rss feedSanta Cruz, Calif. dispatch: Freedom on the water – a visit to the Surfing Museum
Those who have visited Santa Cruz, Calif. must have asked – at one point - a simple question about this coastal city: Exactly what type of place is this?
Years ago, I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz. But I’m still asking – in the most respectful sense.
In this city perched on the northern end of Monterey Bay, people are keenly aware of the environment, the arts, organic food, liberal-progressive causes and the taqueria, Tacos Moreno.
People throughout Northern California flock to the century-old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Jello Biafra, who became famous as the lead singer of the punk band the Dead Kennedys, studied at my alma mater, which is home to The Grateful Dead Archive. Students remain concerned about accountability.
This spring, for the first time in about 45 years, the school held a business plan competition with cash prizes for students.
And among those who love the creative freedom are the surfers, the board riders who enjoy movement in and on the chilly Pacific Ocean.
Paris has its Pompidou. New York City has its Whitney. And San Francisco has its MOMA.
But Santa Cruz has its Surfing Museum – which organizers say is the first of its kind in the world.
Amen.
I’ll quote directly from the museum’s Web site because I couldn’t have said it better:
Surfing is much more than a sport; it is truly a culture unto itself. Those who ride waves share a deep connection to the ocean that can only be forged over hours spent bobbing in the swell, patiently waiting for the set to roll in, and then working furiously to catch and ride the awesome power of tons of water rushing toward the shore.
Sheltered in a lighthouse on West Cliff Drive, the museum features vintage and modern boards, clothing and historic and contemporary images of young people facing rip curls.
This place has such a unique history that Paris Hilton once modeled a replica of the Santa Cruz Surfing Club t-shirt on the cover of Elle, museum organizers noted on their Web site.
The Cold Water Classic, a competition, is still held each November in this Surf City.
More importantly, as museum organizers said, it highlights an apparent first in surfing history on the U.S. mainland.
As the story goes, three Hawaiian princes attended school in California. In 1885, at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, near what is now the Boardwalk, they rode boards – just as they did in Hawaii.
In 1938, Duke Kahanamoku, who has been called the father of international surfing, arrived in Santa Cruz for a popular water event.
I’ve included a slideshow of my visit to the museum just to share what I consider to be a fascinating part of U.S. history. I know not everyone can visit in person.
While I was there, I noticed Vietnamese-speaking tourists, a large group of motorcycle riders clad in black leather as well as men practicing martial art movements.
People who had signed the museum guest book said they were from England and Germany.
When I studied at Santa Cruz, I remember one night before a final exam.
A full moon peered down on the Monterey Bay, its reflection bouncing off the water.
From our dorms perched on a hill, my friends and I realized the calming, peaceful sight before us. But our exam loomed. We continued to study.
Later, I heard that one student in the class - in the true Santa Cruz spirit – grabbed his surfboard and drove to the Pacific Ocean to take advantage of the moonlight and dark sky.
Apparently, midnight surfing is such an experience with nature that for him, it trumped the next day’s test.
I never asked him how he did on that exam.
But I’m sure that the time in the cold water and under the round moon made an impression.
