Montauk Pioneer - July 4, 2008 - The Sunset Surf Shack

His name is Craig Leider Sr., and he has spent nearly a lifetime near the shore, paddling into waves, embracing a lifestyle that has almost become popularized to the point of normal. Craig is a surfer. Craig's son, Craig Jr., is a surfer, and his 3-year old son is a learning surfer. Together, Craig Sr. and son now own the Sunset Surf Shack in Montauk which has newly opened for the season. Although new to town, the Sunset Surf Shack is only the most recent addition to a 30-year trial in the surfing industry. But why Montauk?

It started in Cold Spring Harbor with the We Surf and Ski shop that sold just those things, but also specialized in windsurfing. Craig claims to have brought windsurfing to the east coast in the mid-seventies, pushing all the gear and teaching school programs.

"The whole connection with the product has been destroyed by department stores that carry new products with very little character attached." Craig's interest in the developing sports world brought him a short walk away to Huntington, NY where he broke ground on what might have been the world's first indoor skate park. It was built of wood, and offered a whole rolling wonderland of mini-ramps, banks, and you name it. This was all happening before he heard anything about the skateboarding epidemic that would tear through southern California.

At the time, like most places, surfing around Huntington was patchy. Not many people were doing it. But that's not to say it wasn't happening- it was- and if you happened to paddle out into a cluster of surfers, you would politely paddle back to shore and sniff out your own break somewhere else. Even in its infancy, there was a sense of pride attached to surfing, a pride for the activity and also the location. "It was matter of respect for your fellow surfers, you let them have their spot and you went somewhere else," cited Craig. That somewhere else happened to be east. "You kept moving east until you didn't see any surfers and that would be your spot." Craig and a few others just decided on Montauk because that was as east as you can get and they found the waters pristine, yet just rowdy enough to paddle into. Montauk became the location for Craig's first store called Sunwear Surf. It was located where the Plaza Surf and Sports now reigns. He had boards and wax, the only thing was, there weren't many surfers. A couple of other shops were around before Craig's, but there was no competition. He explained, "We just wanted to advance the sport and see more people doing it. It wasn't about customers, just a common love." At this time, Craig held conflicting opinions in regards to the sport. "I wanted to see more people surfing; I just never wanted to tell people about Montauk, we wanted to keep it for ourselves." They never guessed that Montauk would become a booming surf Mecca.

A generation later, the Sunset Surf Shack upholds a family legacy. Craig Jr. works along with his dad who now fulfills the dream of fathering a son and daughter raised around surfing. Surfing is a huge part of the family and now, 30-years later, is also tightly knit into the fabric of this community. Craig only grapples with one thing, and that is the problem of commercialism.

"The shop" is something Craig has held onto with the Surf Shack, where you can see workers on the front lawn wearing masks and honing down boards with electric power tools. During business hours, its doors are flung wide open in the front and back, making for a very airy and welcoming place to browse boogie boards, surfboards and an impressive selection of men's and women's apparel. You can also rent paddle boards, which Craig insists has a huge future. "It's a very Zen thing, very physical, and we haven't even begun to see what's possible with it," alluding to its apparent speed, and the possibility of riding in rivers.

Today, Craig Sr. harbors no bitterness about the influx of surfers in Montauk. In fact, he's happy to see them. "Montauk doesn't exclude those eager to learn to surf, we welcome them, we're glad to see new faces in the line."