Dave Natal and Joe Mickey shot "Off The Wall 2" in Super 8 in 1983. It was the first contemporary surf film released on VHS tape.
Joe Mickey collected California footage for the film while traveling the coast promoting and showing surf films for Greg Huglin, Scott Dittrich, Hoole and McCoy, and Bill Delaney on a circuit that ran from San Diego to Marin.
The film featured exclusive footage of Tom Curren, Davey Smith and documented Californians in a unique era often focused on developing new maneuvers such as throwing airs.
The film broke ground in putting champions Sean Tomson and Kim Mearing on equal footing in a single sequence.
The Sandbar in Santa Barbara got its first exposure during a solid swell that hosted Curren, Tomson and Smith, and many other California's top surfers of the era.
After very positive reviews in the most relevant surfing publications of the era and following a limited live-showing California tour, the film also got a good review next to "The Endless Summer" for required summer viewing on the newly developing home VHS and Beta tape markets.
Expect Sandspit and Rincon madness, bikini surfer girls, hilarious moments, and outrageous beach antics. Features clay animation and music by The Tan, a garage rock band from Santa Barbara, California.
Sales skyrocketed with a major deal with Tower Records, and it was the first film to feature contemporary surfing available on home video.
Mickey and Natal formed a larger film-to-video company, with Mickey landing many of the films he had distributed theatrically.
Ultimately Mickey sold his half of both the film and the company to Natal and moved on to other projects.
"Off The Wall II" remains a bit of a cult classic and the documentation of an era for California surfing.