Oregon Surfing

North Coast

Surfing culture began in Portland, Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Pacific City in the early 1960s. Influenced by surf music and a few California surfers, a handful of skin divers and adolescent boys yearned to engage in the sport. In the beginning, surfing was illegal along the beachfronts of Seaside and Cannon Beach. Answering the siren call, locals took to the beaches, while others from around Oregon, Washington, and California found their way to isolated spots along the Northern Oregon coast. The early surfers were not intimidated by their lack of knowledge, poor equipment, or the unpredictable waves. Instead, surfing caught on in the cold waters of Oregon. Experience the early days of Oregon surfing through the pioneer surfers' stories and vintage photographs.