Carving Out Space for Surf History

Dick Metz grew up in Laguna Beach in the 1930s, learning to surf on heavy redwood boards with no fin to turn. Carving a path through the waves required dragging an arm or leg in the water. Over the years, he experienced the evolution of surfing from lightweight balsa wood boards to hollowed out designs with wine cork plugging a drain hole. After World War II, boards were made with sleek new synthetic materials, allowing more people to embrace the growing cultural phenomenon. 

Metz helped influence surf culture through his world travels from 1958-1961, riding waves in Tahiti, Australia, Africa and beyond – including places where he was likely the first to surf – which inspired friend Bruce Brown to film in locales like South Africa for his movie, “The Endless Summer.” Metz went on to run several Hobie Surf Shops in Hawaii, Florida and California as the craze was catching on. 

Fast-forward a few decades to 1976, when Peter “PT” Townend of Australia was crowned the first World Pro Champion by the International Professional Surfers. “When I was growing up as a teenager, surfing wasn’t yet a sport,” said Townend, now 73. “It was an activity. You did it, and once you caught your first wave, you were addicted.” 

Those early competitions, he said, were called “the gypsy tour” because it was about 10 guys traveling from country to country to compete in the late 1960s and ’70s. “We started going around the world and we were winning a little bit of money – enough money to get to the next one,” he recalled. “You definitely weren’t going to be buying a house or anything because of pro surfing in those days.”

It wasn’t until 2021 that surfing would become part of the Olympics. To help preserve this sport’s past, Metz founded the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, which opened in San Clemente in 2005, while Townend later became executive director of the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum with a similar mission. Both of those surf history beacons hit a milestone over the summer, each moving to bigger digs with more space to tell the sport’s story.

“I think most people don’t realize what a huge impact and influence it had on the world’s culture,” said Metz, 97. “When I started surfing in the ’30s, I don’t think there were 100 people that surfed. I mean the water was cold, we didn’t have wet suits, the boards weighed 100 pounds (and) they didn’t have a fin …. So surfing was not a popular sport. 

“But after the Second World War, new materials became available and the surfboards got lighter, they got more maneuverable, they had a fin on them … (and) wet suits came to be invented after the war. So surfing then had a lot of momentum. And the next thing we know, surfers had their own idea of their lifestyle: the clothes they wanted to wear, the music they wanted to hear. So it changed society in so many ways.”

This surf culture, a wide range of boards and more are presented at SHACC and the International Surfing Museum, which both offer free admission, although memberships are also available and come with various perks.

The Next Wave

In late July, right before the U.S. Open of Surfing commenced in Huntington Beach, the International Surfing Museum celebrated the debut of its new display area inside the city’s downtown library branch at 525 Main St., about a half mile from the city’s Surfing Walk of Fame. A full wing of the museum – a space once used as a local architect’s office before sitting empty for several years – includes installations from the collection, TV screens for showing surfing events and videos, and a gift shop. Space for special exhibits runs along a wall of the library’s main room. 

The City Council approved the use of underutilized library space back in March, requiring the museum to pay $500 per month in rent to the city; that payment also covers utilities, parking and staff support. Some residents have voiced concerns that the museum is taking up too much library space, encroaching on the reading room and forcing the Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library’s used book sale to a back room shared with the computer lab. Others view the museum’s presence as a boon, drawing visitors and potentially increasing library foot traffic.

Either way, the museum is now open at the library and the first exhibit, extending at least into the new year, focuses on the World Surf League’s 50th anniversary, with the boards and other memorabilia of 15 world champions on display. That includes Townend, Kelly Slater, John-John Florence, Olympic gold medalists Carissa Moore and Ítalo Ferreira, among others. Artwork is a big part of the museum, with accomplished artists commissioned to create paintings and other pieces inspired by each exhibit and surfing in general; all are available for purchase.

The museum moved from a tiny downtown spot – which Townend affectionately calls “the box,” just a few blocks away on Olive Avenue – effectively doubling its square footage. Some visitors come especially to see the museum while others wander over to the exhibits during a trip to check out library books.

“We had 500 people here that (opening) night,” Townend said. “And the next day, the first day of the place being open, we had 200 visitors. The old location has never had 200 visitors in one day. And already attendance and retail sales are up about twice what we were in our old location downtown.” 

Meanwhile, SHACC plans its grand opening weekend in Laguna Beach this month, starting Sept. 18 and culminating with a fundraiser gala (tickets required) from 5-10 p.m. Sept. 20 featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, live music by Donavon Frankenreiter, tributes and special presentations, and both live and silent auctions. 

Located at 239 Broadway, just a block from Main Beach, the center fills the long empty space formerly occupied by Laguna Drug store, which closed in 2019. With soaring ceilings, a giant 9- by 16-foot TV screen, a research room with surf books and magazines, a small cafe with beer, wine and light bites, a gift shop and foldaway stage for events, the 14,000-square-foot building was renovated to include plenty of bells and whistles. 

For Metz, it’s a bit of a full circle moment. As a kid, he spent endless days at Main Beach, where his dad ran a diner while he learned to surf, worked as a lifeguard and helped at the restaurant. And now SHACC is just steps away from that location. 

“I grew up on the beach and went off and lived in Hawaii and lived in Africa and all these other places,” Metz said. “But to come back to your hometown and to have this in my hometown, it really means a lot to me, and I’m delighted to have it here.” 

The center is a passion project for Metz, who sold his home in Idaho and another piece of property in Laguna to help purchase the building. A fundraising campaign is also expected to complement previous donations and proceeds from selling the center’s former building. 

Previously situated in San Clemente’s industrial area, near the offices of local surf magazines, the center is now in a prominent spot for visitors. “It’s the perfect venue for Laguna,” Metz said. “And everybody that goes to the beach really has to park inland and walk right by us to get to the beach, so that’s a real plus. And it’s for young and old.” 

The new location is also a special moment for SHACC Executive Director Jeff Alter, son of the late Hobie Alter, a pioneer of the surf industry who began shaping boards in his dad’s Laguna garage. Metz, who was friends with Hobie – and even assisted as Hobie and Gordon “Grubby” Clark worked to perfect high-density polyurethane foam for surfboards – has known Jeff Alter his entire life and he was the obvious choice to lead the center in its new location after continuing the legacy of his dad’s watersports company. 

“Coming here is just so exciting … and such a step forward,” Jeff Alter said. “It has meant a lot. And my dad, of course, started here in Laguna, so that’s a big deal.” 

To say the least, preserving surfing’s history is important to Jeff Alter. 

“If it’s not done, it would be totally lost,” he said. “It’s amazing to see a young pro surfer that is one of the best surfers in the world walk in and look at these things and act like he’s never seen a wood board before. I mean, it’s sad …. They get pretty excited to recognize, ‘Wow, this is where it all came from.’ There are surf books and publications, but you really have to work to find … what really happened. And you know, a lot of the stories that you read online or people tell are not all that accurate. We strive to make everything as accurate as we possibly can.”

Preserving the Past 

SHACC’s first rotating exhibit pays homage to the history of surfing in Hawaii. 

“When you really look at the history of it … they were the ones that popularized it,” Alter said. “I mean, they didn’t necessarily start it – no one really knows where surfing started – but they certainly popularized it. 

“And so we felt it was important, rather than do a California (exhibit) … to do it on Hawaii …. They really did learn about waves … from paddling canoes and, you know, how to surf and what swells meant. And all that came to California, where it started getting popular pretty quickly and then the large percentage of surfboard manufacturers were in this area.”

One section of the center is dedicated to special exhibits like the Hawaii display, which will rotate every few months. Meanwhile, a timeline of surfboards line the outer wall, showing how they evolved though the years and including a few shaped by Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, known as the “father of modern surfing,” who gave wave-riding demonstrations around the globe after winning a gold medal for swimming in the 1912 Olympics. The center of the room is filled with rectangular columns on wheels – also used at the Huntington Beach museum – for additional display space that can be arranged in different configurations or moved during events.

“We’ve had some great exhibits in the past and, going forward, I think they will be even better,” Alter said. “We have film, we have fashion, we have music. I mean, there’s not too many sports that a whole culture was built around …. It’s actually quite unique, if you really think about it. We’re telling all those stories as best we can in small chunks. But then, if we want … (we can really) dive into one.”

The center also has a touch screen with a map that identifies the top surf spots around the world. “So you can push Honolulu, Hawaii, and that’ll bring up the Pipeline, for example, and it’ll take you right there, a live camera at the Pipeline. Or, if there’s no waves there, you can punch Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, and bring that up,” Metz said. “So it’s really going to add to the whole dynamic.”

SHACC’s front window showcases a re-creation of Dale Velzy’s original surf shaping shack complete with authentic tools and an unfinished board. Velzy, who popularized the Malibu Chip surfboards made of light balsa wood and covered in a layer of fiberglass, began shaping boards under the Hermosa Beach Pier and eventually opened a Manhattan Beach shop in the early 1950s.

The SHACC collection started with boards that Metz had amassed for decor in the Hobie shops he operated. 

“Anybody can go out and acquire 100 old surfboards,” Metz said. “But because I was in the industry all my life, and I was older and I lived in Hawaii, I had the Hobie shops and we had the Hobie surf team – the best surfers in the world were on the Hobie surf team – I had access when they got tired of their board because we lent them boards …. so when they left or moved or gave up surfing or whatever, we would get their boards back. 

“So I had the historic boards that really told a story. We knew who made them, who shaped them, who rode them, what contests. We had pictures of them all. So it was way more than just a board …. Each board has a story to tell, and it makes it a lot more interesting than just having a bunch of old surfboards on the rack.”

Metz established a nonprofit in 1999, but it took some time to fundraise and find a building. He also became friends with surfboard collector Spencer Croul, combining their treasure trove. Metz also approached collectors of surfing posters, magazines and books, who donated these items to the cause.

“So we have every book that was ever written on surfing,” Metz said. “We have every magazine from every country …. So we’re a research center for anybody that’s writing a book or whatever it is about surfing – we’re the place to go. We’ve had people come from England, Australia, from all over, and do research right here at our library.”

Now, the world-class cultural center owns more than 500,000 surf-related objects, images and ephemera. 

“We have boxes and boxes of 35 millimeter slides that have yet to be archived,” said Alter, noting that part of the team’s job is to digitize these photos. “We also have a lot of film – 16 millimeter film, stuff that rots – so we’re just trying to preserve it. There’s so much, we don’t really have a goal of what to do with it, but just to preserve it because it’s going to go away.”

In Huntington Beach, the International Surfing Museum was opened in 1987 by real estate agent Natalie Kotsch, who was originally from Canada. While not a surfer herself, she appreciated the town’s “Surf City” lifestyle and history. Establishing the museum allowed her to share this admiration for surf culture. As she was known to say, “You don’t have to surf to love watching the sport.” While Kotsch passed away in 2014, the landmark that she started lives on, although in a new location. 

That new venue includes a bronze bust of Kotsch and a plaque dedicated to her. Outside the building, a bronze bust of Kahanamoku sits atop a cornerstone of the city’s 1914 Municipal Pier, which was demolished and replaced after damage by several storms; Townend had the two pieces fused together as an art piece for the library and museum building’s entrance. The pier cornerstone originally held a time capsule, which was opened in 1990 and contained a newspaper article about the pier dedication and a copy of the event program that included a surfing demonstration by George Freeth. 

Inside the museum, in addition to the special exhibit, are several installations from the collection. A replica red lifeguard tower covered in handwritten messages pays tribute to Eddie Aikau, a big-wave surfer and lifeguard on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Aikau, who saved more than 500 people, died in 1978 as he paddled to shore to get help for his crew when their traditional Polynesian canoe sprung a leak and capsized shortly after starting a 2,500-mile cultural expedition. His courage, selflessness and ultimate sacrifice led to the famous mantra, “Eddie Would Go.” 

The museum also features a device – which looks like an old telephone operator switchboard – used by lifeguards to communicate between towers, and a display representing Gordie’s surfboard shop, with an unfinished board atop two wooden sawhorses and historic photos of Gordon “Gordie” Duane working in the background. Duane was a well-known surfboard shaper in the 1950s, who worked out of his parents’ garage and, later, under the Huntington Beach Pier. He opened the city’s first surf shop. 

Also on display is a life-sized sculpture of comic book character Silver Surfer recently rechromed by Mel Craig, who owns a local auto retailing business. Among some of the antique wooden boards is one bearing a Newport Beach surfboard permit sticker, which used to be required. Another area highlights Simon Anderson, who developed a board with three fins. After his success in a trio of big competitions in 1981, most surfers switched to his three-fin “Thruster” setup with a wider board tail. 

“It went faster and increased the maneuverability,” Townend said. “And once that happened, you know, that changed everything.”

Townend came to live in Huntington Beach after traveling to the U.S. with the Australian surf team in the 1970s and eventually marrying a young woman from Fountain Valley (who went to school with actress Michelle Pfeiffer). After his illustrious surfing career and covering the sport for United Press International news agency, Townened worked at Surfing magazine for a decade as advertising manager and publisher before becoming marketing director for Rusty surf lifestyle brand for 10 years.

Eventually, he began serving on the board of the International Surfing Museum in the 1990s and took over as executive director in 2020 to get it ready to reopen after the pandemic. Initially, the idea of moving into a larger space was part of an effort to attract the 2028 LA Olympic surfing events to Huntington Beach. While the bid was not successful – Olympic surfing will take place at Trestles Beach in San Clemente – visitors can still enjoy the larger museum, which houses about 30% of the nonprofit’s permanent collection.

“I’m really proud of it,” Townend said. “For me, it’s a bit of a legacy move.” 

Townend will also be moving his own collection of surfing books and magazines out of storage to an upstairs space in the library. 

“I have one of the biggest private collections of printed material on the sport,” he said. “I have like every issue of Surfing Magazine, Surfer magazine, Surfing World (magazine from) Australia (and) 200 books on the sport …. You can make an appointment if you to want to find something out about surfing or surfing culture. You’ll be able to peruse … the PT Collection Library.”

He also has a couple thousand DVDs (in the process of being converted to digital files) and 6,000 vinyl records, including about 200 with old-school surf music, which will all be in the surf library along with a record player and DVD player. Events like guest speakers and movie showings will also be held in the Blue Room, a 100-seat auditorium, in the back of the building. 

And the museum organizes a surf music series with groups performing eight times a year on Sundays at Huntington Beach Pier Plaza. 

In addition to surfing museums in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, there’s a third one in the region: the California Surf Museum in Oceanside. 

“We’re all talking right now in collaboration for the (2028) Olympics so we don’t step on each other’s toes,” Townend said. “That way, we all end up doing something different, so the audience that’s going to be here can absorb surf culture at three different places.”

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