The surfing culture of the ‘50s and ‘60s is closely tied to imagery of Hawaii and Southern California, with palm tree-lined beaches, brightly colored convertibles and long piers stretching into the Pacific. Northern California’s waves, by many people’s standards, leave something to be desired.
In his book A Brief Commentary on the Hare Creek Surfers, Mick Lovett writes “One could make the argument that, with the exception of the Point Arena area, there is a far greater concentration of commendable surf in a single day, at any given three or four Southern California hot spots, than Mendocino County has in an entire year—maybe even two.”
Lovett argues that local breaks offer “too many stretches of huge, washing machine-like pounders, or erratic little wave sections arbitrarily spaced between crash and burn closeout sets.” Surfers also must contend with the frigid, rock-filled water.
This isn’t to say that you can’t ride a wave in Mendocino. In the ‘60s, a group of teens on the Mendocino Coast became known as the “Hare Creek Surfers,” a loosely organized group that surfed up and down the Mendocino coastline.
The founding members of the club included Greg Cashwell, Kent and Ray Whited, Dave Ponts, and Doug Hast. Kent took up the task of designing a club logo and sweatshirts for the crew, who hung out in a garage near Hare Creek Beach when they weren’t out on the waves.
Unlike their counterparts in more populated areas, the Hare Creek Surfers weren’t surfing alongside men and women from around the world. As a result, they weren’t regularly exposed to “real time riding techniques” and were largely influenced by surfing magazines. Each person adopted the style most comfortable to them: the graceful surfer/skier stance, the “laid-back Southern California hot-dog approach,” and the royal Hawaiian method among the popular choices.
The Hare Creek Surfers sometimes met up with other surf clubs in small competitions. In early summer 1966, the Hare Creek Surfers competed against Eureka’s North Swell Surfing Association in Shelter Cove, California, about halfway between Eureka and Fort Bragg. They camped near the runway of the Shelter Cove airport, hoping no planes would be landing that night.
During their practice run, the Hare Creek men found the water temperature much warmer than anticipated, with many riders opting out of wearing a wetsuit for the first time. In the competition the Hare Creek Surfers took three of the four top spots, with Ray Whited being awarded first place.
Averee McNear is the curator at the Kelley House Museum in Mendocino, Calif.