Community
Surf Del Mar festival traces the city’s board-riding roots
The October 8–11 celebration connects Del Mar’s early surf history with films, music, art and conversations about coastal sustainability.
Del Mar’s surf story began with two lifeguards and a homemade wooden board decades before the sport became a defining part of the city’s coastal culture, according to original reporting by Times of San Diego.
Festival: October 8–11
Organizer: Del Mar Historical Society
Programs: Surf films, history, art, music and sustainability
An early board built for small breakers
The Del Mar Lifeguard Department’s history identifies Bob Smith and Dick Stumm as the community’s first board surfers. Times of San Diego reports that their balsa-and-redwood board stretched more than nine feet, weighed more than 80 pounds and was held together with three bolts.
The size and weight limited the board to small and medium surf. In larger swells, local swimmers gathered near the pier and entered the water from the old pump house, according to the lifeguard history.
Four days of surf culture
The inaugural Surf Del Mar Festival runs at venues across Del Mar through October 11. The official schedule includes a surfing and sustainability symposium, films, a woody-wagon parade, live music, art events and programs highlighting women whose lives have been shaped by the water.
Most events are free, but several have limited capacity and require advance registration through the organizer.
Original reporting: Times of San Diego →
Official sources: Festival schedule → · Del Mar lifeguard history →