have less time than before to do things. Don’t ask me to explain that.”
On Getting Older
“This blood clot is sobering. You never know what’s around the corner. Things are changing, and they’re going to get more difficult. But I try to treat it as, ‘Okay, how am I going to deal with it?’ I try to keep a positive attitude. My mother was a good role model for that.”
Bonuses
“One of the bonuses of surfing is mingling with young people. My mentor Paul Tuttle shared with me how he loved interacting with young people. It gives you hope and inspiration. I love it when some youngster drives by and honks and waves! As you age, finding older mentors to follow and emulate gets harder and harder. No-where it is written that mentors have to be older. I have many younger people that I look up to and admire.”
Diversifying
“I am a dabbler. Rather than a strict exercise regimen, I dabble. Starting with my daily morning 15-minute exercise and stretch session, slow walks, 30 short laps in the pool, YMCA gym half-hour ‘workouts,’ Jessica Kolbe qigong and tai chi classes (with low attendance record), stand-up paddling in the harbor…. I try to be active every day, but variety is the spice of life.”
Give It a Shot!
“Although surfing was the sport of kings in Hawai‘i, it is a relatively new sport, exploding in the ’60s with foam boards and the movie Gidget. Therefore, there have been few surfing elders. But that is about to change as the Baby Boomers hit the scene. Save for accidents and wipeouts, it is a low-impact sport that is aerobic, promotes flexibility, and uses most every muscle in your body. There is no reason for there not to be an increase in older surfers. I hope to still be around when Kelly Slater is still ripping in his eighties!”
The Good Stuff
“I just had the most wonderful experience with my grandson, Ishan Pandya, who goes to the Santa Barbara Middle School. They have a trip called Surf and Cycle, where everybody shapes their own surfboard and then we rode from Summerland to Ventura, camping along the way and surfing every day at all the different spots. It was really special.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.