He would have been out on the waves if his "top of the line" board and gear had not been taken from the south ramp at New Brighton beach on Saturday.
Mr Carter said the distinct grey and red Thunderbolt Cruiser, along with his board bag, fins and leg rope, would have been worth about $3000.
"It was Christmas time for them when they opened up that bloody bag, I tell you," he said.
"It's just a hassle really. You've got to report it to the cops, then you've got to go to the insurance company and all [that].
"I turned 70 (on Monday) morning and I'm going, Jesus, I don't need this crap at my age."
Mr Carter has been surfing for more than 60 years and says he has only had gear stolen once - and that was "years and years ago".
However, back then his approach to tracking it down was very different: "There were guys there that looked pretty suss and I knew they had stolen it," he remembers.
"I casually went over and grabbed one of the kids surfboards and said: 'You can have this back when I get my gear back that you've stolen and I want it back by 2pm, otherwise it's going under the wheels'.
"I'll tell you what at 2pm, they were back and I got all my gear back."
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Mr Carter's surf gear, phone him in 027 349 1072 or police on 105.
- Jess Gibson
