February 25, 2026

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NEXT WEEK!

Wednesday, March 4

Sounds & Swells

presented by Art of Elan

Doors open 6:15pm

Concert 7:00-8:30pm

Art of Elan’s popular “Sounds & Swells” series returns to the California Surf Museum with newly commissioned surfing footage created by Jimmy Wilson and others that showcases the natural beauty of the California coastline and its epic “swells” that attract visitors from all around the world. Videography and live classical music are synced in this engaging series that features the Hausmann Quartet. A perfect venue for this event — not to be missed!

Click here for more information and to buy your tickets now — available online only.

• General admission: $28.52

• California Surf Museum Members and Students: $12.51

(Another reason to join CSM today!)

Museum Month continues through this Saturday!

Museum Month makes it simple — and affordable — to explore the region’s vibrant landscape of art, culture, history, science, nature and more. This is a program that offers an opportunity to enjoy half-price museum admission at more than 70 museums, including the California Surf Museum, in San Diego County and Tijuana during the month of February.

Starting February 1, pick up a Museum Month pass at any San Diego City or County Public Library, or download a digital pass to your mobile device. Present your pass for half-price admission for up to four people. 

The program includes a wide range of institutions, including not just museums, but also aquariums, gardens, historic sites, state parks and more. For a full list of this year’s participating locations and details, click here to access the San Diego Museum Council’s Museum Month website.

NEW EXHIBITS IN FEBRUARY!



Surfriding: Hawaiian Royalty’s Gift to the World

How a Princess, three Princes, a Duke and a Hawaiian Royal Minister’s grandson introduced surfing around the globe

Although the English explorers had been awed by the Polynesian sport of surfing, the act of stand-up wave-riding remained solely in the Pacific Islands until more than a century later.

But starting in 1885, in the thirty years from just before the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy till just after the 1912 Summer Olympics, surfing was introduced around the world.

A Princess, three Princes, a Duke and a Hawaiian Royal Minister’s grandson would be the stately stars who initiated stand-up surfriding to Europe, Australia and the United States. Their introduction to surfing would change the world.

The surfboards in this exhibit are exact replicas of the surfboards the princes took out in the foreign waves on three continents. Painstakingly recreated by Santa Cruz master surfboard shaper Bob Pearson, these rare wood beauties represent a living piece of history. 

Click here to read more.

40 Years and Counting!

Celebrating the California Surf Museum!

From this . . .


Do you remember this? Jane Schmauss, owner of George's Restaurant in Encinitas with the first display of the California Surf Museum at George’s.

. . . to this!

Five moves and six locations later, the California Surf Museum moved into its current location, shown here in designer Louise Balma’s rendering.

In February 1986, with a growing sense that surfing history was being lost and deserved to be saved and celebrated, a small group of like-minded people gathered at George’s Restaurant on Coast Highway in Encinitas. They would comprise the Museum’s founding Board of Directors — a mix of men and women, surfers and non-surfers, connected by an avid interest in surfing and a desire to collect its history for the enjoyment of generations to come. The group included the restaurant owner, Jane Schmauss, along with Mike Cates, June Chocheles, Don Fine, Steve George, Kevin Kinnear, Parry Payne, Stuart Resor, Ian Urquhart, and Catherine Woolsey. 

After many months of organizing, Encinitas businessman Paul Rotsheck offered the fledgling Museum rent-free space in his newly built Moonlight Plaza, on the corner of Encinitas Boulevard and South Coast Highway. Here, the museum mounted its first official exhibit, “Surfing: Trestles to Tourmaline,” which had its grand opening on Sept. 28, 1988.

Five moves and six locations later, the California Surf Museum’s history is defined by the multitudes of passionate volunteers who have given thousands of hours of time during the past 40 years to make the California Surf Museum what it is today. 

Wednesday, May 13

Surfer’s Code:

The Stories Behind a Life-Changing Book


with author Shaun Tomson

$10 General Admission

Free for California Surf Museum members

Doors open at 6pm

Presentation begins about 6:30pm

Seating is limited —

be sure to RSVP! 760-721-6876

Author Shaun Tomson returns to the California Surf Museum for what is sure to be another sold out event! Be sure to RSVP and purchase your tickets! Click here for more information. Books will be available. Paperback 0$19.99

SAVE THE DATE

The 3rd Annual Silver Skater Fundraiser

will be July 18 from 3-8pm!

This event has sold out the first two years, so if you would like to attend, be sure to get your tickets early when they become available. Look for announcements on surfmuseum.org Upcoming Events and on California Surf Museum’s Facebook and Instagram.

2026 Silver Skater Honorees

• Kathy Bomeisler: 1970s skated for Logan Earth Ski; consistent top 3 finisher in contests
• Curt Lindgren: the first to master an early version of the Kick Flip; member of California Freeform team; fantastic freestyler
• Nathan Pratt: original Dog Town member
• Steve Sherman: G&S team member; slalom and pool rider
• Lance Smith: surfer, skater, photographer; involved with skateboarding since 1975
• Mike Williams: 1970s top slalom racer at La Costa; co-founder of the Gullwing Truck

See videos of interviews with previous honorees on California Surf Museum’s YouTube.

Exhibit Hall Admission

Adults: $10

Seniors (62+), Military, Students: $8

Kids 11 and under: Free

CSM Members: Free

Not a California Surf Museum Member? Need to renew your membership?

Click to join or renew today!

Get free admission to the Exhibit Hall and reduced rates on most events!

Membership rates will be increasing April 15, 2026.

The California Surf Museum Exhibit Hall is Open

10am-4pm Daily

NOW ON EXHIBIT

Click here to read about these exhibits online.

• Surfriding: Hawaiian Royalty’s Gift to the World
• California Surf Museum Celebrates 40 Years of Waves, Stories and People!
• Wave Science: Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)
• A Brief History of Surfboards: from Wood to Foam and Fiberglass and on to Space-Age components
• Courageous Inspiration: Bethany Hamilton
• Making Waves: Jack and Reid Van Wagoner
• Bodysurfing: Fins and Handplanes

Be sure to check out surfmuseum.org!

There’s always lots to see!

Click here to see past issues of the California Surf Museum’s newsletter OUTSIDE! going back to 2007! We still have more to upload.

Take a look around past events in the Event Archive.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!

And don’t forgot to follow the California Surf Museum on YouTube! Lots to see there too! Including videos from past events and the very popular “Jan and Dean Sidewalk Surfin’” video.

Shop the California Surf Museum Store!

Our Museum Store is stocked up with lots of unique merchandise both in store and online! Click here to shop online (California Surf Museum members: be sure to call in your order to get your 10% discount on California Surf Museum-branded store merchandise).

Remember, memberships always make great gifts -- click here -- or click here to renew your membership today! Besides 10% off on California Surf Museum-branded store merchandise, members get free admission to our exhibit hall, and free or reduced admission to our Big Wednesdays and other in-house events.

Already a member? Be sure to share the stoke by sharing your guest passes with your friends and family!

Mission Statement

The California Surf Museum serves 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.