I had found my way into the California Surf Museum while searching for a book that was out of stock everywhere else.
Coming off of the 5 Freeway, I found the building quickly – just up the block from the pier in downtown Oceanside.
Not only did I find the title I was looking for, but on a stroll through the museum was greeted with a host of surf-related treasures that made me step back and ask, “This is here?”
Founded in 1986, the California Surf Museum initially occupied an alcove within an Encinitas restaurant, comprised of just a few surfboards and surf-collectibles on display, before finding space in nearby Moonlight Plaza, where it hosted its first exhibit and celebrated its grand opening in September 1988.
After a few more moves – to Pacific Beach in 1989, a space across from the Oceanside Pier in 1991, and a corner on Oceanside’s stretch of the PCH in 1997, the museum moved into its current location up the street from the Oceanside Pier in 2009, at 312 Pier View Way.
From their website, the California Surf Museum claims that its mission is to “… serve as an international repository and resource center on the lifestyle sport of surfing by capturing, preserving, and chronicling its art, culture, and heritage for the education and enjoyment of current and future generations.”
That the museum is achieving its goal is immediately evident upon entering through the museum, which hosts a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits.
Many visitors are surprised when, after paying for admission, they turn the first corner and jump – finding themselves face-to-face with the surfboard Bethany Hamilton rode when she was attacked by a shark in 2003.
Besides that, the museum is chock-full of less macabre surf artifacts.
One exhibit, the “Expanded Timeline of Surfboards” contains craft dating from the 19th century all the way to the present day.
Hundred-year-old wooden paipos give way to hollow-bodied, Tom Blake -era kookboxes, hot curls, balsa-wood cruisers, a Bob McTavish shape, a Steve Lis Fish, a Liddle displacement hull, glossy 80s thrusters, and even boards once belonging to Andy Irons and Stephanie Gilmore – both with the original wax still on them.
A selection of current exhibits includes the science of wave energy, the evolution of the Morey Boogie Board, and an exhibit entitled “Stars, Cars, and Guitars”, which chronicles how surfing became popularized in media from 1958 to 1965.
The doors of the museum open into the reception area and gift shop; the gift shop, containing the usual men’s and women’s apparel, mugs, license plate covers, and other knick-knacks, also holds all the historical surf literature a reader could want.
Want a history of the Pacific Coast Highway? You’ll find it. 60s surf music? Yup. Books on women surfers, surfing in the 70s, and guides to surfing and camping in California? All there.
In the front reception area is also where you will find the admissions desk. The cost for admissions are:
$7 for adults
$5 for students and military
Free for seniors (62+) and children 11 and under.
Renewable memberships are also offered at the museum, which come with benefits such as guest passes and discounted access to events.
Events range from film screenings and book signings to presentations, award ceremonies, and even a golf tournament exclusively for members.
If you find yourself looking for something to do while driving through Oceanside, the ease of access, low price of admission, and the extensive, interesting display at the California Surf Museum makes an enticing attraction for a surfer with an afternoon to spare.
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