According to reports, Vince Collier, the legendary Santa Cruz surfer, is dead. “The King is dead,” wrote photographer Chris Klopf. “Alas, gone too soon, another good, long time friend is gone forever — he just passed away of a heart attack after surfing Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico this morning.”
Collier was known as an enforcer in the Santa Cruz surf scene. Nicknamed “the Godfather”, Collier was a prolific force on Santa Cruz’s Westside, known for both his quick, violent temper and his dedication to his close friends. “There’s an old saying,” he said in Josh Pomer’s The Westsiders. “‘Would you rather be feared or loved?’ Fuckin’ ay. Fear me. Bitch.”
In a time when the Santa Cruz surf scene was full of very tough people, Collier stood out as the toughest. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, he made a name for himself as a hard-charging big wave surfer who was not to be trifled with. He surfed like he lived: fast, powerful, and aggressive. To guys like Daryl ‘Flea’ Virostko, Shawn ‘Barney’ Barron, and Jason ‘Ratboy’ Collins, Collier was the end-all-be-all of Santa Cruz surfing—someone to be feared and respected. Eventually, he took on an older brother role to many of them.
Collier wasn’t a perfect person. He abused drugs, intimidated people, and by his own account, was “a thug and a bully.” He was, however, an integral part of surf culture and an incredibly important person to those close to him. More than most from the area at the time, Collier shaped what Santa Cruz surfing would be known for. “Gunna miss my biggest influence of my life besides mom and dad,” wrote Flea on Instagram. “VC paved the way for the Santa Cruz boys. Leading the charge to Mavericks in the late 80s and early 90s. Thank you for that Vince. The huge heart he had every day for all of us kids on the west side was rad. The king had our back in the water.”
Our sincerest condolences go out to the friends and family of Vince.
