From sun-bleached hair to salt-crusted skin, surf culture in the ’60s and ’70s was as much about the lifestyle as it was about the waves. Beaches were alive with the thump of rock and reggae, the smell of coconut oil lingered in the air, and waxed boards leaned against beat-up vans, ready for the next swell. From early morning sessions in Hawaii to barefoot nights huddled around bonfires, these 20 vintage photos bring back the sights, sounds, and hippie spirit of surfing’s golden era in America and beyond.
1. Out of Office, Gone Surfin’
2. Surfers Ride and Duck Under a Massive Wave
3. ‘Surf Party on the Beach in the 1960s’
4. Surfers Hang Out on Longboards in Southern California, 1966
5. A Surfing Instructor Teaches the Mechanics of Surfing, 1970s
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6. Two Surfers Pictured With Fido in Laguna Beach, California, 1970
7. ‘Bondi Beach Surfers in Australia, 1963’
8. A Surfing Pair Pictured With an Old Volkswagen With Boards Strapped on Top
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9. ‘SoCal (Southern California) Surf Culture, 1964’
10. ‘My Mom and Her Surfboard’
11. Surf’s Up in California, 1970s
12. Surfer Girls Pose With Longboards That Double as a Height Chart
13. ‘My Great Grandparents Surfing in Hawaii’
14. Who Knew a Surfboard Could Fit So Perfectly in a Convertible?
15. Actor Leonard Nimoy Surfing With His Son Adam, 1970
16. ‘Surfer Girl in California, 1961’
17. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fellow Bodybuilders Pose With Surfers and Models in Venice Beach, California, 1975
18. ‘Greg Mungall, Surfer and ‘Star Wars’ Fan, Pictured at Cardiff Reef in California, 1979′
19. Magazine Clipping Featuring the 1977 US Women’s Surf Team
20. ‘Surfing at Eagle’s Point, California, 1970s’
