Famed surf figures to be inducted to Walk and Hall in Huntington Beach

A new group of surf industry stars will be honored this week in Huntington Beach with inductions to the Surfing Walk of Fame and Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

Joining the Walk of Fame on Thursday are Mick Fanning (as Surf Champion), Ben Aipa (Surf Pioneer), Bob McKnight (Surf Culture), Stephanie Gilmore (Woman of the Year), Randy Lewis (Local Hero) and Fernando Aguerre and Steve Van Doren (Honor Roll).

The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 10 a.m. in front of Jack’s Surfboards, 101 Main St. A gala luncheon will follow at Pier Plaza. Tickets are $40.

“I couldn’t think of a better class of inductees for our 25th anniversary celebration,” said Walk of Fame board Chairman Don MacAllister.

On Friday, Aipa will join Brett Simpson and Herbie Fletcher as inductees into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame at 9 a.m. They will be immortalized by putting their hand and footprints in cement in front of Huntington Surf and Sport, 300 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Aipa, 77, said that when he received news of his inductions, it was a “new feeling” for him, although the type of business he’s in requires him to perform often.

Aipa said he fell in love with surfing at age 21 at Waikiki in Hawaii, where he surfed for the first time with his cousin in 1964. He went on to create a career as a professional surfer, coach and surfboard shaper who is credited with inventing the surfboard swallow tail and adding the “sting,” a wing along the rail ahead of the tail, to make the board go faster.

Candidates for the Walk of Fame are nominated by museums, media organizations and people in the surf industry. A 200-member international panel then votes to select each year’s inductees.

The rest of the 2018 Walk of Fame honorees:

• Fanning: Australian-born surfer known as “White Lightning” was the ASP World Tour champion in 2007, 2009 and 2013.
• McKnight: Co-founder of the surf apparel brand Quiksilver is viewed as a pioneer of that industry for his board shorts.
• Gilmore: Australian-born surfer is a six-time champion of the Women’s ASP World Tour, most recently in 2014.
• Lewis: Lifelong Huntington Beach resident was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 2010.
• Aguerre: Co-founder of the Reef sandals and surf apparel brand is president of the International Surfing Assn. and a primary driver for surfing’s inclusion in the Olympic Games.
• Van Doren: Vice president of events and promotions for skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans is a son of the company’s co-founder.

The rest of this year’s Surfers’ Hall of Fame inductees:

• Simpson: Graduate of Huntington Beach High School was the first back-to-back winner of the U.S. Open of Surfing (2009 and 2010).
• Fletcher: Huntington Beach High School alumnus founded Herbie Fletcher Surfboards in Dana Point and was among the leaders of the longboard resurgence.

In a recent interview with Daily Pilot surf columnist Joe Haakenson, Simpson, 33, described how going to Huntington Beach High “just opened the door for me.”

“There are so many people that helped me along the way,” Simpson said. “[Huntington Beach High coach Andy] Verdone, growing up having idols like the Defenbaughs, Barry and Jeff, obviously Bud Llamas started the path, Wyatt Simmons. These are guys from a competitive aspect, because that was my dream from the get-go — competition, making heats. Those guys I watched growing up, Timmy Reyes, Shaun Ward, Danny Nichols, the Turner brothers, the Townends. The whole path was set, the competitive nature that was in this area — not in a bad way, in a good way. … That’s how I felt my surfing was starting to take off.”

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella