Surfer of Change

THANK GOD FOR A FEW FREE WAVES

-Mickey Dora

I try changing my surfing, which is the absolute worst

thing you can do. everyone surfs their own way.

-Andy Irons

What I love the most about surfing is that it’s my first love.

it’s the first thing I can remember being consumed bY.

-Stephanie Gilmore

it’s a culmination of your life of surfing when you turn and paddle in at mavericks.

-Jeff Clark

Bodysurfing ace Ron Drummond prints 500 copies of The Art of Wave Riding

The L.A. Times runs a full-page photo of surfers at Waikiki

Honolulu tailor Ellery Chun prints colorful tropical designs on silk

19-year-old Pete Peterson wins the first of four Pacific Coast Surfriding Championships

Surfing makes the cover of The New Yorker magazine

The 16mm Bolex camera is released, comparable to professional cameras for the amateur filmmaker

National Geographic publishes a portfolio of Tom Blake surfing pictures

Tom Blake authors Hawaiian Surfboard, the first in-depth book about surfing

John “Doc” Ball founds Palo Verdes Surf Club

San Onofre becomes Ground Zero for the Southern California surf scene

Santa Cruz Surfing Club founded

Bing Crosby goes canoe surfing in Waikiki

Doc Ball produces The Weekly Spindrift News for the Palo Verdes Surf Club

American Robert Koke opens the Kuta Beach Hotel and imports two boards for “surf shooting”

Sufing makes the cover of Vogue Magazine

Mary ann Hawkins featured surfing in Life Magazine

The film Riding the Crest by Frederick Ullman, Jr. documents surfing and music in Hawaii

Leroy Grannis rides fifteen-foot waves at Malibu from Third Point all the way to the Pier

California’s only recorded tropical storm, produced wins of nearly fifty knots and generated waves of fifty-plus feet

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we’re all equal before a wave.

-Laird Hamilton

Jim Bailey’s surfing dog, Rusty, photographed for National Geographic magazine

John “Doc” Ball’s California Surfriders is published

Carlos Dogny of Lima opens Club Waikiki, Peru’s first surf club

Australian Surf Board Association formed by Frank Alder

Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, of France, invent the bikini

George Downing, with fellow Honolulu surfer Russ Takaki, became the first to ride Laniakea on the North Shore

Los Angeles lifeguard-surfer Tommy Zahn dates Marilyn Monroe

John Larronde films Zahn, Kivlin, Quigg, Simmons, Peterson and Trent in California surf

George Downing, with fellow Honolulu surfer Russ Takaki, become the first to ride Maui’s Honolua Bay

Waikiki Surf Club founded in the basement of the Waikiki Tavern

Zahn and Joe Quigg among the first postwar Mainland surfers to ride Hawaii

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EDDIE WOULD GO.

-Unknown

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Woodies/panel trucks/Wiles Jeep popular modes of transportation due to roominess and inexpensive

President Harry Truman wears an aloha shirt on the cover of Life magazine

In Santa Monica, Bud Browne shows Hawaiian Surfing Movies, the first film of its kind

Huge west swell. Reportedly Mickey Muñoz gets a wave at Malibu that he rides pat the end of the pier

Same swell in Santa Cruz, Peter Cole catches a wave at Steamer Lane that he rides past Cowell’s to the pier

Same swell at Rincon reaches twenty feet. A young Ricky Grigg, along with Joe Quigg, rides the huge point surf

Queen Elizabeth visits Bondi Beach to watch a surf carnival

The fist Makaha International Surfing Championships is held

A group of Californians travels to Australia giving surfing exhibitions with their Malibu “Chip” surfboards

Buzzy Trent coins the phrase “elephant gun” for riding big waves

Eugene Burdick’s The Ninth Wave is published; contains prewar surfing scenes

Hollywood screenwriter Peter Viertel brought interest in surfing back to France, while filming The Sun Also Rises

Dewey Weber’s first visit to Hawaii is chronicled in surf filmmaker bud Browne’s 1957 release, The Big Surf

Waimea Bay in Hawaii is ridden by a group of visiting Californians

Crowds are moving in; as many as 75 people at a time fill the Malibu lineup

Cheap and roomy, the woody wagon becomes the American surfer’s vehicle of choice

Frederick Kohner’s novel about his surf stoked daughter, Gidget, became a popular book

Aloha… Bleeding Madras shirts and pendleton shirts start to become part of surfer dress code

California’s Bruce Brown releases his debut film, Slippery When Wet

John Severson - the eventual founder of Surfer Magazine - released his debut film, Surf

Mickey Dora’s pranks and scams help create the “rebel surfer” image

Surfing begins to take off in Newquay, England

Surf movies are all the rage, as film makers tour up and down the coast

Columbia Studios releases Gidget, the first Hollywood surf film. Gidget lights the fuse of the surf culture explosion

Brian Wilson gets a C grade for a high school composition called Surfin’

Dick Dale and the Rhythm Wranglers become the Del Tones and play “Surfer Stomps”

Dick Dale plays his first show at the Rendezvous Ballroom at Newport Beach, to a total audience of 17 people

Long Beach City College student Pete Beltran presents idea for West Coast Surfboard Championships

sometimes in the morning, when it’s a good surf, I go

out there, and I don’t feel like it’s a bad world.

-Kary Mullis

First issue of John Severson’s The Surfer magazine hits the stands

Playing to crowds of 4,000 every night, Dick Dale is crowned “King of the Surf Guitar” at the Rendezvous Ballroom

Flipflops and Harachis (tire treated sandals) become part of surfer footwear

The Western Surfing Association (WSA) is established to help organize surf contests on the West Coast

Australia’s Surfing World magazine debuts

Hevs McCelland founds the United States Surfing Association (USSA)

Beach blanket movies bring hordes of grammies, hodads, wannabes, neophytes, and posers to Malibu

USSA - United States Surfing Association was surfing first nationwide organization. Hoppy Swarts becomes President and Hobie Alter - Vice President

ABC televises the Makaha International Surfing Contest in Hawaii

Saturday Evening Post reports that many surfers are “roughnecks who drink, and go on rampages”

Surfing magazine publishes its first issue

Frankie Avalon stars in the Hollywood movie, Beach Party. Miki Da Cat Dora is his stunt double

Jan and Dean out of Torrence, California, soar to #1 on the music charts with their hit single “Surf City”

While filming the South African segment of The Endless Summer, the crew discovers Cape St. Francis

The Beach Boys have hits with Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’ USA, and Surfer Girl

Filmed in 16mm, The Endless Summer is released on the beach city surf circuit, two years prior to general release

Eduardo Arena founds the International Surfing Federation (ISF)

Legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku is honored as an official guest at the Tokyo Olympics

G&S introduces the Mike Henson Model. Shaped by Hynson himself this board is affectionaletly called the Red Fin

Bud Browne’s “Locked In” is released. Surfer Mag later chose it as one of the top three surf films of all time

“Rennie” Yater introduces the Yater Spoon. Very popular, they are most visible at California’s right points

ABC’s Wide World of Sports nationally televises the US Championships at the Huntington Beach for the first time

Chuck Dent Surfboard Shop opens in Huntington Beach, California

Dale Davis’ Strictly Hot is released; it was one of the first surf films to use a prerecorded narration

H.A.S.A. Hawaiian Amateur Surfing Association formed to promote organized surfing competitions

Author Peter L. Dixon releases the book The Complete Book of Surfing

The ECSC makes Virginia Beach, Virginia, the championship’s official home, where it is held to this day

The first Duke Kahanamoku Invitational is held on Oahu’s North Shore

Skateboarding, or “sidewalk surfing,” featured on ABC’s Wide World of Sports

The 2nd World Surfing Championships were held in Peru

The national TV show Gidget, starring Sally Field, airs the first of twenty-six episodes in fall 1965

Martin “Pottz” Potter was born on 10/28/65 in England. Potter would become the ASP World Champ in 1989

Sherman Poppen invented the “Snurfer,” the first snowboard, by screwing together two pairs of children’s skis

Bruce Brown’s The Endless Summer plays in theaters across the country

Nat Young wins the World Surfing Championships in San Diego

Newsweek estimates the American surfing population to be 500,000

Big Wave surfspot Mavericks is surfed for the first time by Alex Matienzo, Jim Thompson, and Dick Knottmeyer

Cecil Lear, Rudy Huber, and USSA director Hoppy Swarts (California) form the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA)

The United States Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach is won by Hobie’s Corky Carroll and Joyce Hoffman

The Makaha International surf contest is won by Joey Cabell and Martha Sunn

Jock Sutherland wins the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational in Hawaii

ESA Eastern Surfing Association founded by Cecil Lear and Rudy Hober for competition and other surf related activities

Paul Witzig’s film The Hot Generation introduces the Aussie “total involvement” school of surfing

Joe Roland and Janice Domorski are crowned the champions of the ESA’s first full competitive season (6 events)

The United States Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach are won by David Nuuhiwa and Linda Benson

Englishman Rodney Sumpter wins the 1968 Irish National Championships and goes to Puerto Rico

Margo Oberg and Fred Hemming win the World Championships, held in Puerto Rico

The Makaha International is won by Joey Cabell and Margo Godfrey (Oberg)

While filming the large surf at Hawaii’s Waimea Bay Dale Davis falls 40-feet from a helicopter, breaking his back

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational is won by Mike Doyle

W.S.A. Western Surfing Association formed with Hoppy Swarts becoming first President

Bob Evens releases the Australian surf movie “The Way We Like It”

Tom Wolfe and Andy Warhol report on the La Jolla surf scene for the outside world

Wayne Lynch denounces competition in “Gaudy Metal and Ego Trips” article for Surfer magazine

Eric and Lowell Blum release The Fantastic Plastic Machine, two years after production finishes

Paul Witzig’s Evolution, a film starring Nat Young, Wayne Lynch, and other top Australian surfers is released

The Australian National Titles are won by Nat Young and Josette Lagardere. Wayne Lynch again wins the juniors

The ESA’s six event contest season is won by Claude Codger and Barbara Bellyea

The film “The Natural Art”, by Fred Windisch, is released

The United States Surfing Championships are won by Corky Carroll and Sharon Weber

The Makaha International surf contest is won by Paul Strauch and Martha Sunn

George Greenough’s film The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun is released in Australia

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational is won by Joey Cabell

The Smirnoff World Champions were Corky Carroll, USA, and Margo Godfrey, USA

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honest to goodness it’s the absolute ultimate!

-On surfing, Gidget

The film “Waves of Change” by MacGillivray/Freeman films is released

The Australian National Titles are won by Peter Drouyn and Judy Trim. Wayne Lynch, takes the junior title

Australia’s Tracks magazine debuts, and becomes a counterculture hit

George Greenough’s Innermost Limits of Pure Fun shows in California. The photography is mind-blowing

Surfer Magazine publisher, John Severson’s epic film Pacific Vibrations is released

The Eastern Surfing Championships are cancelled due to lack of surf. No season champions are crowned

The United States Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, CA are won by Brad McCaul and Jerico Poppler

The Makaha International surf contest is won by Peter Drouyn and Martha Sunn. Craig Wilson won the juniors

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships at Sunset Beach in Hawaii is won by Australia’s Nat Young

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational at Sunset Beach is won by Hawaii’s Jeff Hakman

A.S.A American Surfing Association began by controversial Dr. Gary Filosa had Olympic aspirations

The Australian National Titles are won by Paul Neilsen and Gail Couper. The juniors is won by Simon Anderson

“Sea Dreams”, a film by Curt Mastalka and Peter French is released. The film focuses on Hawaii

John Severson sells Surfer magazine; Steve Pezman takes over as publisher

Filmmaker Alby Falzon of Australia discovers perfect waves in Uluwatu, Bali

At the East Coast Championships in Cape Hatteras NC, Charley Baldwin and Linda Davoli take the season titles

The Wave Hunters, a film by Dewey Weber and Guy Motil, is completed and tours the United States

The United States Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach are won by David Nuuhiwa and Joyce Hoffman

The Makaha International is won by Mark Sedlack and Becky Benson. Larry Bertlemann takes the junior’s

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships is won by Gavin Rudolph of South Africa

The inaugural Pipeline Masters is held at Oahu’s Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii. Jeff Hakman wins the event

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational is won by Jeff Hakman

Surf author and historican Paul Holmes of Australia and Great Britain founds Surf Insight and author, Hobie along with other publications and articles

Five Summer Stories debuts at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

The Australian Titles are won by Michael Peterson and Gail Couper. Simon Anderson again wins the Junior’s title

Morning of the Earth by Alby Falzon is released. The film shows the new Australian style

The long hollow lefts of Grajagan, Java, are surfed for the first time

Longshot Carmen Irving and returning ’71 women’s ESA champ Linda Davoli take the ESA East Coast season titles

The World Contest was considered by many a definitive low point in competitive surfing history

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational is won by James Jones

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships is won by Paul Neilsen of Australia

Surfing legend Gerry Lopez wins the second annual Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline on Oahu in Hawaii

Marina High School has 145 surfer try out for team

Alby Falzon releases a documentary on George Greenough, Crystal Voyager

Shaun Tomson wins his first international event, the Gunston 500 in his native South Africa

Kevin Naughton and Craig Peterson publish their first travelogue in Surfer magazine

Mike “Oppy” Oppenheimer and Tony Bryant win the ESA season titles

At the USSF Championships at Malibu. Larry Bertlemann wins the men’s title and Laura Powers wins the women’s

Gerry Lopez wins his second consecutive Pipe Masters title

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am became known as the de facto World Surfing Championship

The groundbreaking surf travel film, The Forgotten Island of Santosha was released by Larry Yates

Scott Dittrich’s Fluid Drive is released and is best remembered for its soundtrack

After an exceptionally well run season, the ESA crowns Greg Loehr the East Coast men’s champion

British “Surf” magazine is launched in England

Rick Rasmussen, from N.Y. wins the U.S. Championships at age 18, becoming the first East Coast surfer to do so

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships is won by Reno Abellira of Hawaii

Florida’s Jeff Crawford wins the Pipe Masters, becoming the first non-Hawaiian to do so

Shaun Tomson, 19, wins the Hang Ten Pro in twelve foot Sunset Beach on Oahu

WISA - Womens International Surfing Association began by Jerico Poppler and Mary Setterholm to promote and improve womens surfing competition

Jack McCoy and Dick Hoole make Tubular Swells and jump-starts McCoy’s long career

Mike “Oppy” Oppenhiemer becomes the first two-time ESA mens season champion

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships is won by Mark Richards of Australia

Surfing backside Shaun Tomson wins the Pipeline Masters at a spot once only a goofy footer’s domain

New York’s Ricky Rasmussen takes the men’s ESA season titles, while Annette Frasure wins the women’s division

Bill Delaney’s “Free Ride” is released. The movie is considered by some to be “the last great surf movie”

Chris Bystrom’s first film “Room to Move” is released in 8 mm. Chris would go on to produce a record 29 surf films

The US Surfing Championships are held at San Onofre for the only time. Duane Wong and Karen McKay win titles

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships are won by Mark Warren, Australia, and Jericho Poppler, USA

Bill Delaney’s “Free Ride” is the hottest surf film of the year

Peter Drouyn invents surfing’s man-on-man competition format

Skateboarders doing aerials inspire Matt Kechele and Kevin Reed to try the move on surfboards

Vic Morris’ The Weather Surfer, the first book on wave forecasting, is published

South Carolina’s Mark McDandel wins 1st in one and only American Surfing Association (ASA) surfing championship in Huntington Beach, CA

The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships are won by Reno Abellira, Hawaii, and Jericho Poppler, USA

Surfer magazine doubles its publication frequency from six to twelve issues a year

Warner Brothers’ Big Wednesday, directed by John Milius, is released

The National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) is founded and headquartered in Huntington Beach, California

Maury McCoy and Mary Ann Hayes repeat their 1977 results as ESA season champions at The Easterns

Larry Blair becomes the first Australian to win the Pipeline Masters. He repeats in 1979

N.S.S.A - National Scholastic Surfing Association form by Tom Gibbons and five other to bring together surfing and education to improve surfings image

X-Files creator Chris Carter becomes first editor at N.S.S.A. Newsletter Surflines

Mark McDandel from South Carolina wins 1st NSSA National Surf Championship in Huntington Beach, Bud Llamas, Rick Fig, Pat Allen and Sean McNaulty

Long Beach States Ruben Chappins awarded the NSSA first Nancy Katin Scholarship at $500.00

United States Surfing Federation is founded

John Millius’ Apocalypse Now coins the phrase “Charlie don’t surf!” Robert Duvall wins an Oscar

Breakout, an underground California Surf magazine based out of Carlsbad, publishes its first issue

David Nuckles in the men’s division and Susan Hogan in the women’s, are crowned the ESA season champions

Surfers in Florida and California begin attempting aerials and other skateboard-influenced maneuvers in earnest

USSF - United States Surfing Federation was formed to solve regional and national surfing problems. Olympic status was the goal

NSSA Founding President Tom Gibbons seek recognition from C.I.F., N.C.A.A., A.A.U., and US Olypmic Committee

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Charlie DON’T surf.

-Lt. Col. William Kilgore

Breakout, California’s surf magazine, goes from black and white to color

Basil Lomberg, president of the ISA dies. He is replaced by Reg Prytherch, a Britisher and former waterski official

Bill Curry wins the ESA men’s season title while Adele Faba takes the first of two consecutive women’s titles

Australian Mark Scott wins the world amateur title in France. A kid from California, Tom Curren wins the juniors’ title

Shaun Tomson wins the Katin, Tom Curren is second, both riding twin-fins

Longboarding reignites with the Dewey Weber Invitational Longboard Classic at Manhattan Beach

My Beach, the Surf Punks debut album featuring Punchout at Malibu, sells 100,000 copies

Coastal construction forms sandbars at Salt Creek that quickly become the “photo studio” for California’s surf media

At the ESA championships Jimbo Sampson takes the men’s title while Adele Faba wins her second women’s title

Padang Padang and Grajagan make Surfing Magazines list of the 10 Best Waves in the World

Tom Curren wins the Katin Pro-Am in Huntington Beach on a tri-fin

The surf movie Storm Riders premieres in Sydney, hoping to capture a broad theater market

Gerry Lopez becomes a movie star and plays Schwarzenegger’s sidekick in the film Conan the Barbarian

Charlie Kuhn wins the East Coast championship title at the ESA’s while Sharon Wolfe takes the women’s crown

Future surf legend Kelly Slater (only ten years old at the time) wins his first of four ESA menehune titles

Tom Curren wins the ISA amateur world championship and then turns pro

Publisher Larry Balma publishes the first issue of Transworld Skateboarding Magazine

Fast Times at Ridgemont High introduces the Spicolian “Tasty waves and a cool buzz”

Surfers encounter El Niño, a complex weather pattern that brings massive swells to the entire Pacific

Incredible surf is found on a small island off the west coast of Baja. The first flight reveals 20-foot surf

Charlie Hajek takes the ESA men’s title at - The Easterns - in North Carolina

At the OP Pro, Tom Curren and Joey Buran, put on a show, with Curren winning thanks to his “hail Mary” reentry

Kim Mearig wins the women’s pro division to complete the California sweep at the OP Pro

1970s Australian star Michael Peterson is arrested by police after a high-speed chase

450 surfers compete at the ESA Championships - The Easterns - where Rich Rudolph wins the men’s title

USA’s Scott Farnsworth wins the world amateurs, knocking off the highly-fancied Aussie team almost single handed

Surfing Magazine publishes the first issues of Body Boarding Magazine

The 1985-86 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) kicks off with a wave-pool event in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Tom Carroll beats Derek Ho at the World Inland Surfing Championship in Allentown, PA

Sean Collins accurately predicts a spring “southern hemi” swell, and legitimizes surf forecasting

Sean Collins launches Surfline, a surf forecasting and reporting service

USA East Coaster Wes Laine wins the Spur Steak Ranch Surfabout in a close final with Australian Glen Winton

“The Barrels of Fun Championships”, the Easterns, are won by Bill Johnson (men’s) and Sean Mattison (juniors)

Carroll, Potter, Curren and Horan lead anti-apartheid protests against South African contests

The non-profit environmental group Surfrider Foundation, is formed in Malibu, California

James Jones, Mark Foo, JP Paterson, and Alec Cooke are cleaned up by a 40 foot plus wave at Waimea Bay

Surfers ride waves on Snake River, Wyoming

Responding to an ad, 13 surf enthusiasts establish the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, CA

The surf movie classic, The Endless Summer, is released on video

The inaugural in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave contest is held at Waimea Bay Eddie’s brother Clyde Aikau wins

Bill johnson takes the ESA men’s season title at the - Easterns - in Hatteras

Out-of-towners drawn to Huntington Beach for the Op Pro (and by the Op Bikini Contest) get out of control

Santa Cruz Surf Museum located in a lighthouse and founded by Santa Cruz Longboard Union Surf Club

Publisher Larry Balma teams Kevin Kinnear and Guy Motil to create the first 30 issues of TW Snowboarding magazine

North Shore: The Movie is an expose on the tragedy of haole speaking pidgin

The emergent longboard renaissance makes San Onofre once again an increasingly popular surfing beach

In a letter to editors, Gary Elkerton declares his former nickname (KONG) and persona and it shall not be used

Developers threaten Kirra Point with a marina that would block all surf from one of the world’s best waves

For the Easterns - Chris Makris takes the season title. Kelly Slater takes the boys division, his 6th ESA season title

Realtor Natalie Kotsch and volunteers found the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum

Rumors surround Occy’s continued presence in Hawaii

Richie Collins wins the O’Neill Coldwater Classic in Santa Cruz. Weeks later he is battered in a street brawl

Long Beach, Long Island, New York, surfers turn back a City Hall threat to close down a local surfing area

Local realtor Natalie Kotsch and a team of volunteers found the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum

Nat Young nabs ASP longboard title

Former World Amateur Champ Janice Aragon welcome Executive Director at NSSA

NBC launches “Baywatch,” the worldwide hit television show about the day-to-day dramas of Malibu lifeguards

A benefit contest is held at Oceanside, CA for Rell Sunn, undergoing treatment for skin cancer. The event raises $20,000

The Easterns at Cape Hatteras, NC crowns Justin Carver ESA season men’s champ

Janice Aragon wins the Women’s ISA World Surfing Championship

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SURFING IS FOR LIFE.

-Bruce Jenkins

The Huntington Beach International Surf Museum moves into city-donated facilities at 411 Olive Street, Huntington Beach

Paul “Rhino” Reinecke wins the Men’s division at - The Easterns - and becomes the ESA season champion

Heifera Tahutini becomes the first Tahitian surfer to win an ISA World Championship

Gotcha spends $400,000 on Bill Delaney’s Surfers: The Movie, but video is taking over

Hollywood surf movie “Point Break” released by 20th Century Fox

Eddie Crawford takes the ESA men’s season title at - the Easterns

The landmark surf movie Momentum is released. The film features Kelly Slater, Rob Machado and Shane Dorian

Former Surfer publisher Steve Pezman introduces first quarterly issue of The Surfer’s Journal

Taylor Steele releases Momentum, which features the “new school” of short board performance

Laird Hamilton, Darrick Doerner and Buzzy Kerbox are witnessed being towed into Outside Backyards on Oahu

Photo-journalist Guy Motil and editor Scott Hulet create and publish the first issue of Longboard Quarterly

An Apology Resolution was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton, for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893

The Beach Boys release “Good Vibrations,” a four-CD boxed set documenting their 30-year musical history

La Jolla, California surfer Kary Mullis wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Chad Hopkins wins the ESA’s Men’s season title in a hurricane-ravaged Easterns event at Hatteras

Bruce and Dana Brown release the long-awaited sequel The Endless Summer II

New Jersey’s Matt Keenan Wins - The Easterns - and as a result, the ESA men’s season title

Mark Foo, big-wave charger and Waimea regular, drowns while surfing at Maverick’s in Half Moon Bay in CA

Jack McCoy’s Billabong Challenge wins the first Surfer Magazine Video of the Year award

AOL teams with Guy Motil and Longboard Magazine for a live Internet broadcast from the U.S. Open in CA

Wahine, surfing’s first women’s magazine, is published in California

Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force rates Malibu one of most polluted beaches SoCal

The Sport Accord, recognized the International Surfing Association (ISA ) as the world’s governing body of surfing

Hurricane arrives at - The Easterns - where Brian Hewitson takes the event and the ESA season men’s title

Kelly Slater becomes the first surfer to pull off the ASP World Tour hat trick by winning the ASP World Championship,

Triple Crown of Surfing Championship and the Pipe Masters in one fell swoop

The first signs of color laminations reappear, and gloss-and-polish longboards become popular again

Beschen surfs the first perfect heat in ASP Pro Tour history with four 10s at Kirra in Austrlia. Shane eventually tied for fifth in the event

John Blair works with Rhino Records to produce the surf music set, “Cowabunga!” which documents surf music

World Champion Lisa Andersen becomes the first woman on the cover of Surfer Magazine in over 15 years

Surf filmmaker Chris Bystrom founds Pacific Longboarder Magazine in Australia

Rip Curl/Sonny Miller’s Searching for Tom Curren wins Surfer Magazine’s Video of the Year

Surfer’s Path Magazine publishes its first issue in England

Ira Opper produces the 12-part documentary, 50 Years of Surfing on Film for Surfer’s Journal

Alan Sarlo rides a set wave to the far side of the pier at Malibu

Summer weekend visitors to San Onofre learn to expect waits of up to two hours to get into the parking lot

The road to surfing’s inclusion in the Olympic games moves forward

Asher Nolan wins “The Easterns” and the ESA men’s title

El Niño returns to the Pacific Ocean

Ken Bradshaw is towed into the “largest wave ever ridden” at Outside Log Cabins in Hawaii

Matt George dramatizes the conflict between tow and paddle surfers with In God’s Hands

Jeff Clark and Mavericks are featured in the 1998 documentary Mavericks, a one hour PBS film

Jack Johnson co-produces Thicker Than Water and sparks his recording career

Darryl “Flea” Virostko won the inaugural Mavericks contest in massive surf conditions. This was his 1st of 3 straight

Transworld Surf Magazine publishes its first issue in California

Plymouth University in England begins offering a B.S. in Surf Science and Technology

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there is a wisdom in the wave high bourne and beautiful for those who would paddle out.

-Dorian Paskowitz

2000

Following his victory in 1999, Darryl “Flea” Virostko won the second Mavericks big wave contest. Slater was 2nd

Jeff Crego wins the ESA men season championship

Malcolm Gault-Williams authors a book on the life of early 20th century surf legend Tom Blake

Rich Harbour was commissioned to hand craft a wood surfboard for the collection of the Design Museum of London

The Endless Summer released on DVD

At Cortes Bank, 100 miles off of the California coast. Mike Parsons rides a 65’ wave, the largest ridden at the time

Local Montauk, New York surfer/author Allan Weisbecker publishes In Search of Captain Zero, a memoir

Jason Venn wins the ESA men’s season Championship

9/11 - The day of the terrorist attacks on New York City at least five local surfers perished during the attack

Blue Crush, a Hollywood film about women surfers, is released by Universal Studios

Duke Kahanamoku is honored with a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service

Matt Warshaw publishes “The Encyclopedia of Surfing,” a landmark historical reference book

Dana Brown, Bruce’s son, releases the film “Step Into Liquid,” a documentary on modern surfing

Hawaiian surfer Bethany Hamilton loses her left arm in a shark attack. She soon returns to competitive surfing

NSSA Foundes inducted into O.P.’s Hall of Fame

Mavericks big wave contest, Darryl “Flea” Virostko, secured another Mavericks title

Joel Tudor wins his second World Longboard Championship title in Biarritz, France

Sofia Mulanovich becomes the first ISA Peruvian champ since Felipe Pomar in 1964

Santa Cruz local Anthony Tashnick wins the now annual Mavericks big wave contest in Central California

An Al Merrick surfboard printed by artist Julian Schnabel fetches $76,000 at a NYC auction

Author Paul Holmes documents the life of surf legend Dale Velzy in the book “Dale Velzy is Hawk”

Julia Christian becomes the first US woman in over 20 years to capture the ISA World Championship

Riding a relatively short 9'0" tri-fin Grant “Twiggy” Baker from South Africa won the Mavericks big wave contest

Guy Motil creates “Surfboards,” an award-winning book documenting the history of the surfboard

The Mavericks big wave contest is cancelled due to lack of surf during the waiting period

Greg and Jed Noll, with author Drew Kampion, publish “The Art of the Surfboard,” a book on Noll boards

The finalists of the Mavericks contest agree to split the prize money equally. Big wave rider Greg Long takes 1st

It was reported that a bronze bust of George Freeth was stolen from the Redondo Beach Pier

The California Surf Museum, designed by Louise Balma, opens its new city-donated facilities in Oceanside, CA

The Mavericks big wave contest is cancelled due to lack of surf during the waiting period

Gordon and Smith (G&S) celebrates it’s 50th Anniversary of continuous surfboard design and manufacturing

Rich Harbour’s surfboard design and manufacturing was exhibited at the Doyle Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

ONE DROP-IN IS AN ACCIDENT, TWO IS RUDE, THREE IS A TWATABLE OFFENSE.

-ROGER SHARP

With 60’ surf, the Mavericks event became one of the largest paddle-in contests in the history of the sport. 1st place Chris Berths

Three-time ASP WCT title holder, Andy Irons, 32, was found dead in a hotel room near Dallas, Texas

1960’s and 1970’s Surf Photographer LeRoy Grannis dies at 93

Mavericks legend Peter Mel, in 25 foot surf, finally took the Mavericks title that had eluded him for over a decade

TransWorld Surf magazine ceases publication after more than ten years

Apple announced that the latest version of its Mac operating system OS X (version 10.9) would be titled Mavericks

Upper Trestles. 10 guys out. 10 min till sunset. A great white breached and spun 2-4 ft in the air

NOAA reports the Pacific El Nino condition is the warmest on record

The California Surf Museum mounts breakthrough Big-Wave Surfboard exhibit

Kael Farber (mens) and Nicole Fulford (womens) win the 2015 NSSA Open Divisions

Kelly Slater debuts the best artificial wave pool yet, near Fresno, CA

Piccolo Clemente, of Peru, won the 2015 Longboard World Title

Rachael Tilly, of the USA, won the 2015 Longboard World Title

Shark encounters with surfers appear to be on a rapid rise in Australia, Hawaii and Florida

It is now estimated that there are over 30 million surfers worldwide

Lawsuit filed against Lunada Bay “Bay Boys” surfers for harassing other surfers

2010

2011

2013

2015

2016

Heavy north swells caused the suspension of the local steamer services at Hilo Bay

Wilfred and his family were from Hawaii and left the Islands to Mainland

Edison Company produces a movie that is believed to be the first with people riding waves; Surf Board Riders

The Outrigger Club is a private club founded on the beach at Waikiki

1900

1906

1908

1900

Surf contests between Hui Nalu and the Outrigger Canoe Club are organized

A George Freeth surfing show is part of the Huntington Beach Pier opening ceremonies

Duke Kahanamoku takes part in a number of exhibitions in Australia to promote swimming and surfing

The Outrigger Canoe and Surfing Club in Hawaii reaches a membership of about 1,200 members

“Bobby Bumps, Surf Rider,” by Earl Hurd, is the first animated surfing cartoon

In Australia, wave-riding competitions are included in most ASLSA events

The earliest recorded surfing event that we can verify in South Africa took place in 1919 near Capetown

1910

1914

1915

1917

1918

1919

1910

Surfing makes its Hollywood feature film debut in The White Flower

The UK got its first surf club, founded by Nigel Oxenden, a British Army major and two-time Military cross winner

Surfing is featured in Aire Libre, a Peruvian sports magazine

Duke Kahanamoku begins his career as an actor in Hollywood with his debut performance in Adventure

Cornish surfers photographed holding square-nosed belly boards

The Durban Surf Life Saving Club and Pirates Surf Life Saving were founded in 1927 and 1928 respectively

Tom Blake rides a 15’, 110 lb board to win the first Pacific Coast Surfriding Championships

Duke Kahanamoku gets one of the longest rides in Hawaiian surfing history during a huge summer south swell

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1920

PRE 1910

Outside of Hawaii and Tahiti, Polynesians regard wave-riding as child’s play

British artist John Webber engraves the first Western images of surfing

With the end of the Hawaiian kappa (taboo) were allowed to freely participate in the sport of surfing

The end of the kappa system and the Makahiki festival weaken surfing in royal Hawaiian culture

Congregationalists arrive in Hawaii and put a damper on sex, gambling and ocean play

From 1837 to 1840, nearly 20,000 Hawaiians finally chose to accept Christianity, surfing suffers

Surfing featured briefly in Herman Melville’s novel Mardi

Surfing is reduced to an almost nonexistent sport. A small handful of Hawaiian surfer kept surfing alive

A description of surfing is published in New York’s The Knickerbocker magazine

Mark Twain writes about his failed attempt at surfing in Hawaii for The Sacramento Union

The National Police Gazette shows a “Sandwich Island Girl” surfing Asbury Park, NJ

The Bishop Museum is founded in Honolulu with surfboards among the artifacts

Perhaps the most unusual article on surfing is Edward Townsend’s article, “Waikiki… where… laziness is an art”

La Mer is released by the French inventors of the cinématographe, Auguste and Louis Lumière

Rough Sea at Dover provides images of waves on a beach at Australia’s first theatrical exhibition of movies

A main factor in the disappearance of surfing was that the number of true Hawaiians had dropped drastically

1500

1784

1819

1820

1821

1837

1849

1850’S

1855

1866

1888

1889

1893

1895

1896

1899

IT’S ALL ABOUT WHERE YOUR MIND’S AT

-Kelly Slater

SURFING LIFESTYLE, ART & ENTERTAINMENT