Surfing's origins can be traced to Polynesian kings in the 1800s. Hawaiian royalty rode twelve-foot surfboards called Olo's. Olo's were carved out of Koa trees and weighed in excess of seventy pounds. After the missionaries arrived in Hawaii they declared surfing forbidden because it was too hedonistic. Duke Kahanamoku and the Beach Boys of Waikiki revived surfing in the early 1900's. Duke, an Olympic Gold Medal Champion swimmer, became surfing's most famous ambassador by performing surfing exhibitions worldwide.

For many American's, surfing seemed exotic. Gidget was the first film to expose surfing to the public-at-large, but it was Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer that motivated future surfers worldwide to take up the sport.

By the late 1960s, shapers like Renny Yater began tinkering with board design to increase maneuverability. Longboards quickly fell out of favor and the "shortboard revolution" began. Early shortboards were three feet shorter and ten pounds lighter. Montecito native George Greenough was a leading figure in designing, testing and perfecting shortboards, including hydrodynamic fins based on bluefin tuna. The new designs allowed surfers to get closer to the curl, aggressively cutting back and forth along the wave and tube-riding for the first time.

In the 1980s Santa Barbara's Tom Curren became embraced by the mass media. Tom gained prominence by winning the juniors division of the World Amateur Surfing Championships in 1980. His performance set new benchmarks for his generation, influencing future surfers for years. Tom's style, described as explosive yet elegant, exhibited a natural connection with the ocean. Curren's many titles include World Championships in 1985, 1986, and 1990.

Kim Mearig, Tom's junior high classmate, also found success as the 1983 Women's World Champion. Curren, Mearig, and Davey Smith (who's aerial and floater maneuvers inspired Al Merrick to develop new surfboard designs), all rode Channel Island's surfboards. Established in 1969, Channel Islands Surfboards rose to prominence along with the success of Curren, and has been a leading surfboard manufacturer ever since.