Full Circles

As the Paris 2024 Olympics comes to a close, Surfrider’s founder Glenn Hening reflects on a sunny day at the Los Angeles Coliseum four decades ago.

“A friend and I were watching the 1984 Olympic Games, from the very top row,” Hening explained. “There we were, looking down at one of the most beautiful examples of human behavior, initiative, spirit, and community. Our thought was, How do we do something in surfing that is as bitchen' as all of this?”

That moment provided the spark that would ignite a chain of conversations and events that would lead to the establishment of the Surfrider Foundation. The original idea was to shake up the status quo by asking the question, “How do you take the selfish out of surfing?” 

“From our top-row seats, we had an extraordinary view,” Hening said. “Here are the Olympics, but we could also see South Central LA. The first thing that came to mind was to roll up to Trestles with a busload of inner-city kids and say, ‘We’d like to go surfing. It looks like fun; can we have fun too?’”

Less than a month after that day in the Coliseum, Surfrider’s Articles of Incorporation were filed with the State of California, signed by Hening as President. On October 12 of that same year, the newly-minted nonprofit celebrated its first victory when Hening and crew prevented alterations to the beach at Malibu’s First Point. The group presented solutions to California State Park officials at a public hearing, and won. Since then, the Foundation has celebrated over 900 more victories to date.

From L to R: Surfrider's Founders Glenn Hening, Lance Carson, and Tom Pratte

A First Full Circle

From the very beginning, Hening believed that Surfrider could change surfing by sharing it with individuals that were as far, both physically and metaphorically, from the ocean as possible.

Today, Surfrider Los Angeles’ One Watershed program implements this concept, making his dream a reality. The initiative brings disadvantaged youth from across Los Angeles County to the beach for surf lessons, fun, and awareness about watershed conservation. With Surfrider marking its 40th anniversary on August 22, an interesting full circle is completed from the moment in the Coliseum to the expansion of the program.

The story begins back in 1991 when a proposal emerged to build four jetties between Topanga and Big Rock in Malibu. Following construction of the jetties, 15,000 truckloads of sand would be hauled in. The majority of homeowners along the beach loved the idea of an ample beachfront. However, two homeowners who very much opposed the project contacted Hening for help to stand up to the developers.

After getting a copy of the blueprint and seeing the magnitude of the project, Hening had an idea: “The house lots were represented by small squares along the shoreline. I colored each one with a different color to add scale. Then I colored the jetties in black with orange trim, so that they would look as ugly as possible. Finally, I put some nice light blue waves where the ocean was,” Hening said.

On the evening of the public hearing at Malibu’s City Council, Hening arrived early with his modified blueprint in hand. While surveying the meeting space, he noticed an empty spot on the wall alongside the American flag, where he taped up his colorful creation.

“When everybody stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, they turned to the flag and saw the project. Suddenly the entire room realized what was at stake. It was no longer some abstract idea of a wider beach for homeowners. It was like – that’s the project?”

Early Macintosh graphics created by Glenn Hening and Tom Pratte made it possible for State Parks officials to plainly see the consequences of their decisions and for the Surfrider Foundation to outline an alternate plan to protect the shape of Malibu's perfect wave.

When Hening was given three minutes to speak, he simply stated, “Well, take a look at the project on the wall. Is that what you want?” He then pointed out the senselessness of the project from a coastal stewardship perspective; it would take only one powerful winter swell to wash away whatever sand was added. He concluded that the downcoast effects of the project would likely impact the quality of the wave at Topanga, which would cause an uproar among the surf community. Needless to say, Hening’s knowledge and confidence completely shut down the proponents of the project, and the council voted unanimously against it. 

Fast forward to 2024. One of the project’s opponents made a generous donation to Surfrider in recognition of Hening’s assistance in halting the development. When contacted about the donation, Hening said that the money should go directly to Surfrider Los Angeles’ One Watershed program because it instills a sense of belonging for participants, given that the beach belongs to everyone, regardless of who you are, where you come from, or how you identify yourself. 

To use Hening’s words, “In that way, it takes us back to the founding idea we had sitting in the top row at the Coliseum. It was a nice circle.”

Sharing the Stoke of Surfing

When asked about the future, Hening hopes that surfing’s collective consciousness continues to evolve. As important as it is to address issues of water pollution, it’s even more important to address polluted behavior by those in the water.

Getting more people in the ocean is a good first step. But because of toxic attitudes in the lineup, Hening also encourages surfers to ask themselves, “What do you think the ocean thinks of you?” Taking that question to heart is the key to creating an environment that fosters more justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in 2024 and beyond.

Hening is so committed to this idea that he co-founded a second nonprofit organization, the Groundswell Society, alongside Jericho Poppler and Matt Meyerson with the goal of “sharing the stoke of surfing.”

The Society currently organizes the Rincon Invitational, now in its 25th year, with surfing organizations being invited in recognition for their public service and community-building efforts. Each year, 100% of the net proceeds from the event goes to funding a variety of scholarships for students in Southern California.

Hening taking a break from his duties as playground monitor to enjoy a perfect wave shot taken during the 2017 Rincon Invitational.

A Second Full Circle

Although Hening regularly surfs the challenging waves near home in Oxnard Shores, he is no stranger to every wave up and down the California coast. When asked what his favorite LA County break is, his answer is straightforward, “Wherever the most people are having the most fun,” he said with a smile.

What about his best wave ever in LA County? Hening vividly remembers a day fifty years ago at State Beach at the foot of Santa Monica Canyon: “It was evening glass-off. The way the swell was coming in, it was really lining up. A set came in, a buddy of mine said, ‘Go Glenn! Don't think; just go!’ So I took off, came off the bottom, and up into it. The whole thing just tubed right over me. I can still remember the echo and the vision inside the wave.”

The view inside the tube was so profound and imprinted in Hening’s memory that graphic artist David Moeller was able to recreate that mental snapshot when he designed Surfrider’s original logo, a version of which the Foundation uses today. “Another full circle,” Hening laughed.

When asked for some final thoughts about Surfrider’s 40th anniversary, Hening said, “It’s been a wonderful and overwhelming feeling to know that so many people have done so much to make Surfrider what it is today. Although we did the heavy lifting to start the Foundation 40 years ago, Surfrider’s current success is thanks to all those members, volunteers, donors, and staff and their dedication to Surfrider’s mission.”