Thursday, September 3, 2026

Question: Santa Cruz is often called the birthplace of surfing on the U.S. mainland. Who first rode the waves there in the summer of 1885?

Answer: Three Hawaiian princes: David Kawānanakoa, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, and Edward Keliʻiahonui. While studying at St. Matthew’s Hall, a military school in San Mateo, they visited Santa Cruz during a summer vacation. There, they fashioned surfboards from local redwood, reportedly weighing more than 100 pounds, and rode them at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. Their 1885 outing is widely recognized as the introduction of surfing to the U.S. mainland.