Legendary local surfer and board shaper Mike Hynson, who died on Jan. 10 at age 82, will always be remembered for his ingenuity in trailblazing surfing and surfboard design.

He is survived by his partner of 24 years, Carol Hannigan; a son, Michael Hynson Jr.; and four grandchildren, Miley, Meilani, Miles, and Mikah.

The charismatic wave rider was known for his stylish approach to the sport, and for co-starring in Bruce Brown’s 1966 film “The Endless Summer.”

In that cult classic, Hynson traveled the world with a colleague searching for new surf spots and the “perfect wave.” They finally found it in South Africa, after introducing locals to the sport along the way. The film’s title comes from the notion that, if one had enough time and money, it would be possible to follow the summer up and down the world, northern to southern hemisphere and back, making it endless.

Hynson grew up moving between Hawaii and Southern California, eventually settling in Pacific Beach. He developed his surfing talent quickly becoming one of the region’s most skillful riders. In 1961, on his first trip to Hawaii, Hynson was among the first surfers to ride the challenging Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore.

Two years later, filmmaker Bruce Brown invited Hynson to join Robert August on a global surf trip for what would become “The Endless Summer.” The film was a landmark moment in surf culture, as Hynson’s graceful ride at Cape St. Francis in South Africa remains one of the most iconic scenes in surfing history.

Those who knew Hyson said he was not only a generational surfing talent but a one-of-a-kind human being. Here’s what they had to say:

Haley Ogden, Hyson’s stepdaughter, said her stepdad was forgiving. “One thing about Mike, he never held onto anything, didn’t hold onto a grudge,” she said. “We would get in a dumb little argument … and he would just go onto the next thing and he’d just be over it.”

Ogden added there was an agelessness about Hynson. “He was just super jovial, very young,” she noted adding, “It was almost like his body was too old for his mind. He was humble and wouldn’t voluntarily talk about himself. There was a shy side to him, but he did love attention. He was a really good storyteller, but you had to get him going. You felt like you were living that experience with him.”

“One thing I can say about Mike Hynson is that for all his fame and life history, I found him to be extremely humble, and a good listener, and he had a fantastic sense of humor,” said Robert Wald, editor/publisher of The Ocean Magazine. “Whenever we talked we could always fit in a good laugh or three. What more can you ask of another person?”

Herbie Fletcher recounted “endlessly” surfing with Hynson. “My fondest memories of Mike were the 1960s,” he said. “We surfed a lot together at Blacks and Huntington Beach and up and down the California coast. In ’67 and ’68, Mike and Melinda (Merryweather) moved next door to me in Hawaii at Off-The-Wall where we surfed and talked surfing and design creating a whole new way of tube riding, sharing boards, and watching each other surf.

“Surfing was changing then. We had the greatest time. He loved experimenting with surfboards, and so did I. I joined him and Melinda on Maui when they produced the film ‘Rainbow Bridge’ with Jimi Hendrix. Great times – he’s got soul.”

“Rainbow Bridge” is a 1971 film directed by Chuck Wein centering on the late 1960s counterculture on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

La Jolla surfer and board shaper Tim Bessell knew Hyson from childhood on. “He was one of the biggest influences of my life,” he said. “He was an outstanding human being and one of the most creative surfboard shapers and surfers. He is responsible for the shape and maneuverability of the modern shortboard. It was a paradigm shift. He changed the whole game. He also starred in the most influential surf movie of all time, which is still a classic.”

“He was the most interesting person in surfing,” said his ex-wife Melinda Merryweather. “He changed surfing by his board and fin designs. He was the most creative, inventive, most handsome, best-dressed surfer.”

Merryweather noted Hynson was also one of the first skateboarders. She added Hynson also went about doing research for his revolutionary surfboard designs in an unconventional way.

“We went to SeaWorld and we talked to the guy who took care of the dolphins there, and it took a little coaxing, he (caretaker) pulled this dolphin out so Michael could take pictures of the dolphin’s fin to create the first surfboard that had foil in it.”

Some of Hynson’s designs are in a collection of historic surfboards being featured in “La Jolla Surf: Culture, Art, Craft,” an exhibition of local surf culture to be held from Feb. 8 to May 25 at La Jolla Historical Society at 780 Prospect St.

“Mike invented several breakthroughs including the down rail surfboard design,” said exhibit curator John Durant. “He invented the biomorphic (nature-like) surfboard fin. One or two of his red-fin models are now collector’s items. You can expect to pay well over four figures for them – if you can find them.”

A paddle-out in Hynson’s honor is planned on his birthday, June 28, at Windansea. RIP Mike Hynson. may your summer be endless.