HUNTINGTON BEACH : ‘Rad’ Place for Surfing Fans to Visit

Visitors from 38 nations and 50 states have raved about the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum.

Surfing fans fill a visitors’ registration book on the museum director’s desk with laudatory comments like “rad,” “stoked,” “cosmic” and “this place rules.” One visitor wrote, “The most fun I’ve ever had in a museum.”

The museum, at 411 Olive Ave. in the city’s downtown area, is dedicated to preserving the history of surfing, honoring its legends, and keeping alive the memory of Duke Kahanamoku, perhaps the world’s most famous surfer.

The 2,200-square-foot building offers an international collection of surfboards and surfing-related artifacts. Its most recent acquisition is eight U.S. Surfing Championship Perpetual Trophies inscribed with the names of legendary surfers from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Champions include Pete Peterson, Hobie Alter, Mike Doyle, Don Hansen, Joyce Hoffman, Linda Benson and Jericho Popper. The trophies were donated several weeks ago by George Draper, who retired from the surfboard business last year.

One of the museum’s most popular displays, Surfboards of Distinction, features the Waikiki board, which dates back to the 1800s and was used in the waters off Hawaii, museum director Ann Beasley said.

The display includes a board formerly owned by resident Corky Carroll, a world champion and one of the most famous local surfers. Also displayed is a 1949 board made by pioneer shaper Bob Simmons, who was the first to use the principles of aerodynamics, according to Beasley.

The museum tried to acquire a surfboard that was presented to President Ronald Reagan when he retired from office, but there was too much red tape, Beasley said. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), who surfs, loaned his board to the museum instead.

“We like to say it hung in the halls of Congress,” Beasley quipped.

Other exhibits include a tribute to Duke Kahanamoku, who popularized the sport and is known as the father of surfing, she said.

An exhibit is dedicated to the Palos Verdes Surfing Club, the oldest continuously active surfing club in the country, according to Beasley. Members celebrated the club’s 50th anniversary earlier this year at the museum.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. during the winter. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students.