Muskegon Chronicle  July 17, 2003

Hanging on to an endless love

By Adam Wood
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Grand Haven's Bob Beaton started surfing at the age of 16 on a makeshift board made from a 300-pound, 13-foot sailboat hull.  Forty years later, he was one of the most recognized surfers riding the waves along the shores of Lake Michigan.  Beaton is shown in front of Grand Haven pier, where he made a heroic rescue after a young man was washed off into the water in 1975.  He received a Congressional Medal for his bravery.
 

   Oprah Winfrey calls it an "Ah-hah" moment.

   It could be a comment, or a particular person or an idea that influences your life from that moment forward.

   Bob Beaton of Grand Haven has no problem finding that moment in his own life. It was back in 1964 when he headed down to the movie theater and watched "Endless Summer."

   Four decades later, he still has his board ready whenever "surf's up" on Lake Michigan. And now, the 56-year-old owner of Aquadoc Waterbeds in Fruitport will appear in the sequel, "Step Into Liquid," which premieres in September.

   "I went to the movies six days in a row to watch 'Endless Summer'," said Beaton. "I lived on Lake Michigan when I was a kid and surfing was kind of the craze. I saw those guys on the boards riding the waves and thought it looked cool."

   At age 16, Beaton took a 300-pound, 13-foot sailboat hull, took off the mast and tried his luck out in the water.

   "The first time I stood up on the board and rode a wave, I fell in love," said Beaton, who is entering his 40th year of surfing. "Anyone who rides a wave gets that feeling, it's indescribable. It's just something you have to do to understand.

   "Sliding down a moving hill that took all the energies of the world to make, flowing with nature, it's just the best feeling in the world."

   The man they call Aquadoc is now entering his 40th year of surfing and at his rate, he might surf another 40.

   Beaton gets out on the water about once a week, but he makes the trip to Wisconsin every Labor Day weekend to attend the Dairy Lane Surf Festival, where surfers from all over the Great Lakes come to show their stuff.

   Though Wisconsin doesn't compare to the sunny beaches of Mexico, California, Florida or North Carolina -- all hotspots Beaton has traveled to hang ten -- Beaton is happy with the Great Lakes.

   "When people think surfing, they think Mexico and California. They don't think you could surf in Michigan," said Beaton, who in 1974 surfed every month of the year in Michigan. "But Michigan's got some great waves and you can find them at either end of the lake."

   When word of those waves reach Beaton, he leaves the "Gone Surfing" note on the door of his business and heads to the beach.

   But he has troubles getting into the water once he reaches his destination. He is well known among the surfing community and people want to talk when he wants to surf.

   "It's cool to get recognized," says Beaton, who was recently named Grand Haven's Historian of the Year for the two books he published last year. "The only surfers I knew when I was growing up were the guys on the filmclips. I have people come up to me on the beach and say, 'Hey there's Aquadoc,' and they come right up and talk to me."

                        Photo●Special to the Chronicle/Eleanor Beaton

   Bob Beaton competes in the Grand Haven Roughwater Classic surfing competition in 1984.  Beaton, who is well-known in the Great Lakes surfing community, placed fourth in the competition.

   Even at age 56, he still gets the same feeling as he did when he was 16.

   "I still love going out just as much as I used to, if not more," said Beaton. "I still get that same feeling. You're basically married to the lake. It's a feeling that just grows on you and continues to grow the more you do it."

    Beaton tried his hand at competitive surfing, but was never much of a fan.

   "Never cared much for standing around and waiting for my heat," said Beaton. "I missed a lot of good waves. I'm pretty independent and do it just to get out there and surf."

   An original member of the Great Lake Surfing Association in 1964, Beaton was named the Grand Masters Champion in 1990 after having the most points after five competitions.

   The surfing icon also received a Congressional Lifesaving medal in 1974 after his heroic rescue of a small boy that was washed off the Grand Haven pier.

   "It took everything I had to rescue him. I was in my top form at the time, but it took all of my skill, endurance and knowledge to save him. That is my fondest memory."

   Although Beaton isn't getting any younger, he doesn't see anything slowing him down in the future.

   "Guys surf into their 80s. I won't be riding eight waves, but this is my life and unless I get some sort of injury, I am going to be out there until the end."