SurfPedia™
History of Surfing
by Skip Snead
Check out
the Tom McBride Malibu
Photo Gallery from the 50's and 60's.
1950
*Californian Walter
Hoffman watches as Woody Brown rides the largest wave ever ridden
at Makaha.
*Quigg "hotcurl" finless balsa board is introduced at over
11'6" tall.
1951
*July. Malibu replaces San Onofre as the premier gathering place for
progressive surfing.
*Dale Velzy introduces his squaretail balsa model coming in at around
10'2"-plus.
1952
*Inspired by a "Quigg" pintail, California's
Dale Velzy opens up a surfboard business at the pier in Hermosa Beach.
*Californians Greg Noll, Jim Fisher and Mike Stang drop out of high
school and move to Hawaii.
1953
*November 27. America gets its first look at the extraordinary
surf found in Hawaii, as the Associated Press runs a photo of Buzzy
Trent, George Downing and Wally Froiseth riding a giant wave at Makaha.
The photo sparks a revolution as surfers from all over the country
quit their jobs and move to the Islands to surf and live off seafood.
*Bud Browne releases Hawaiian Surfing Movie and sparks a growth spurt
for the sport of surfing through the mid-50s.
*The International Surfing Championships is born.
1954
*Hobie Surfboards opens for business in Dana Point,
CA.
*Bud Browne's Hawaiian Holiday is released.
1955
*Dave Sweet "Speed" balsa board is introduced
at 9'10"-plus
1957
*November 7. Opening day at Waimea Bay on the North
Shore, as Californian Greg Noll leads a pack of hungry surfers including
Mike Stang, Pat Curren and others into the lineup at Waimea Bay for
the first time in the spots history. Although it's arguable who caught
the first wave, Noll is credited because he was the one who got everybody
psyched to paddle out the first place.
*Velzy-Jacobs "pig" is introduced at 10'6"-plus
1958
*Bruce Brown's Slippery When Wet is released.
*Surfing's first "international" surf movie, Surf Down Under,
is released.
1959
*Colombia Pictures' Gidget is released as Hollywood
capitalizes on the hot new thing that is surfing.
*Linda Benson becomes the first female surfer to ride Waimea Bay.
*Cat On A Hot Foam Board is released.
