On August 13, Mike Hynson will be one of three people inducted into the San Diego Surf Hall of Fame. Photo: Encyclopedia of Surfing
When I was told about the San Diego Surfing Hall Of Fame’s first induction ceremony on August 13th, I immediately thought, “Isn’t there already a Surfing Hall of Fame in San Diego?”
Apparently not.
Pierce Kavanagh, the man behind the San Diego Surf Film Festival, felt the need to celebrate San Diego’s surfing icons while many are still available to be celebrated. The roots of the surfing tree runs deep in San Diego and a few of the original pioneers of modern surfing still reside in our county.
“The time is now,” says Kavanagh. “These are the heroes of our sport, most long past their days in the limelight as pros, but still are guiding lights to many of us. I wanted to honor them for all generations of San Diego surfers. The future generations need to know who they are and how they impacted surfers all over the globe.”
Three of the inductees being honored are legends of the highest order, bordering on myth: Phil Edwards, Skip Frye, and Michael Hynson. The genesis of modern surfing style can arguably be directly attributed to these three men.
Phil Edwards is surfing royalty, credited as the first to surf the Banzai Pipeline, the first to have a pro-model surfboard, and even the first “professional” surfer, by definition. Edwards became one of the most emulated and admired surfers of all-time with his smooth style, powerful surfing and quiet demeanor. While he hasn’t been in the public eye for decades, his presence is still felt and talked about frequently by those who know his true impact on surfing.
Skip Frye and Michael Hynson were just a couple of grommets from Pacific Beach when they started to emulate Edwards’ surfing. They even created a slogan they would embroider on their surf trunks: P.O.P.E.- Protege of Phil Edwards. While more than a little cocky, the young surfers went on to become two of the most admired surfers in the world. Hynson would star in the iconic surf movie, “The Endless Summer,” and Frye would go on to be one of the top competitive surfers, a style icon, and a world-renown surfboard craftsman whose boards are among the most coveted. Tom Curren, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox and Joel Tudor have all been on the waiting list for a Frye.
On August 13, the public will get to see these surfers in one place, for a rare special evening of story, laughs and honor.
Fowlling are the San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame’s first list of inductees:
Phil Edwards
Skip Frye
Mike Hynson
Linda Benson
Tom Keck
Butch Van Artsdalen
Bill Caster
Tom Ortner
Ron Church
Carl Ekstrom
Larry Gordon
LJ Richards
John Holly
Chuck Hasley
Windansea Surf Club
Master of Ceremonies: Hank Warner
Tickets: $30 Advanced / $32 Day of Show / $53 Reserved
Doors/Awards/Music: 6:00/7:00/9:00p.m.
Ages: 21+
