Suncoast Surf Shop Shop started back in 1966 when no other surf shops existed in the St. Petersburg, Florida area. Owner Joe was going to be an airplane mechanic, only they sent him home to get a haircut, never to return, hence the new job, surf shop owner. Suncoast started with $300, a few surfboards, […]
Florida Pros Revel in Man-Made Sandy Slabs
While digging through some old surf mags in the museum storage I came across this amazing find- the program from the 1st Annual Jaycees Surferama in 1965 -which evolved into the Easter Surf Festival. Check it out- a lot of the early pioneers that have been largely forgotten are featured along with early surfboards brands […]
Never before in print- a firsthand account of when two surfing legends rode Sebastian Inlet for the first time… Article by Jack “Murf the Surf” Murphey It was impossible to paddle out at any of the beaches. A tremendous storm had stalled in the Atlantic 300 miles east of the Central Florida Coastline. Waves were […]
If you surfed Pensacola Beach in the 70’s this was a typical winter pattern, especially if you had no… Posted by Tom Hutson on Monday, September 3, 2018
Story by Tom Warnke, Executive Director-Palm Beach County Surfing History Project/Surfing Florida Museum Ron Heavyside passed away this Saturday, April 14th. He had been quite well recently, but this week he had stomach pain and was admitted to Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach. The exact cause of his passing is unknown and additional […]
This video from Surfer Magazine depicts how efforts to save the famous wave ultimately caused it’s demise. The History of Sebastian Inlet's First Peak For nearly 40 years, Sebastian Inlet's freak wedge groomed some of the world's most radical surfers. Ten years after its death, its importance has never been more clear. This is the […]
Enjoy this video from Mitch Kaufmann featuring great longboard surfing from Yancey Spencer, Bill McMillan, Doug Deal and others- including a special appearance by Surf Bob!
This 10 minute film features Curtis Byrd discussing The Melbourne Beach Surf Club’s early years beginning around 1979. In 1983, as part of Founder’s Day, The Pineapple Surf Contest was born. Lots of great photos. Produced by Will Lucas – surf64.com – in 2013 as part of the Movies In The Park Series. Remastered in […]
Video by Mitch Kaufmann Quote from Bill’s obituary April 24th, 2012: RIP William Hixon, 68, surf pioneer, appraiser later in life by John F. Morrison Philadelphia Daily News Bill Hixon was a legend in the rarefied world of Florida surfing, where intrepid young people relish tropical storms and other coastal upheavals that send normal people […]
Published on Apr 3, 2016 Swells of Interest documents 7 years of hurricane and tropical storm surf in East Central Florida. Filmed, edited, and produced by Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, PhD. Storm narrations by Mike Watson of Surfline and Bill McMillen. Thank you to my Sister, Suzanne Wehrell for playing Detective “Sandy Beach”. Thanks to all the […]
We received this classic photo from Tom Hutson- a lifelong Pensacola surfer : “This is Hutson Hardware and Surf Shop in Pensacola. This was after my grandparents sold their hardware store to Mr. and Mrs. Waters (pictured here), who eventually changed it to a hardware and surf shop. I’m guessing this photo was taken in […]
by Bob Freeman October, 1967 Canaveral Shoals… A small group of us were hanging out at Canaveral Jetties and discussing what the waves might be like out around the Cape. We all knew those beaches were off-limits. Then someone mentioned that on really big days that waves break several miles out where the outer […]
feature photo courtesy of Tom Dugan/ESM Most Florida surf spots are are just variations of your standard beach break- mostly distinguishable from one another by the fluctuations of swell, tide and wind. Some distinguish themselves from others due to subtle variations in bottom topography. Fewer still have achieved mythical status that often doesn’t hold up […]
Bob Freeman’s Surfing Memories (bobfreemansurf.com) 1966 Not having a car really sucked. Back then I lived in the old Gateway apartments in Cape Canaveral, so I mostly surfed the Cheri Down area. Weekends I would make the long beach walk to Canaveral Pier to surf there for the day. One Saturday morning, the surf was big […]
Video by Diana Wehrell-Grabowski Footage of surf during the Hurricane Bertha Swell. Shot at four different locations in central Florida during two weekends. The swell from Hurricane Bertha was ideal for longboarders. Central Florida surfers were treated with waves from Hurricane Bertha for two weekends in a row. Background music provided by the Aquanuts, a […]
Excerpt from Pete Dooley’s video “It Was Better Back Then”.
From 1968. This was the Surfboards Hawaii shop, owned by Che Sharp. It later became the Oceanside Surf Shop. The building is still there in south Cocoa Beach. That’s Sam Gornto entering the shop. Here’s a price list from the Surfboards Hawaii shop from about that time:
The Canaveral Pier is likely the most iconic surf spot in Florida along with Sebastian Inlet. Built in 1962, right when the surfing craze hit Florida, it immediately became a focal point for east coast surfing. The structure concentrated sand around it which amplified and groomed the often meager swell, contributing to Cocoa Beach’s reputation as the “Small Wave Capital of the World”.
