As the new school revolution was being ushered in in the early 1970’s one man stood head and shoulders above the rest. Michael Peterson was recognised by his peers as the best surfer in the world, yet he never got it together enough to claim the title officially.
He was fast and radical in the water, surfing at a level way beyond anyone else, but like so many great talents he carried demons which would affect his whole life. At contests you never quite knew how he would behave – in some he would destroy all comers then vanish at the prize giving, at others he would surf a heat spectacularly and then simply go home.
He was without much doubt the best high performance surfer of his time, and changed a generation. However he walked a fine line, poor mental health, specifically schizophrenia, troubled him continuously, but will never take away form his incredible talent.