Sea, Sun and Surf Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alec Waugh

"Island in the Sun" (1955) is a novel by Alec Waugh set in the West Indies during the 1950s. The book was adapted into a movie and Harry Belafonte sang the theme song, all of the same name.

Answer: Dick Dale and his Del-Tones

American Dick Dale is a rock guitarist who pioneered the surf music style. He is considered The King of the Surf Guitar. "Misirlou" originated as a traditional song from the Eastern Mediterranean area and was first recorded in 1927. However, it is Dick Dale and his Del-Tones' surfing version (1962) that is best remembered as part of the surf culture. The instrumental was used in the "Pulp Fiction" movie in 1994.

Answer: Beach Party

"Beach Party" was a 1963 movie about young surfers in California starring Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Bob Cummings. This was the first of a number of beach type party films geared to young audiences in the 1960s.

Answer: Surfside 6

"Surfside 6" was a TV series which was aired from 1960-1962. The detective agency was set on a houseboat at Miami Beach and starred Troy Donahue, Van Williams and Lee Patterson as the detectives. The series was intended to attract the teenage audience.

Answer: Gerry and the Pacemakers

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" was written and performed by Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Liverpool group. They sang the song on their first appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show" on May 3, 1964. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and stayed there for 12 weeks. The song has since been recorded by other artists including Steve Lawrence and Jose Feliciano.

Answer: The Endless Summer

"The Endless Summer" was a surfing documentary by Bruce Brown who followed two surfers around the world and the sun. They travelled from California to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Tahiti and Hawaii in search of the perfect wave. This movie gave many young surfers the idea of exploring surfing in countries other than their own. Notable surfers at the time like Mike Dora and Phil Edwards also appeared in the film and the soundtrack was performed by the surf rock group The Sandals. The film had a budget of $US 50,000 and grossed over $US 20 million world wide.

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) wrote the novel "The Old Man and the Sea" in Cuba in 1951. The novel tells the story of an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin miles off the coast of Cuba. He fights to bring the marlin close to his skiff for three days and, completely exhausted, he finally harpoons it and attaches it to his boat. On the way back to shore, sharks eat most of the marlin.

When he finally reaches shore what remains of the marlin is just the head and skeleton which measures 18 ft (5.5m).

The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953. It also contributed towards Hemingway receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

Answer: The Atlantics

"Bombora" was recorded by the Australian surf rock band The Atlantics in 1963. The instrumental has pounding and driving rhythms and the name comes from a Aboriginal term meaning large waves pounding over rock shelves. The song reached number one on the Australian charts and was nominated for record of the week by US Cashbox magazine. The song gained international success when recorded by overseas bands.

Answer: Lloyd Bridges

"Sea Hunt" was a TV series which aired from 1958-61(155 episodes) starring Lloyd Bridges (1923-1998). He plays the role of Mike Nelson a former US Navy frogman. He is often called upon by the Coast Guard or Navy for difficult or dangerous underwater projects.

Answer: The Chantays

The surf rock group The Chantays recorded the "Pipeline" instrumental in 1962. It reached number four on the Billboard Pop charts. The song is named for when the members of the group saw a surfing film of the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. The song has been recorded by other artists and has appeared in a number of movies. It is a surf cult instrumental.