How to Celebrate California Surfing Day in Huntington Beach

As the official Surf City USA®, Huntington Beach holds a sense of responsibility to bring the joys of the sport of surfing to the rest of the world. Fortunately, we have plenty of opportunities to do so through our various certified surfing instruction programs at three of our five beaches. Catch your first wave in honor of California Surfing Day with one of these knowledgable instructors. 

The ISA's premier event, presented by Visit Huntington Beach, returns to Surf City USA for the first time since 2006. As a significant innovation to the Olympic Surfing Qualification System, the winning men's and women's National Teams at these World Surfing Games will be allocated one Olympic slot each for their respective country/National Olympic Committee (NOC). 

On September 20, the Open Men and Open Women competitions will both be going on, as well as two public FREE showings of the ISA's film "The Impossible Wave". The film follows ISA President Fernando Aguerre's 27-year-long journey to get surfing into the Olympics. Head over to Pier Plaza after checking out the surf to see the 45-minute film at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.

Open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the International Surfing Museum allows visitors and residents alike to immerse themselves in surfing history and the Surf City USA culture. It is dedicated to preserving the past, participating in the present, and influencing the future of all aspects of surfing culture worldwide. The museum houses collections of surfing memorabilia and culture including some of surfing history's most significant artifacts such as Duke Kahanamoku's surfboard and the Guinness World Records breaking World's Largest Surfboard.

Surfing Walk of Fame

On a stretch of sidewalk located next to Jack's Surfboards, Huntington Beach pays tribute to the immortals of surfing. An induction committee made up of approximately 80 international surf industry notables submits its choice for each of six categories: Surf Culture, Local Hero, Surf Pioneer, Surf Champion, Woman of the Year and Honor Roll. The Surfing Walk of Fame induction ceremony is held annually in conjunction with the US Open of Surfing competition. Past inductees include Sean Collins, Eddie Aikau, Greg Noll, Andy Irons, Tom Curren, Dick Dale and Hobie Alter.

The Surfing Walk of Fame Honor Wall at Pacific City, unveiled August 2021, includes a series of 12” x 12” brushed stainless steel placards adorned with the Surfing Wall of Fame logo and each inductee’s name and category hand-painted on them. Industry greats like Kelly Slater, who is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, and Bruce Brown, a pioneer in the surfing film business, are among those featured. There is also an exceptional 2’ x 5’ tribute to Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. The Surfing Walk of Fame Honor Wall includes all of the surf champions from the organization’s long 28-year history, including 10 Local Heroes, 14 Women of the Year, 14 Surf Pioneers, 19 Surf Culture honorees, and 14 Honor Roll inductees.

Surfers' Hall of Fame

The Surfers' Hall of Fame is located on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in front of Huntington Surf & Sport. The handprints and footprints of those who have greatly impacted surfing culture are watched over by a statue of the great Duke Kahanamoku at this famous Huntington Beach location.

California Surfing Day may not typically be a gift-centric holiday, but who says you can't grab yourself a little surf gear to commemorate the day this year? Huntington Beach's iconic surf shops are sprinkled throughout the city, some with roots dating all the way back to the 1950's. Read more about all of them here.