A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as papa he'e nalu in the Hawaiian language, and were usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa. They were often over 460 cm (15 ft) in length and extremely heavy. Major advances over the years include the addition of one or more fins (skegs) on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability, and numerous improvements in materials and shape.
Mark Richards, known as MR, is an Australian surfer who became a four-time world champion (1979–1982).
Greg Noll was an American pioneer of big wave surfing and a prominent longboard shaper. Nicknamed "Da Bull" by Phil Edwards in reference to his physique and way of charging down the face of a wave, he was on the U.S. lifeguard team that introduced Malibu boards to Australia around the time of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He produced a "legendary" series of five Search for Surf films.
Bruce Alan Brown was an American documentary film director, known as an early pioneer of the surf film. He was the father of filmmaker Dana Brown.
Skip Frye is an American surfer, surfboard designer and shaper, and environmental activist.
Robert August is an American surfer and surfboard shaper. He is best known as one of the subjects of Bruce Brown's 1966 surf documentary The Endless Summer, along with his friend Mike Hynson.
Kanvas By Katin, founded in 1954 and located in Surfside, California, is one of the oldest surf shops in California.
A surfboard shaper is someone who designs and builds surfboards. The process of surfboard shaping has evolved over the years, and the shaper often tailors his or her work to meet the requirements of a client or a certain wave. Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies.
Corky Carroll is a professional American surfer and is considered a pioneer in the sport by becoming the first real professional surfer as well as being the first to make paid endorsements.
Hobart "Hobie" Alter was an American surf and sailing entrepreneur and pioneer, creator of the Hobie Cat catamarans, and founder of the Hobie company.
The U.S. Open of Surfing is a week-long surfing competition held annually during the summer in Huntington Beach, California. Generally held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, the U.S. Open is part of the qualification process for the World Surf League and is a WSL QS 10,000 event. It is the largest surfing competition in the world. It has been owned by IMG since 2000.
David Earl Weber, known as Dewey Weber, was an American surfer, a popular surfing film subject, and a successful surfboard manufacturing businessman.
Robb Havassy is a painter known for his realistic depictions of women, landscapes, flowers, children and animals. When Havassy was 17, he moved to Newport Beach, California, to be closer to the ocean. He started surfing when he was about 17, although his first time on a surfboard was when he was eight in Waikiki, Hawaii, on a longboard.
Colin Patrick "Col" McPhillips is an American professional longboard surfrider and three times ASP Longboard World Champion.
Terry Martin was a California surfer and surfboard shaper who worked for Hobie Surfboards, shaping more than 80,000 surfboards, including boards for surf legends such as Corky Carroll and Phil Edwards.
The Reincarnation of a Surfboard is a body of sculpture work created by Ithaka Darin Pappas. The project, which began in 1989 consist of approximately 300 wall-mounted sculptures that have been made using recycled surfboards as raw building material. The series to date has been exhibited on four continents. The most recent solo exhibitions of these works were mesa hosted by WOA - Way Of Arts in Cascais, Portugal in December 2012, by Hurley International in Costa Mesa, California in October 2013 and F+ Gallery in Santa Ana in February 2015.
Donald Moke Takayama was an American professional surfer and surfboard shaper. Originally a longboard surfer, Takayama won the Master's division of the United States Surfing Champions in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Hawaiian born, Takayama learned to surf at Waikiki Beach and moved to California in the mid-1950s. Takayama died of complications from heart surgery; he is survived by his wife and four daughters.
Reynolds "Renny" Yater is a surfboard builder. He was one of the first commercial surfboard builders of the 1950s. Yater shaped fiberglass boards in the early 1950s, worked for Hobie in the mid-1950s on balsa boards and in 1957 went to work for Dale Velzy's shop in San Clemente, California shaping balsa boards. He opened Yater Surfboards in the fall of 1959 on Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara before moving the shop to Summerland, California in 1961. In 1964 zoning laws changes and in 1965 the shop opened on Gutierrez Street along with a retail surf shop at 401 State Street. In 1967 the shaping operation moved to Gray Avenue. The retail shop closed in 1971. His board designs include the Yater Spoon, Nose Specializer and Pocket Rocket. Customers included Joey Cabell, Gordon Clark, Mickey Dora, Philipi Pomar, Kemp Auberg, Bob Cooper, Bruce Brown and John Severson. Another Yater retail store opened in 1991 at 10 State Street in Santa Barbara and continues in business with Yater's son Lauren at the helm.
Chris Christenson is an American surfboard shaper, craftsman, and outdoor enthusiast.
Hamboards manufactures and sells rail-to-rail Surfskates, SUPskates, Paddles and Accessories. Most Hamboards are longer, wider and sit higher off the ground than conventional skateboards and longboards. Hamboards also turn much more than conventional skateboards. The enabling technology are the patented Hamboards Surfskate Trucks (HST), featuring 30 degrees of roll, which allows these huge boards to track and pump aggressive surf-style carving maneuvers. The patented Street Sweeper SUPskate Paddle flexes significantly, allowing the user to spring themselves along with comfort.
