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Things to
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Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum Photos and Information
Pictured above is a Surfing Museum volunteer holding a skim board next to the Duke Shrine. On the left is a board with autographs from well known artists such as surf music great Dick Dale. Huntington Beach International Surfing
Museum contains collections of surfing memorabilia and the culture
surrounding this time honored sport believed to be imported to
Huntington Beach and California nearly a century ago. Duke
Kahanamoku, the Father of Surfing, frequented Huntington Beach,
California from Hawaii, introducing surfboards and surfing to the
local audience. The Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum is considered one of the best internationally and receives visitors from around the world. The museum is very affordable and includes rotating exhibits (one of our all-time favorites is an electric surfboard.) When visiting Huntington Beach, stop by the downtown museum just off Main Street at Olive. The shop contains great surfing items and CDs. You will not be sorry you made the effort to check it out and discover the heritage, the culture and the current vibe of surfing in California and the world. Shrine to Duke: The International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach, California, built a shrine to honor the Father of Surfing, Duke Kahanamoku. A statue which used to stand at the base of the Huntington Beach Pier has been relocated and sits inside the museum entrance, surrounded by tropical flowers. Beneath a life-size bust of Duke's smiling face is a plaque. Here is what it says: DUKE KAHANAMOKU -OLYMPIC SWIMMER, PUBLIC SERVANT, GOOD WILL
AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF HAWAII, AND CONSIDERED BY MANY TO
BE FATHER OF THE UNITED STATE SURFING MOVEMENT, IN THE EARLY 20'S,
THE DUKE SURFED UNDER THIS VERY PIER. SOME FIFTY YEARS LATER HE
RETURNED TO THIS COMMUNITY TO HELP PROMOTE THE UNITED STATES
SURFBOARD
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Natalie Kotsch, museum
founder stands with a
collection of boards
which include the
one-of-a-kind electric
surfboard.
Spanning over 100 years
of surfing history, a
scale model collection
showcases some of the significant
changes in surfboard
design from the
centuries-old hardwood
boards of the Hawaiian Islands to the
innovative balsa and
foam shapes of the
mid-20th Century.