Our History

Founded in 1986, California Surf Museum: The First 25 Years is a brief look at where the museum started and its growth through the past 25 years, showcasing some special donations, including the popular Plastic Fantastic as see on The American Pickers.

The California Surf Museum’s history is defined by the multitudes of passionate volunteers who have given thousands of hours of time during the past 25+ years to make CSM what it is today.

The City of Oceanside has welcomed CSM by providing affordable space since 1996. People have donated amazing treasures and antique artifacts to CSM — including surfboards, trophies, magazines and more — in order to share and preserve them. 

We estimate nearly 500,000 visitors have come through our doors in those 25 years to see and read the surf lifestyle and history we are sharing — their interest and enthusiasm keeps us going.

Stuart Resor, an Encinitas resident and surfer, says “I got the idea to start preserving our surf history when I saw Woody Ekstrom walking down the beach at Grand View in Leucadia. It suddenly seemed to me that the early days of surfing were slipping behind us and if he and others were interested, we could display old surfboards and photographs for future generations to see.”