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Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum Photos and Information

 
Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum   411 Olive Avenue  Huntington Beach, Calif, (714) 960-3483

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. 

Surfing has taken off and grown into a multi-billion dollar sports industry with products, competitions and clothing. There are over 50 surfing competitions each year in Huntington Beach, plus a Surfing Walk of Fame, Surfers' Hall of Fame and public art honoring surfing.

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
CHAMPIONSHIPS. FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS UNTIL HIS DEATH, THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE DEDICATED IN HONOR OF THIS  MAN'S GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE SPORT OF SURFING. THE CITIZENS OF HUNTINGTON BEACH HAVE ERECTED THIS MONUMENT AS A TRIBUTE TO THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPION SURFERS. THE IMAGE HE CREATED, THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIR PLAY, AND GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP HE ADVOCATED SHOULD BE  PRESERVED FOR ALL TIME. ALTHOUGH MORTAL MAN HAS LOST THIS RARE HUMAN BEING, HE WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FOR HIS LOVE.  ALOHA

natalie.jpgNatalie 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.