50 years at Huntington Beach Pier - Califorina's surfing history

In America, California has always been the epicenter of the beach contest culture.
Surfing originally came from Hawaii but in Huntington it's more than just a sport. It's a religion and a tradition, so it's also called surf city USA. Legends and pioneers made this place the biggest contest in the world over the last 50 years.

[@carldesserich8509]

Learned to surf just up the coast at the cliffs (end of Goldenwest) in '70-'71. Surfed the north and south sides of the pier for much of the '70s. Then we'd go catch a movie at The Surf Theater, or concert at The Golden Bear. So glad I'm old enough to have enjoyed it before HB was ruined with over-development.

[@bettierusso5410]

Well said, my friend. I went back this last year and did nothing but cry! Ruby's is gone, everything is gone. They have made it an androgenic nightmare of peddlers and is filthy! The bronze surfer statue was removed and even the big "HB" sign... nowhere to be seen except for the benches on the pier! It was a nightmare I couldn't have even dreamed possible of my beach! Had to go home wrecked.

[@bettierusso5410]

Having grown up there in the 70's I have to disagree with you. I don't think it was the "Dark Ages" of surfing in HB. IT WAS GREAT ! No glitz and glam, just real down to earth surfing for the joy of it. She was right in saying Mr. Toads wild ride. Shootin the pier, strips, lunch at Ruby's, long boards, boggie boards, the Golden Bear and Jack's Surf shop. No big hotels, no big camera's...just sand and water. To those of us that grew up there then, we think of it as the BEST years of surfing. I am sure each surfer feels their time was the best. That is the wonder of surfing and the salt water...it is the magic of Huntington Beach.

[@bettierusso5410]

Woops ! Was missing HB tonight and apparently just copied a post I made last year. WOW . sorry yall but I still feel the same.

[@mikehester1209]

I couldn't have said it better myself, I also grew up in Huntington Beach during that time, I went to Marina High and lived in the Harbor, Surfing was great then, and I remember all the places you mentioned, but you forgot Whippys on PCH

[@bettierusso5410]

@@mikehester1209 Hey Mike!!! I remember you...not sure you remember me though. We all just kinda knew each other in the big "surf family". My nickname🥰 was Betty Boop ( for obvious reasons at the time as my name is actually Bettie..age sucks) but I remember watching everybody surf when we weren't out there. I was never a great surfer, but my friends were and it was a wonderful life! So glad to hear from you. You were right...Whippys on PCH was GREAT! We all jogged to the beach from Edison for gym class and surf club. In those days I would crochet my string bikini in 3rd period to wear in 4th for PE and stay for surf club.! What great memories.

[@mikehester1209]

@@bettierusso5410 I absolutely remember you, I can't remember how many times us guys would say, anybody seen Betty Boob, I can't believe someone that I knew when we hung out at the Pier in the summer would catch my post, how cool, I'm living in Santa Cruz now days, it's so beautiful here, are you still in H.B.?

[@bettierusso5410]

@@mikehester1209 Darlin, I am smiling from ear to ear!! Loved hangin out and miss yall so much! I envy you living in Santa Cruz...I now live way up in Washington and have COLDDDDDDDDDDDDD beaches! No surfing here. Catch a wave for me !! God Bless & keep in touch!

[@bake547]

Blacky August and my uncle David Francey were long time friends. Got to meet Blacky at San Miguel beach Baja. Blacky and his wife were really nice to me. Never forget them.

[@mikehester1209]

I've encountered Blacky out in the line up in San Miguel, back in the early 70s, that's a killer right when it's going off, it used to be mostly Americans surfing San Miguel, but as The locals started to learn to surf, it has become like any primo surf spot, you better respect the locals at the their spot, and you better know the pecking order, I live in Santa Cruz and if you try to surf the Lane, you better know them rules, and you better know how to surf, because if the rocks and the cliffs don't get you, we will🏄🏄‍♀️🏄‍♂️ also I had a interesting thing happen when I went to San Miguel one time, I was living in Huntington Beach and I was Roofing for a living, one day I saw this guy Roofing a house and I stopped by to see if he needed any help, so he said sure, he wasn't the boss, but he was by himself and needed to get the Roof done, so he said if I knew how to Roof his boss wouldn't care if I started working on the roof without even meeting him, so I started Roofing that house that day, the other guy seen how good I was and called his boss to tell him about about me, this was on a Friday, so he said come into the office on Monday, so I decided to go to San Miguel for the weekend, I got there and it was pumping, there was about 8 guys out at the time, so while we were sitting on our boards waiting for another set to come in I started talking to one of the guys next to me, well he was from Huntington Beach as well and even crazier yet, he. turned out to be the boss of the Roofing company that hired me sight unseen, so crazy, of all the guys out there I run into the guy I'm going to. work for, what are the odds

[@outdoorfreedom9778]

I moved to HB in 63 and never gave it a lot of thought. Surfing was just something we did. The contest was just something to go watch, a couple friends competed. I was never that good at it, just a fun hobby. After high school in 66 other things in my life became important. Great video and it brought back old memories. Surf shops? I rode a Jacks with a Vardaman fin. Down the road was Hawaii. There were shops all over the area, just not down town HB.

[@bettierusso5410]

I grew up in HB in the early 70's and surfed non stop. I certianly would not call those years "Dead Years". There was still Jacks surf shop, some hot just made strips with salsa, Baby oil tans and string bikini's while we waxed our boards waiting for the perfect set. Nothing was dead in those years. Great Times to be had, and even greater memories

[@julierussell6114]

We sucked the energy from it long ago... shhhhh loved the strips!

[@blairhelsing630]

My high school (Edison) years were there '68 - '72 and Bettie I totally agree with you

[@bettierusso5410]

@@blairhelsing630 Hey Blair! I went to EDISON too. Go Chargers!!!!! You graduated my freshman year. I remember taking "0 period" at dawn in order to get out of school early to catch the good surf. Wow how I miss those days.

[@bettierusso5410]

@@julierussell6114 Julie, we sure did. Not many remember the strips. We would save our babysitting money for strips and baby oil.

[@lauleapete]

Great memories from the old days!!! The original gang from the 40's and 50's led the way..... grenache rose by the fire ring!!

[@Californiansurfer]

HB surf museum 40 anniversary OP pro. Nov to. 2022. Great displays remember those op shorts and other great memories. Enjoy..

[@0dbm]

That was excellent, thank you

[@CJurasin]

Nice vid, but you totally forgot the early '60s music of Jan and Dean and Beach Boys with their contribution to the Surfing craze.....they helped put it in the world's spotlight. I grew up back then and never heard of surfing until they brought it out in the open (even though I think only Dennis Wilson actually surfed).

[@H.B.Historian]

My Son David Jr. took the footage of the Monster Big Surf hitting the pier on Jan 18, 1988, when the End Cafe was wiped out. His shot is 50 sec. into the movie. He took a couple of hundred pictures that morning, but they used one of his less desirable shots in this movie.

[@bettierusso5410]

Yep...a part of every resident and surfer's heart went with it. Tell him thanks for taking the pics for those of us that had to move away and didn't see it actually happen. Breaks my heart.

[@onepoundpull]

I broke my first board in half trying to shoot the pier at HB in the summer of '63. The barnacles on the pilings ate me alive.

[@bettierusso5410]

been there buddy

[@lastmast]

Wish I was American. So hard to live there without being American.

[@zzyzzx8]

What an awesome place. Fantastic you remembered the old guys/gals from the first contests. One day Im gonna visit you at Surf City. My knees are wrecked but I can soak in the essence of the memories. By the way who sang the first backing track?

[@waltjisneychannel74]

So Linda benson was the first female west coast champion and also the only female in the event? ...man, she really defied the odds! 😂

[@LillianWalkerLive]

Nice to see the interviewed first US OPEN surfer interviewed I love watching the surfer on those awesome waves, are water seems to be getting bluer the last few years. This gives a nice history! Check out the tall and skinny's in Downtown Huntington Beach at my blog

[@onlythewise1]

surfs up hit the waves dudes

[@Brothabrooks27]

just was there !!!

[@bradleyshimels492]

Everyone went to Maui!

[@julierussell6114]

Home...

[@JohnnysSaloonHB]

At 0:08 what is he/she surfing on? Great visuals by the way. Also do you know if Linda Benson is still surfing?

[@onlythewise1]

there was globes of oil in the surf way back in the 1950,s

[@lancecervantes3922]

What song come on at 1:05

[@chrisgarrettmoon]

What's the surf city usa song?

[@CJurasin]

You've mixed up two titles of two different songs.... Jan and Dean did Surf City----> . kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5zFgJ6Mfap8nJI Surfin USA was the Beach Boys-----> kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3PEdGxrhJhqhdU . Both great Surfing songs, by two great groups of the early '60s.....back when music was FUN!!!

[@bettierusso5410]

The Beach Boys.... Surfin USA, Surf City, also, check out Jan & Dean. Music near & dear to all us oldies!

[@boogieheads]

Heavy local

[@freddesmet259]

Dead year's?? Did you hear that Budd? Bobby Burchell? Guy Grundy? Dwight Dunn? Bob Hurley? what are you saying PT?

[@mikehester1209]

You forgot Bobby Neshi

[@bettierusso5410]

Absolutely! No "Dead Years" there!

[@onlythewise1]

hang five only surfers knew that language

[@meski14]

pro surfing contest have ruined surfing and surf towns

[@felipeguy12345]

ads!

[@jediluke8582]

Now HB is full of a bunch of spoiled rich kids who think they are professionals and own every single wave. I met some 16 year old kid who was bragging to me about his 600 dollar wetsuit and his 1600 dollar shortboard and I showed his ass up on my 80 dollar Interface board.

[@bettierusso5410]

Awesome! Sadly it is so true though. I just went back "home" and it was mindblowing to see how horrible it is now. High Rise Hotels, Ruby's closed, Surfer statue is gone from the pier...Not even called the HB PIER..some new slogan about the community pier or some BS with gay pride flags everywhere. Have to pay $ to go to the beach??? trinket stands clutter Main & PCH so badly you can't even walk! SUCKS. I left in tears! You keep showing these snot-nosed brats how it is done, buddy!!