“By the sea, by the sea,
by the beautiful sea,
you and I, you and I, oh, how happy we’ll be!”
Lyrics by Harold Atteridge Music by Harry Carroll (1914)
“Let’s go surfin’ now, everybody’s learning how…”
Surfin’ Safari by the Beachboys (1962)
“If everybody had an ocean
across the U.S.A
then everybody’d be surfin’
like Californi-a
…all over La Jolla…Surfin’ U.S.A.”
Surfin’ U.S.A. By the Beachboys (1963)
Since 1963, The Mighty WindanSea Surf Club has “dedicated itself to promoting excellence in our ocean and community, preserving, protecting and respecting WindanSea’s past, protecting the ocean and coastal environments, fostering a positive image of surfers locally and globally (through) charity work and competition and supporting our youth for a brighter future.” (Note that the mission statement mentions “ocean” twice for good reason: no ocean, no surfing.)
In the Beginning
Over 60 years ago club co-founders Chuck Hasley, Bill Caster, Mike Hyson and Pacific Beach board shaping icon Skip Frye wanted to enter a surf contest in Malibu, CA, but could only enter as an official organization; thusly, arising from the singular ambition of four surfers a multi-generational organization was born, today numbering 300+ board riding members.
The club gained a non-profit status in 1965 and immediately began their legendary charity and outreach work: exposing at-risk and underprivileged kids to the joys of surfing, or, simply guiding their first time entry into the water. Ranging from surfing competitions to beach cleanups, the WindanSea Surf Club has maintained the spirit of their purposeful mission statement.
Chip Hasley, former club president and son of co-founder Chuck Hasley, told the Insiders “There are a lot of mythic attribution to the surfing culture.” Chip pointed out that surf music, especially the Beach Boys’ pioneering contributions, were notably crafted by a popular group of non-surfers, save one. He went on to expose crooner Frankie Avalon, the star of several 1960s beach movies as another surfing pretender: “He’s from Philadelphia!” What DID the surfers of the 60s listen to? Hasley revealed that it was “Mostly jazz.” Huh?
Surfer Girls Break the Glass Wave
In a nod to gender equality, the organization’s 2024 president is Marnie Cheney, a 4th generation club member; the second female president after groundbreaker Tifani Swink, who served as the club’s chief executive in 2007.
Insiders Note: Have a listen to the accompanying audio recorded in 2013 celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary featuring Chip Hasley who, at the time of the interview was serving as club vice-president, then later was elected president and today acts as community relations ambassador.
