La Jolla Cove, December of 1969

Our local daily used a helicopter to photograph the waves pounding our shores.

"No one rode [the waves because they were so big]," says surfer/shaper Steve Scatolini, who was in his early teens. "I heard some people tried to ride [Sunset] Cliffs on the smaller days....

"My mother was driving [toward Ocean Beach], I was in the passenger seat, and as we came over Narragansett [Avenue]...I'd never seen it that big -- giant A-frames at least a half mile out beyond the pier. I screamed, 'f***!' The next thing I knew, my mom backhanded me. First time she smacked me for cussin.'"

To order this photo please contact the San Diego Historical Society at sdhscollections@sandiegohistory.org.