SURFING EXHIBIT… DELRAY BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Florida’s pioneers of surfing actually date back to the 1930’s with a few Virginia Beach lifeguards who rented concession stands at the beach and demonstrated the sport of surfing using Hawaiian surfboards. A couple of native Florida guys were belly boarding in Miami Beach and a couple others scattered across the Southern part of the state. After WWII, active military bases, with service members familiar with using boards for military purposes, settled down and became surfers.
In the early sixties, when surfing began to become very popular in South Florida “Delray was the epicenter of surfing in Palm Beach County, maybe even the entire east coast of Florida” according to Palm Beach County Surf History Project Trustee David Mowry. If you wanted a surfboard in the Palm Beach County area, you had to come to Delray Beach, on Atlantic Avenue to get a surfboard.
Surfing history is actually very rich in South Florida. An entire display of vintage boards, surf memorabilia, photographs and more are on display at the Delray Historical Society Museum in Delray Beach. Special attention is paid to the local Palm Beach County Surf History Project. Vintage boards are on display as well as an original surfboard that that was made at Seacrest High School in shop class. The teacher was legendary surf pioneer Johnny Mackbird and his student was Nomad Surfboards and Surf shop owner Ron Heavyside!
Take a moment to dive in our surf culture and ride this wave into a glimpse of South Florida surfing history.
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