THE OOM BY MILES MASTERSON

BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN WHITMORE 

BY MILES MASTERSON

John ‘The Oom’ Whitmore is a South African watersports icon. Also known as the ‘Doyen’ – and the godfather of South African surfing – throughout his eventful and adventurous life, John had an enormous influence on skin diving, surfing, Hobie Catting and bodyboarding across much of the country. Overall, he helped to create several industries and had a huge impact on South Africa’s international sporting prowess and reputation – making an indelible contribution that still resounds decades later.

As Cape Town’s first hardcore surfer, John discovered scores of new surf spots along the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts and introduced the sport to hordes of eager ‘stokies’ through the late 1950s and into the 1960s. As one of South Africa’s first full time surfboard manufacturers – indeed, as a supreme craftsman of surfboards who set incredibly high standards for all to follow – he also helped to rapidly grow a then-marginal pastime into a thriving sport and industry.

John founded the first national surfing competitions, formed the first provincial and national surfing associations and through his government connections obtained the first Springbok colours for surfers. He also managed several South African surfing teams, including the first full contingent, which attended the ISF World Surfing Championships in San Diego in 1966.

Thanks his gift as a savvy marketer and sports promoter – and through his roles as the leader of both Western Province and the South African Surfriders’ Association – John steered the sport and industry towards national and global respect and recognition.

It is undoubtedly in a large part thanks to John’s vision and efforts that South African surfing grew from its humble origins to the global powerhouse of the sport it remains today – still churning out far more world champions than any country of similar proportions.

Thanks to his close involvement in the top echelons of global surf administration, including the governing body of the sport at the time, the International Surfing Federation (ISF), John’s recognition and influence also grew internationally. This was further bolstered by his his small but pivotal role in the classic surfing documentary, first released in 1965, The Endless Summer.

Back home, John’s fame increased further via his daily surf report on the radio, and over the years his influence and stature grew. He later established both Hobie Catting and bodyboarding in South Africa and retired from active business in the 1980s to focus on creating exquisite handmade knives, now much sought after collector’s items.

Throughout his John became a mentor and father figure to too many protégés to list or count. He was also instrumental in creating lifelong careers for scores of board and boat builders, and competitive watersports administrators and athletes. Among many others, these include his nephew Jonathan Paarman, 1977 world surfing champion Shaun Tomson and 1993 Hobie 16 world champion Shaun Ferry.

Along with tilling the earth, John filled the final days of his dotage in his workshop on his farm in Elands Bay. Following his death in 2001 after a short battle with lung cancer, John Whitmore remains a respected and iconic figure in at least four South African watersports and his direct impact and influence on each of them continues to resonate across the decades.

His effect on South Africa’s enthusiastic embrace of California beach culture and his enormous influence as a South African diving, surfing, Hobie Catting and bodyboarding founder and pioneer will stand forever. Indeed, anyone connected to these lifestyles and sports in the country in any way today owes him a deep debt of gratitude.

But apart from John’s life story, the origins and rise of South African surfing – as well Hobie Catting and bodyboarding – have never been fully documented. The John Whitmore Book Project aims to change that and will for the first time provide an accurate historical record of the narratives, untold stories and factual histories of these sports.

The Oom’s biography, set for publication by summer’s end, is eagerly awaited by fans locally and abroad. The manuscript is complete and the book will be published in April 2025.