California Surf Museum

Very informative museum and surf enthusiasts will LOVE this place.
Admission is $ 5 per adult and $ 3 per student /​military with ID /​seniors (62+).
The California Surfer Museum (CSM) was established in 1986 and it showcases both feature exhibits (e.g. Going Big: Riding Giants Around the World) and permanent exhibits (e.g. A Brief History of Surfboards, Courageous Inspiration: Bethany Hamilton and her Shark-​Bitten Surfboard, the Secret Spot, and Where’s the Surf? Find Your Swell Direction with CDIP).
My favorite parts about this museum are various pictures of huge waves, typical hot spots to catch some of monster waves (e.g. Nazaré [Portugal], Dungeons [Hout Bay, South Africa], Maverick’s [Bay Area, California], Jaws [Pe’ahi, Hawaii], etc), the Secret Spot (a mural painting of ocean wave), and evolution of surf boards.
A good stop to check out if you have about one hour of spare time.

I wouldn’t have known about this GNARLY place if it wasn’t for Unilocal.
My friends and I went because I had won 2 tickets from a Unilocal Coffee Hour. We found the museum easily and scored free street parking around the block! Regular admission is a mere $ 5 to view a series of Wood boards to modern day Foam and Fiberglass versions. The resident surfer took us on a tour and pointed out the «Secret Spot» where he humored us and took our photo with about 10 cameras! We learned about hydrodynamics and how technology is used to guage wave height and direction. Very cool!
Besides the boards hanging from the ceiling, there were boards along the walls. I took a photo of Duke Kahanamoku’s board and the rescue board for Eddie Aikau of «Eddie Would Go» fame. Another famous board belonged to Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer) who survived the shark attack. The chunk of board that the shark got is alarming!
Go check out this humble museum and look for the buoy which saved the world! Kawabunga, Dude!

What a great place to learn the history of California surfing. This museum is kept open by donations so make sure you make a good donation. The place is clean and well put together.
The employees who may be volunteers are very helpful and friendly. Especially the older guy who paid extra attention to the young ladies that were there. The size of the museum is a little small because they have a lot of stuff and it looks like they are adding more stuff like skateboards. They have tons of old pics from all over like Hawaii, Portugal and some other exotic places.
This is definitely a cool little spot for a date if both people like surfing. Oh and they have a small gift store in the front. Please donate so this museum can stay open.

Kowabunga Dude! This place is AWESOME! You’ve go to visit this museum to see the history of surfing/​SUP/​skateboarding. It is a true gem! There is a LOT to read so I’m not sure how long a young child could hang in for this but seeing the surfboards and watching the video interviews of surfing and famous surfers will keep them busy for a little bit. We don’t have young children but a training service dog so we had all the time in the world to read! Love this place!
P. S. The bathroom is unisex and EXTREMELY CLEAN. Just FYI.

Even as one who has never surfed (unfortunately), I have a lot of interest and admiration for the sport. The California Surf Museum is a great part of California beach culture, located on Oceanside. The exhibits are intersting, informative, and easy to understand and the people at the museum are extremely friendly and knowledgable. Highly Recommend!

This is a terrific display of surfing history, personalities and equipment. I was greeted by Tara the director as I entered and had a cordial chat with her. Museum is organized very effectively and there is a really good surf store there also. As a beginner I found numerous info brochures and could talk to the museum staff there also. Don’t miss this museum if you are in Oceanside! Highly recommended!

Very cool museum in downtown O. History of surfing at it’s finest. So many cool old photos and many different specimens of boards, boggie boards, etc.
Very cheap entrance fees and a cute little gift shop. Well worth the entry fee and buy a little something in the gift shop all proceeds go to a non profit

This has been on my to-​do list for a long time. As someone who admires the sport but doesn’t have the temerity to throw myself against the waves, a surf museum is a brilliant idea. And they do their work skillfully. Given such a small space there might be temptation for them to stretch a few paltry exhibits or artifacts across the wall and call it a day. But the space is crammed with all kinds of landmark pieces of surf history. There’s boards, old and new, some commemorating huge personalities in the surf world, and others honoring technological advances. Most prominent was a massive redwood board that looks better suited to a construction site than the side of a wave. Another highlight was the Bethany Hamilton corner, showing the life and tenacity of a young girl who lost an appendage to a shark attack, but resumed competitive surfing shortly after leaving the hospital. The board — shark bite and all — is there for gawking. At $ 5 a pop ($ 3 if you’re a student of almost any kind, though they do not discount admission if you are a «student of the universe») this is an easy day trip. Cruise up or down the 101, soak up some history, see how the sport has changed in tangible, touchable ways, and conclude with a meal at the nearby Colima’s, and beer at any number of breweries occupying plots in and near Oceanside.

What a gem!
I recently went with my family to the California Surf Museum to check out the current exhibit on body surfing. Comprehensive and interesting, the exhibit did not disappoint! There were also several other sections about surfing: a history of the surfboard, a blurb about the «American Pickers» visit, and the actual surfboard that Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer, Amazing Race) was riding when the shark attacked.
Like most museum gift shops, this one is full of fun souvenirs/​gifts for tourists and locals alike. Friendly staff and well-​priced entrance fee. The location is great if you want to walk to the beach or a restaurant after. Highly recommend.

If you are interested in learning about Southern California Beach culture this museum is a MUST!!! The volunteers and staff are friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. It has the entire history of surfing.

Great staff/​volunteers. Awesome exhibit on San Onfre’s surfing past that my son loved. Feel like it was an awesome deal to learn a great part of our surfing history.
Also, we loved all of the memorabilia and artifacts. Great eye candy for us water based people!

I am not a surfer at all but it was neat to see the evolution of the surfboard. Highlights were seeing «Wilson» from the Castaway movie and the Bethany Hamilton exhibit.

You’ll spend more time here than you think you will… even if you’re not a surfer or have little interest in surfing. I talked my GF into going and by the time we left she wanted to learn to surf!
They had 3 exhibits when we visited, all pretty good.
WindanSea Surf Club exhibit: Cool history of one of the greatest surf clubs with lots of memorabilia. Great surfing video! Lot’s of press clippings and collectibles, but not a very dynamic presentation.
Bethany Hamilton exhibit: actual surf board that she was attacked on and interesting video of her career and post-​attack life. A little short on exhibit material — but that’s probably because she’s still so young. She is an amazing young lady — in or out of the water!
History of surf boards exhibit: a large, interesting display on the development of surf boards. This is a permanent exhibit and could use a little jazzing up. Some of the little changes that are documented are so slight as to be dulling to the senses after halfway through. Also, if they’re going to talk about skeg evolution they should at least display the boards with the bottom side showing so we don’t have to crawl around to see the differences.
There wasn’t much about surfing in the rest of California, especially one would think there would be sections on Huntington Beach (Surf City USA??). Trestles, Rincon and Mavericks, amongst others. Also missing was a section on great Californian surfers. (Since it is a relatively small museum perhaps they had to store some stuff for the large WindanSea exhibit?)
The gift shop has a surprisingly wide variety of items and the staff was very friendly, welcoming and helpful. All in all, a nice way to kill 1 – 2 hours — needs more but a solid 3.5 stars.

Place is pretty cool. Shows some pretty cool surf boards that i would call historical surf boards. some of the greats very first wooden boards are here. Have the Bethany Hamilton board also on display from her shark attack.
They also have the first down hill racing skateboards there also.
All in all for 8dollars for me and my son it was pretty awesome. I would say if u are in town for a vacay for a few days why not. This is what visiting places and experience their culture is all about.

One of a kind museum, covering surf and skate culture like no other. The surf board genesis exhibit walks you through surf history, wrapping with current boards and the Bethany board with the massive shark bite.
The «Need for Speed» skate exhibit is truly unique — featuring a touchable history of killer skate hardware. Remember those Tracker trucks and your first set of eurathane Cadillac wheels? You’ll find it all at the CSM.

This is a little special piece of Oceanside that I adore! To be honest I am not into surfing at all but I do have respect for the sport. After seeing an episode on The American Pickers I wanted to come here even more! They donated a surf board and I want to see it in person!
Admission is $ 3 military/​student $ 5 Regular
Free on Tuesdays!
I went on a Tuesday and the customer service was off the charts! She greeted with kindness and shared some insight about the museum. As I walked around you could feel the history and story that was behind every board. There are some really special boards in here (I wont spoil it for you) You just have to come see for yourself!
They even had skateboards, Roller Skates, and other unique pieces. The bathroom is even decked out with memorabilia and photos! The best part was I did get to see that board from the show and got the story behind it :)
Don’t forget to stop in the gift shop! I purchased two items myself and there is a small donation box if you want to donate any change or bills!
So if you don’t know now you know you have to stop in here! It is one of the best things about Oceanside that makes it a great place to visit or live in!

Truly enjoyed the California Surf Museum as one of California’s treasures. Loved the merchandise, Bethany Hamilton exhibit, and passion by the staff :) Every Tuesday is free, but regular admission is a mere $ 5.

What a great little museum. We walked by and notice Cheri Hamilton was signing her book Raising a Soul Surfer, mother of Bethany Hamilton. What a great surprise to meet such an inspirational mother. Back to the museum, they had some great pictures of Oceanside, great history on surf boards and the surf board collection is amazing. The staff was very friendly and great little gift shop. Cool stuff.

Not only a great museum, but also a killer gift shop. The friendliest staff around. It won’t take you long to walk through and it is worth the price.
Take the time to visit!

There really is an overwhelming sense of Ohana at The California Surf Museum!
One of legendary Shaun Tomson’s Surfer’s Codes is that, «I will realize that all surfers are joined by one ocean.» For only $ 3/​day or $ 25/​year you can get a chance to visit a place that shows how waves and water can become family.
The location is well worth the ½ hour drive up from downtown SD or down from the OC. The minute you walk in the door you are warmly greeted by one of the staff members who will explain history and layout of the museum, answer any questions you might have, and encourage you to explore and ask further questions.
As you proceed to the left you are presented with the history of surfing, from Hawaii and SoCal’s earliest pioneers to the 20^th & 21^st century hallmarks of Duke, Bruce, Gerry, Mark, Tom, and, of course, Kelly! Here one can gain a comprehensive insight into the venerated lineage and continuous pursuit of excellence in surfing. There’s also an impressive collection of early wooden surfboards that weigh 60+ pounds! I dare you to try paddling out to the lineup at Swamis on one of these!
To the back of the Museum, if you look close enough, you might find the «Secret Spot» which will give you a greater admiration of the juxtaposition between community, art and surfing.
As you proceed to the right you will find the constantly changing exhibits, which, during our visit, housed the history of skateboarding. OK, so now I am beginning to feel a bit mature– the wooden Hobie skateboards that my brother and I use to ride were freaking on display here (placing head between legs…)!!!
As you exit, you will find the Museum’s large and awesome gift shop with amazing prices. Is there a Holiday coming up? Whatcha Gonna Get Me!!!
Most of all, The California Surf Museum also honors another one of Shaun’s Surfer’s Codes, «I will pass on my stoke to a non-​surfer» and this place really DOES just that!!!