Jim Cartland
Perennially smooth and fearless in some of the world’s most dangerous waves, Jim Cartland’s surfing roots began modestly in Cocoa Beach, Florida, surfing alongside other East Coast rising stars and future ECSHOF Hall of Famers, like Greg Loehr and Jeff Crawford.
Cartland’s family moved from Miami to Cocoa Beach in 1958 when he was five years old. By the time he was twelve, Cartland was hooked on surfing and two years later won his first contest, the Men’s Novice division at the Canaveral Pier. In 1970, he was the Eastern Surfing Association’s Juniors champ. In 1974, he placed second to Loehr in the East Coast Surfing Championship and second to Rick Rasmussen in the well-publicized U.S. Surfing Championship at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. In 1975 he was awarded the prestigious Katin
Award for his athletic and academic excellence.
That combination of in-the-water and in-the-classroom skills took Cartland to the University of Hawaii in 1976 where he received a master’s degree in mathematics. School, however, didn’t stop him from staying in the North Shore surfing game. After his time in Hawaii, he moved to Santa Cruz and worked in the aerospace industry. He subsequently switched gears and went to medical school in Charleston, SC, completed his radiology residency training in Santa Barbara (and fellowship in Torrance), before moving to the California central coast.
Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, Cartland continued traveling the U.S., gracing the pages of the country’s biggest surf publications. His lanky frame and open-kneed, wide-armed stance could easily be confused for a goofy-footed Mark Richards, and his poise in the barrel was sturdy and compact. So, it was no wonder that many of those magazine shots were taken at big Pipeline.
Today, Cartland is better known as the radiologist, “Dr. Jim.” He lives in Central California and still surfs and travels as much as possible — including regular trips to Tavarua where he can still hold his own on the barrelling waves at Cloudbreak and Restaurants.
Photos by Alan Margolis, Eric Olsen, Larry Pope, Lance Trout, Steve Wilkings, Scott Winer, and courtesy Jim Cartland
