Catch Some Wave Science, Art & Legends At California Surf Museum

OCEANSIDE, CA — Surfing is to Oceanside what Gambling is to Vegas. It may not be the only attraction but it is one of the most popular. An integral part of Oceanside's history, surfing continues to influence much of Southern California culture.

The aim of the California Surf Museum is to bring the art, music, sport and history of surfing to life through the most remarkable exhibits in the world. The museum president for the last 10 years, Jim Hempton, is a fount of knowledge about all things surfing. His own surf adventures range over 20 different countries and more years than Jim likes to admit.

A former editor and publisher of Surfer Magazine, Jim Kempton wrote Surfing the Manual, a book on the history of surfing told through the performance techniques of the world’s best surfers. Jim's second book "First We Surf, Then We Eat: Recipes From a Lifetime of Surf Travel" is available in the museum gift shop. But it's his new book about the History of Women in Surfing, that Jim is most excited about.

As we toured the museum, Jim shared stories about the exhibits and his upcoming book. "Surfing has been around for thousands of years and was an important part of the early Hawaiian lifestyle for both women and men." says Jim "Those early boards were made from Koa wood and weighed hundreds of pounds."

One of the 800 women surfers that Jim is chronicling in his book is Isabel Latham, renowned as 'the first Australian to ride a surfboard'. She gained early fame from a surfing demonstration with surf legend Duke Kahanamoku that helped launch the career of Latham.

The museum's "Expanded Timeline of Surfboards" is an impressive collection from the early history of surfing to the present day and every conceivable era of surfing. The "Riding Giants" is a jaw-dropping exhibit of big wave surfboards and photos of where they are being ridden around the world.

The "Artistry in Wood" collection is surfboards made of various exotic woods by local famous board makers. The level of detail and craftsmanship within every board is strikingly beautiful.

Of course, of all the museum exhibits over the last 30 years the one that captures the most attention is that of Bethany Hamilton. Her exhibit is called, Courageous Inspiration and features the surfboard Bethany was riding on that fateful Halloween day in 2003 when the shark attacked, the bathing suit she was wearing, the documentary Heart of a Soul Surfer, and several photographs and newspaper clippings.

While many people are familiar with Bethany's shark attack story, the other amazing part of the story is less well known. The two-piece suit that Bethany was wearing on the day of the attack was made by artist/photographer Aaron Chang who sent it to Bethany as a gift. The uncanny coincidence: the silhouetted figure on the suit is big-wave surfer Bill Hamilton, a friend and neighbor of Bethany’s, who was instrumental in catching the shark believed to be involved in the attack. Bill Hamilton is a highly regarded local, a big-wave surf legend and fisherman, and Laird Hamilton's father.

Bethany's story is one of many included in Jim's upcoming book on women surfer's. Asked what he is planning to call the book, Jim responded with another great story.

Layne Beachley, 7x World Champion surfer and chair of Surfing Australia is one of the 120 women Jim interviewed for the book. Her tongue-in-cheek idea to call the book, "The Surf's Shit, Send Out The Girls". To which Jim said "That's perfect because it sums up how women in surfing were treated for many years and the struggles they faced." Jim's book is due to be released later this summer.

There are more great exhibits at California Surf Museum than we can cover in one article. Exhibits like Wave Science about Surf Forecasting and how waves are made or Doc Ball’s Camera an ingenious invention to photograph surfers in the water.

Why not take a break in between sets, rinse the sand off your feet and go visit the California Surf Museum.

The California Surf Museum was founded in 1986 and has been in operation for three decades serving tens of thousands of annual visitors from the location at 312 Pier View Way in Oceanside. With a permanent collection comprising one of the world’s richest troves of surfing history, surfboards, surf art, memorabilia, equipment, photographs, magazines, videos, and more. The museum also offers many revolving exhibits each year.

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