Surf City Surfing Museum – 25th Year

International Surfing Museum – A Wave of Nostalgia

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at  

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The International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach is just where you would expect it to be – right in the heart of Surf City USA. What other city is so entrenched in the surf culture or so widely recognized as the world’s surfing capital?

Mural on side of surfing museum

Currently celebrating its 25^th anniversary, the International Surfing Museum, located at 411 Olive Avenue, is just a short walk from Main Street and the iconic Huntington Beach Pier, site of the annual U.S. Open of Surfing.

 

The non-profit museum, which is dedicated to legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku, who popularized modern surfing, is committed to preserving the history of surfing and sharing it with others.

 As soon as SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel walked in the door we could see that we had found the Holy Grail of surfing artifacts.   

 Dick Dale’s 1954 California electric guitar is here, a Jan and Dean gold record, vintage surfboards, dozens of surfing trophies, the Bolex camera that Bruce Brown used to film Endless Summer, the 1966 movie that turned everyone on to surfing, and countless other treasures. 

 

It’s hard to know where to look first. 

 In addition to its permanent collection of historic surfboards, trophies, art, posters and other surf memorabilia, the museum hosts numerous exhibits each year honoring those who have contributed to the sport of surfing. 

 

There have been exhibits showcasing: surfboard shaper and Hobie Cat creator Hobie Alter...

 Hobie Cat

surf musicians Dick Dale (“King of the Surf Guitar”) and Jim Fuller (of the Surfaris and ”Wipe Out” song fame); the Hole in the Wall Gang champion surfers from the 1970s; Simon Anderson, creator of the Thruster surfboard; and many others.

The museum has even staged an exhibit – “Wax On! History of Surfboard Wax” – with over 1,000 bars of surfboard wax. The museum’s featured exhibit for July focuses on surf photography pioneer Larry “Flame” Moore, Surfing magazine’s photo editor of thirty years.  

Copyright, Larry (Flame) Moore

 Anyone who surfs or just enjoys experiencing the sights and sounds of the surfing world will enjoy exploring the surf museum’s exhibits and displays. The museum is the perfect place to duck into on a hot day and take some time to reflect on how surfing evolved from its Polynesian roots – when Hawaiian chiefs went “wave sliding” on longboards – into the worldwide sport it is today.

“We have fantastic things here,” Cindy Cross, the museum’s Director-at-Large, said to SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti, noting that the museum can be rented for events. She also pointed out that there’s always something new on display so each time visitors drop by they’re going to see another piece of surfing history. 

On a recent Saturday, the museum was the scene for a Happy Hour event hosted by California winemaker Barefoot Wine to support the non-profit Surfrider Foundation. 

Guests, fresh from a day of surfing and cleaning the beach, checked out the surfing mementoes while sampling the wine selections. 

“We sponsor 25 beach cleanups across the country in partnership with Surfrider,” said Liz Belding, Barefoot Wine Area Manager, So. California, emphasizing that they couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate venue than the surfing museum.  

Barefoot Wine Reps Ron, Liz and Carrie

 Internationally-recognized surf artist Ron Croci was on hand, as well, to show and talk about his artworks and his love of the ocean. Croci’s powerful images of surfers and vibrant beachscape paintings captured the spirit of surfing…and everyone’s attention. 

 Self-taught artist Croci, who also has worked as a Hollywood illustrator on many films, including Ghostbusters, The Blues Brothers and Planet of the Apes, told SurfWriter Girls, “I have a real passion for the ocean, as a water sports enthusiast, surfer and diver, and a desire to express this in my seascapes and beachscapes.”

 Artist Ron Croci

Founded by Huntington Beach realtor and Canadian-transplant Natalie Kotsch (a non-surfer) in 1987 as a place to commemorate the surfing lifestyle and culture, the International Surfing Museum is still in a growth phase. “I founded this museum to preserve what used to be,” said Kotsch. Now her vision is to create “the ultimate surfing museum” – one closer to the Huntington Beach Pier – that’s large enough to display the extensive surfing collection the museum has acquired and to house an Iwerks Theater and art gallery.

 

As part of its mission to promote the surf culture, the International Surfing Museum also stages “Surfin’ Sundays” concerts in the museum parking lot and the Pier Plaza Amphitheater (315 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach). Some of the groups performing in July include The Breakaways, The Reefriders, The Pyronauts, Surge, Secret Samaurai, Hula Girls, and Slacktone.

 After a visit to the surfing museum you’ll want to head down to the beach, feel the salt spray of the waves and rejoice in the incredible sport of surfing.  

 

The International Surfing Museum is open daily. There is no admission fee, but donations are gladly accepted. For information about its hours, exhibits, events and concert schedule just click on the link for the International Surfing Museum at the beginning of this story.  

A variation of this SurfWriter Girls story is in the July 2012 second issue of the Orange County Breeze magazine. Congratulations to the OC Breeze on this new print edition!

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