Santa Barbara Surfing Museum
A visit to the Santa Barbara Surf Museum is like finding a treasure chest at the end of a long, adventurous scavenger hunt. If you are a collector, this is a must-see. With vintage surf and skate nostalgia from the Santa Barbara area and more, O’Mahoney has collected such an unusual variety of art, even the most jaded will be impressed. You will be fascinated by the presentation, and consider yourself monumentally lucky if you ever make it to the rooftop. This is a museum with layers of great art, and if you have the chance to get some talk story with O’Mahoney to go along with your tour, your visit will be an experience you will never forget.
Santa Barbara Surfing Museum
16 1/2 Helena Avenue: #C
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Phone: 805-962-9048
http://www.sbsurfingmuseum.com/
Biography – James O”Mahoney – Curator
I was born in Long Beach, California on August 7, 1945 – the day after the A-bomb was dropped. Most of my earliest memories all contain beach scenes where I remember getting sunburnt to a crisp.
My first surfing experence was when I was 7 years old. My friend and I would borrow a paddleboard from someone we knew at Alamitos Bay. We would paddle to the end of the bay and carry it out and across the street to the sand at 72nd Street where we put it into the knee-high waves and surf. The hard part was carrying it back to the bay – what a Death March – but we were Kings.
I was a gremmie like all my friends. We were Surf stoked and had to pay years of dues before we were certified kooks. I was the classic gremmie who kept every surfer magazine, surf movie poster, St. Christopher medal or anything surf related. When you are baptised in the surf, it sticks.
I competed a little in 1961 but wasn’t really ready; besides we had started skiing. Skiing would fill the winters and surfing filled the summers. I started skateboarding in 1949, which translated to sidewalk surfing. I published Skateboard Magazine in 1975 and promoted most of the major skate competition up to 1979 with The United States Skateboard Association.
I started competeting in surfing in 1983 with USSA/WSA contests.
My best finishes were:
1st – 1988 Rincon Classic
1st – 1993 USSA WSA West Coast Championships
I surfed for Ireland in the 1994 Oxbow World Longboard Championships in Malibu (the oldest contestant at 49).
In 1992 I established the Santa Barbara Surfing Museum and put my life time collection on display where it is today.
James O’Mahoney – Curator
SHARE THIS POST:
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
- Click to print (Opens in new window)
4 Responses
james hello from Oregon. question for you… I have a 8’6″ ” Herbie” surfboard made in santa Barbara. I have been unable to find out anything about it. came across this website and thought I’d ask you. it was glassed with a mat glass, wood fin glassed on, and the stringer was routed into the foam(pop-out). any light you can share would be appreciated. thanks, I have great memories of the santa barbara area surfing there in the mid 60’s when I was in the navy. klooking forward to hearing from you, bob severy
Bob, I own a Herbie 9’6″ board made for me in 1965, and I have been trying to get info on mine also. Where did you buy yours, and if you bought it new, was it in Santa Barbara ? I am wondering how rare these boards are . Your letter to James is the first thing I have seen about the Herbie surf Boards on line.
Richard
Hi James,
My son who went to Brooks
Institute of Photography in SB visited your museum a few years ago and then wanted to take me to it. You were closed. Are you open during the week
or moving to new location?
Hope all is well,
Dex Hankel
James, do you still have that gary cooper hat? my wife created a men’s hat exhibit and it would be great fun to have it for the exhibit. http://www.cowboysandhatters.com
thanks and all the best!!!