Walter Hoffman, surf industry pioneer and big-wave surfer, dies at 92

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Walter Hoffman was an early-era big wave charger and board builder who helped kick-start the surf clothing industry.

Surfboard shaper, Walter Hoffman, center is inducted by Herbie Fletcher, left, during the 21st Annual International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 in Huntington Beach. Walter Hoffman, an early-era big wave charger and board builder who helped kick-start the surf clothing industry, died Tuesday, July 9, at age 92.

Dick Metz, a longtime friend and founder of the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center, first met the Hoffmans during those years when he was a lifeguard for Laguna Beach. “There weren’t shapers like now, there weren’t shops,” Metz said. “Everybody would make their own board or if you didn’t like doing it, you’d get a guy like Walter to.”

It was a time when surf innovation was thriving, with regular gatherings of the era’s innovators meeting every Wednesday at the empty lot next to Hoffman’s beachfront home, kicking around ideas after long days surfing — what emerged were creations such as Hobie Alter’s small sailing catamaran and the foam blanks for making surfboards.

Their father’s company, later renamed Hoffman California Fabrics, International, was already a big player in the textile industry, but his sons, with a love for the Hawaiian islands and surfing, would bring “their own special vision and talents” to the company.

 

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