A stalwart member of the PBSC competition team for decades, Phil grew up living the classic grom lifestyle and knows the local waves as well as anyone - and he's always got a big smile on his face to prove it!

Bill Caster was a legendary San Diego surfer, surfboard builder, and skateboard manufacturer. Caster's boards of all types are still highly sought after for their unique qualities and finely tuned craftsmanship.

You couldn't throw a towel down on the sand in Pacific Beach in the '90s or early '00s without seeing a Kevin Connelly surfboard within a few yards of you, and if you were lucky the man himself would be out tearing it up right in front of you, showing you how proper longboarding was done. KC began surfing as a competitive shortboarder, but after riding a circa 1959 log that weighed 26 lbs, he was hooked on longboarding and never looked back. His board shapes still command good money even though he has (mostly) retired from shaping, so if you see one in good condition, snatch it up!

Founding member of the infamous 'DGN' (Dalton Gang of Noseslingers) and now an esteemed member of the Church of Tiptime, Matt has probably spent as much time hanging 10 in PB as anyone on this list.

With his classic regular foot style, not only has Matt mastered the rights from Santa Cruz all the way to PB Point and spots further south, he is also a demon on summertime Pump House lefts, and whenever fellow inductee Billy Snyder is also in the water there is a good chance that their crossover tactics will steal the show for the day.

Tourmaline's longtime "Mayor", Levy's presence became so respected in the parking lot that even though he had given up surfing several years prior due to a nasty hand injury, none other than Skip Frye himself hand shaped him a surfboard and presented it to him on one fine summer's day at Tourmo to an adoring crowd of onlookers.

There can be no better testament to Levy's impact on the local surf scene than the giant crowd that showed up for his paddle out after he had passed on into the Great Unknown. Few people in the rich history of Pacific Beach have matched this level of respect and gratitude that Levy so rightfully earned.

Where to begin?*

• Master Surfboard Shaper
• Acknowledged Surf Style Master for SEVEN DECADES
• His wife was *this close* to becoming San Diego's mayor!

*Here is as good as anywhere:

Hehe...

Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE who has ever surfed Tourmaline has met Steve and heard his infectious laugh and most likely gained some pearls of wisdom. He's a true LOCAL TREASURE!

Co-Founder of Gordon & Smith Surfboards, AKA G&S, developed the famous FiberFlex skateboard, and created one of the most iconic surf apparel brands that was EVERYWHERE in the '70s and '80s.

"Mr. Pacific Beach", Ron is a PBSC Founding Member and was club President from 2017-2024. A consistent Top 3 finisher in many Coalition contests over the decades, including consecutive 1st Place trophies at Malibu.

"Pablo (Smith) and I belong to a very special & unique underground club!!!

There’s only a few that can say they have won two Malibu events (Call to the Wall & MSA Invitational) back to back in the same year. I did it in 2014 (one year after open heart quad bypass surgery).

If you know John you know that he could care less about this award... but don't let that stop you from voting for a guy who deserves it as much as anyone - if for no other reason than the chill exuberance he exudes that always seems to make your day better should you get to spend some time with him.

Josh's history of surfing in Pacific Beach is a long and storied one:

• Mission Bay High graduate
• Mentored as a shaper by Skip Frye
• Josh Hall Surfboards known worldwide
• PBSC President 2011-2016
• Countless trophies in Coalition contests

And most importantly, he's a really great guy!

"Hops" is one of the few people who can make the mushy Tourmaline surf look like a world class wave. Then again, he's a world class surfer and a world class dude, so who better?

A local surfing pioneer who brought his board down to the beach on his Kawasaki, a vote for Hadji is a vote for the "good ol' days":

Most, however, considered PB Point "the absolute best for us,"... As at Sunset Cliffs, access to the water off the headland wasn't easy. "You had to drive up La Jolla Boulevard and jump the curb," Hadji Hein recalls. Japanese-American farmers were growing fruits and vegetables on the bluff, and the surfers would drive through an opening in their fence and down a mud road leading south to a canyon. They'd park their jalopies there and walk the rest of the way to the beach. "There were beautiful oleander trees all along there," Hein says. The surfers would pick the blossoms, bring them home to their girlfriends, and they would make leis.

"That was the spirit we had in those days. We'd play Hawaiian music and all that sort of thing."

Is there anyone more in tune with San Diego's surfing scene and history than Eric "Bird" Huffman? Founder of Bird's Surf Shed, lead commentator at the annual OMBAC old board contest at Crystal Pier, local radio surf report guru, and connoisseur of all manner of cool old vehicles, Bird is a local treasure who also happens to tear apart the tricky wave at PB Point with the best of them. A vote for Bird is a vote for all of the good things about surfing in San Diego!

The '60s were cool in so many ways, and Mike Hynson epitomized the era to a "T".

"The Endless Summer" was just a small glimpse into a life that was every bit as far reaching as the film portrayed it to be.

There are only two surfers who have made such a mark on the local PB surf scene that they have been honored with a memorial bench by the city of San Diego. One is Larry Gordon, co-founder of famed local surf brand Gordon & Smith, and the other is Skeeter Malcolm. It's been said that nobody epitomized the spirit of aloha that lives to this day at Tourmaline Surfing Park like Skeeter did, and the bench with his name on it is all the evidence you need.

From the '90s through early 2020 there may have been nobody who logged more water time at Tourmaline than Ferdie. A "quick" session for him was two hours, and four, six, or even eight hour sessions were not unheard of, and as a result he never looked off balance or out of place on a wave. His cutbacks and footwork were smooth as butter, just like his ever present smile both in and out of the water. Any day you saw Ferdie at the beach was bound to be a good one!

California-born and bred Kassia Meador began surfing at age 14. By 17 years old, Kassia was a sponsored professional surfer traveling the world. Known for her graceful surf style, Kassia was crowned the “queen of noseriding” by the New York Times and, in 2011, ranked 2nd on the WSL women’s longboard tour.

Founder of Star Surfing Co. on Mission Blvd., Glenn opened the shop in 1979 and closed it in 2009, and they were 30 great years. Over the decades he took about 4,000 photos of his “good customers” and tacked hundreds of them on his wall. There were images of now-famous surfing stars who visited his shop when they were wiry teens, and the best board selection west of Mission Blvd.

Oh yeah, Glenn was also the founder and first president of the Pacific Beach Surf Club. How's that for some local!

The name "Sommer" has a storied history in Pacific Beach, and not just because it's an anagram for "summer". First came Bob Sommer, then his son Erik, and then another Sommer who spent her formative years polishing her longboarding skills at the Pump House almost daily. The big payoff came when she whooped everyone real good - males and females - at the inaugural Jen Smith Aloha contest in 2022 at her old stomping grounds:

Somebody once asked Mele "If surfing never came into your life, what would you be doing?", to which she replied:

"I’d probably be a less tan, more productive version of myself. Finding some other excuse to travel and make even more weird art than I do now."

Daughter of local legend and founder of Soul Grind skate shop Pablo Smith, Jen is a local treasure in her own right and a two time women's world longboard champ too, booyah!

Paul "Pablo" Smith is another local legend whose surfing history speaks for itself:

• PBSC President, 2010
• Founder of Soul Grind Skate Shop
• Top 3 Finishes in numerous Coalition contests, including:

Malibu MSA Classic, 2005 - 1st
Tourmaline Club Challenge, 2012 - 1st
Windansea Invitational, 2012 - 3rd
Malibu Call To The Wall, 2013 - 3rd
Windansea Invitational, 2013 - 1st
Tourmaline Club Challenge, 2013 - 3rd

Pumphouse Master; Good Natured Prankster; Wave Gangster; AKA: "Lightning", "Maestro", "@dontsurftourmaline"

Learnt proper from his dad.

Bobby Challenger Thomas designed, shaped and manufactured thousands upon thousands of surfboards since 1957. He was also a founding member of the Pacific Beach Surf Club and competed in numerous contests over the decades.

Bobby was a surfing pioneer, 60’s surfboard industry icon, surfing champion and a living legend. His aggressive attitude, designs, models, and higher standard of quality, coupled with his colorful Surfer advertising campaign made Challenger Surfboards of San Diego California known world wide.

To quote The Surfer's Journal:

"It’s doubtful any surfer has had a better life than Hank Warner. Since childhood, he’s had free reign of San Diego’s beaches, with some of the best surfers and board builders in the world as friends and mentors. They called him “Gremmie,” as suitable then as it is now. At 68 years old, he continues to possess a youthfulness touched only sparingly by the passage of time."

Oh yeah, and that Gordon & Smith shirt you own? He was the first to wear that logo on his back, though not on a shirt!