Vacuuming in the Nude!

Photo by Jill MoranCandy Woodward started surfing when she was 12. It was the late '60s, and girls weren't even allowed to be junior lifeguards, let alone hang a petite 10. But the old man down the lane loaned Candy and a gal pal a 10-foot long board, and soon a pro surfer was born.

OC Weekly: How long did it take you to learn how to surf?

Candy Woodward: Oh, god. We were so young and flexible; we were on our feet pretty quickly. Then when I was in high school, the short-board revolution happened, and I was hooked. I'd get up every morning at 4 a.m., pack a lunch and hoof it to the beach.

How did the surfer boys react?

Well, I wouldn't say the boys my age were supportive. The older guys were pretty nice. [Childhood friend] Kit Burnell was the only other girl out there.

When did you start surfing professionally?

After high school, my boyfriend John and I moved to Santa Barbara to the Ranch. I entered my first pro contest when we went down to Malibu, and that was the first time I saw and met real pro woman surfers like Margo Oberg and Debbie [Melville] Beacham.

How'd you do?

Pretty well. I started entering a lot of contests and was soon known as a “soul surfer” because my style and attitude aren't flashy. I also did some modeling and commercials—a great RCA one with George Greenough and a fancy French director.

After a hard day on your stick, what kind of kibbles are you hungry for?

Mexican food—chile rellenos and chips and salsa. There's a funky place called Las Golondrinas in Capistrano Beach.

Do you ever eat shark?

That's bad karma. There's an old cliché about how the minute you enter the water, you become part of the food chain. I know which side my bread is buttered on. I used to eat a lot of seafood, though, and the Blue Water Grill in Newport Beach is great. La Cave in Costa Mesa has excellent lobster tail, too.

What land-based animals do you like cooked up?

If I'm in a really carnivorous, aggressive mood and I want to do a lot of chewing, I love a big rack of lamb with rosemary and mint jelly and a glass of cabernet. I could just eat a heaping plate of lamb chops, picking them up with my hands and tossing the bones over my shoulder.

Wow. That's an incredibly disgusting image. And it sounds really greasy.

Yes, but grease makes them good! Five Crowns in Corona del Mar has great lamb.

Do you listen to Don Ho all the time and run around your house in a grass skirt and a coconut-shell bra?

No. I do have a framed tapa cloth in my bedroom, though, and my house is very secluded. I can vacuum in the nude.

Okay, now that's anice image. Thank you.

I also have a few mermaids.

Candy on the beach, there's nothing better, but I like Candy when she's wrapped in a sweater.

[laughing] How about wrapped in a wetsuit?

Where's the best surfing in OC?

Probably Trestles. San Onofre is great, too.

Oh, yes, mercuryand radiation in the water.

Absolutely. Salt Creek in Dana Point is also good. And afterward, you can go up to the Ritz-Carlton and have a martini and overlook the ocean.

Right after you surf? Won't you be a bit sandy, Candy?

I can go from a wetsuit to blush and lipstick, and no one knows. Besides, I don't really care. We live in Southern California; you can do whatever you want.

Las Golondrinas, 34069 Doheny Park Road, Capistrano Beach, (949) 240-8659. Blue Water Grill, 630 Lido Park Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 675-3474; La Cave, 16951/2 Irvine Ave., Costa Mesa, (714) 646-7944; Five Crowns, 3801 E. Coast Hwy., Corona Del Mar, (949) 760-0331.

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