Thirteen individuals and two organizations joined the ranks of local surfing royalty during a San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 7 at San Diego Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club.

Hank Warner was the master of ceremonies for the Class of 2023, which included Bill Bahne, Tim Bessell, Joey Buran, Pat Curren (in memoriam), Mike Diffenderfer (in memoriam), Jeff Divine, Don Hansen, Dempsey Holder (in memoriam), Richard Kenvin, Julie Klein, Taylor Knox, Don Okey (in memoriam), Hank Warner, Pacific Beach Surf Club, and Pacific Beach Surf Shop.

“We created the San Diego Surf Film Festival in 2012 and every year we dedicated one of the awards to significant figures in our surf and film world,” said Pierce Kavanagh, director of Misfit Pictures representing San Diego Surf Festival and San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame. “The award ceremonies were comprised of family members in the audience with a heartfelt presentation to the recipient.

“In 2015, we gave tribute to our first living legend, Skip Frye, and everything changed. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place and it gave us the sense of urgency to celebrate these amazing folks while they are all still with us. Most of them you can still find in the lineup. We just completed our latest induction ceremony and are already excitedly planning the next one.”

Local surfers and shapers inducted into the San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame stand tall among a growing list of legends of the sport. The origin of surfing can be traced to Polynesia and the 12th century with cave paintings depicting people riding waves. In the course of seafaring, Polynesians brought surfing to Hawaii and the sport eventually went world-wide.

The most famous surf pioneer, Duke Kahanamoku born in 1890, was a talented swimmer who competed in the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912 winning the 100-meter freestyle contest. After his success, he traveled worldwide introducing surfing in all regions where the conditions made it possible including Australia and California.

Here are the Class of ’23 Surfing Hall of Famers reacting to their induction:

“My jaw hit the floor. How exciting,” said Ron Greene, representing Pacific Beach Surf Club. “The energy, the atmosphere, and stoke during the HOF ceremony were infectious. Every inductee contributed something special in their acceptance speeches, most of which were unscripted and from the heart – sad, tearful, and yet amusing.”

Added Greene: “Randy Strunk, the proprietor of PB Surf Shop, struck a chord while giving his acceptance speech. He made me want to get up on stage like a good football coach who motivates his team to get out on that field and give my unscripted from-the-heart spiel. I did, I survived and boy did I have fun while doing it.”

“PB Surf Shop just celebrated 60 years of stoke, serving the PB surf community, and I just celebrated 30 years of ownership,” said Randy Strunk. “I am beyond honored to carry the torch of Pacific Beach Surf Shop and over the top that we are only the second surf shop to be inducted into the San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame. To go in at the same time with the Pacific Beach Surf Club, who I have a history with as a past vice president and competitive surf team coordinator, and Hank Warner is just icing and made it a PB sweep.

“In my speech, I had to give thanks to Larry Gordon who gifted me the name and logo to carry on the tradition. And to Bill Andrews, the long-time manager from the ’60s and ’70s who I knew so well since we were both Shores guys. He always pulled for us. Our motto at the shop is, “There is more to surfing than riding waves” and by that I mean as a business we are representing our community of Pacific Beach and looking for ways to give back.”

“The San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame is an awesome thing and a great way to recognize the best of San Diego’s rich surfing history,” said Joey Buran. “The list of inductees is full of amazing history, unique and colorful characters, and a link of multiple generations of surfing greatness for our region.

“I was inducted primarily for my surfing career but also holding elements for other contributions. I was the first truly successful pro surfer to arise out of California. I was considered a trailblazer. I have been a Christian minister for over 35 years since retiring from pro surfing in 1987. All of this year’s inductees were amazing and are well deserving of the recognition they received.”

“What an honor it is to be inducted, San Diego has a rich history in the world surfing community,” said board shaper Tim Bessell of La Jolla. “Many of the top surfboard builders to surfers have come from Southern California. My ‘endless summer’ journey started at age 9. I shaped my first surfboard in 1970. I got my first job at Sunset Surfboards sanding and shaping three years later. I visited the North Shore of Oahu in the winter of 1975 right out of high school.

“At age 18, I started working at Lightning Bolt Surfboards. I also worked with Billy Caster known for making the highest-quality surfboards in the world. Now over 50 years and 50,000 boards later, I have been honored to sit in the lineup with this elite group. The future of the surf industry is bright. Stay young keep surfing.”

SURFING SAN DIEGO

Even before Duke Kahanamoku came to San Diego in 1916 to give a surfing demonstration, there was George Freeth, whose use of the surfboard as a means for ocean rescues in the early 1900s helped change people’s attitudes about being in the ocean.

Another San Diego surfing pioneer, Woody Brown, a world champion glider pilot instrumental in creating Torrey Pines Glider Port, used his knowledge of airplane wing dynamics to shape his boards. Brown became part of a group of local surfers known as the “Plank Boys” because of their huge surfboards. Brown pioneered new surfboard designs helping make surfboards more stable and maneuverable.

In the early 1950s Bob Simmons, trained as an aeronautical engineer, started to combine fiberglass with balsawood and foam, paving the way for a revolution in surfboard weight and design. Surfing’s accessibility took a huge leap forward with the creation of the foam surfboard. One of the companies at the forefront of this evolution was Gordon and Smith in Pacific Beach. In 1958, Larry Gordon and his surfing buddy Floyd Smith developed a process for making surfboards of polyurethane foam in their garage. Soon after, the pair opened Gordon & Smith Surfboards, and demand for their boards quickly spread beyond San Diego.

SAN DIEGO SURFING HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023
Hank Warner was the master of ceremonies for the Class of 2023, which included Bill Bahne, Tim Bessell, Joey Buran, Pat Curren (in memoriam), Mike Diffenderfer (in memoriam), Jeff Divine, Don Hansen, Dempsey Holder (in memoriam), Richard Kenvin, Julie Klein, Taylor Knox, Don Okey (in memoriam), Hank Warner, Pacific Beach Surf Club, and Pacific Beach Surf Shop.

SAN DIEGO SURFING HOF MEMBERS

Debbie Beacham, Linda Benson, Bill Caster, Ron Church, Judy Dibble, Dale Dobson, Phil Edwards, Carl Ekstrom, Jack “Woody” Ekstrom, Skip Frye, Larry Gordon, Chuck Hasley, John Holly, Mike Hynson, Tom Keck, Steve Lis, Mitch of Mitch’s Surf Shop in La Jolla, Tom Ortner, Chris O’Rourke, Roy Porello, Rusty Preisendorfer, LJ Richards, Jim “Mouse” Robb, Joe Roper, Peter St. Pierre, Swami’s Surfing Association, Donald Takayama, Butch Van Artsdalen and Windansea Surf Club.

Among the inaugural list of San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame inductees in August 2019 were:

: • Skip Frye (from Pacific Beach known for his pro surf career and iconic boards.)

• Mike Hynson (from Pacific Beach who co-starred in the 1966 hit “The Endless Summer” and surfboard design guru.)

• Butch Van Artsdalen (from La Jolla, a pioneering surfer who took on 25-foot waves in Hawaii to garner the title “Mr. Pipeline.”)

• Tom Ortner (La Jolla resident and an icon in the Windansea beach community.)

• Carl Ekstrom (from La Jolla, developed the first asymmetrical boards in the late 1960s.)

• Larry Gordon (a fixture in the board-making community from the 1960s until his death in 2016.)

• John Holly (veteran Ocean Beach surfer and board shaper.)

• Chuck Hasley (founder of the Windansea Surf Club of La Jolla.)

• Windansea Surf Club (legendary surf club known for boasting some of the best-known surfing names.)
• Surfboard craftsman Hank Warner