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The surfing world has lost an icon. Mike Hynson, best known as the co-star of Bruce’s Brown’s seminal surf film The Endless Summer, has passed away at the age of 82, as the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Born in Crescent City in 1942, Hynson grew up between Hawaii and San Diego County, on account of his U.S. Army soldier father. He quickly began to make a mark on San Diego surf culture, establishing himself as an innovative shaper, gifted surfer, and co-founder of the Windansea Surf Club with Chuck Hasley and Skip Frye.
Soon after graduating from Mission Bay High School, Hynson would expand his influence to the world stage. After filmmaker Bruce Brown cast him the “The Endless Summer,” Hynson and Robert August embarked on a tour around the world, chasing the summer from surf break to surf break. When the resulting film premiered in 1966, it was an instant smash hit that brought the sport to millions of new fans around the globe.
Hynson was also known as a trend-setting surf style icon, both in and out of the water. “He was very stylish and set incredible trends,” friend Kevin Kinnear, who was with Hynson when he died, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Hynson’s slicked back blonde hair was an instantly recognizable look that was emulated by other surfers. Meanwhile, his surfboard shapes pioneered downrail design and his “Red Fin” model spawned the “Red Fin Army” that included a host of notable surfers.
“Mike was a rock star, basically,” said Toby Ogden, son of Hynson’s partner Carol Hannigan. “He never tried to impress anyone. It just seemed like just the way he was was attractive to people. He was a rebel, a troublemaker, but at the end of the day he was a good-hearted guy.”
“He was the guy everybody wanted to be.”
No services have yet been scheduled, but a memorial a paddle-out will be held at Windansea Beach in June, on what would be Hynson’s 83rd birthday. His family has also begun a GoFundMe to help defray the financial burden of his death.
