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The Forgotten Surf Mecca of Corona del Mar; What Happened? (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 2:02 PM ET

Surf spots come and go, as the tide of history washes over them, wiping them off the map. Why? Sometimes their deaths come at the hands of man, sometimes nature.

Most notably, perhaps, was the infamous Killer Dana in Southern California. The Dana Point surf spot was once the preeminent wave in the burgeoning 1950s west coast surf scene, which could handle bigger swell than other nearby regions, but ultimately met its demise when the US Army Corps of Engineers shut down surfing and built the harbor in 1966.

But there was another Southern California surf hub before Killer Dana – one that gets less limelight, although was possibly even more influential in the early days of west coast surfing. That was Corona del Mar, prior to the current jetty extensions.

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The video above delves into that storied history of Corona del Mar surfing, dating back to the early 1900s. It’s said that Duke Kahanamoku was the first to surf the waves of what is today Big Corona, or Corona del Mar State Beach.

During one Duke’s “surfing exhibitions” in California, following his swimming gold medal in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, the godfather of surfing allegedly rode waves in Orange County. This was somewhere around 1913.

As one local paper reported at the time, per PBS: “Whenever Duke appeared with his board a great crowd gathered on the beaches to marvel at the ease with which he stood upright and rode the bucking waves as skillfully as a cowboy rides a bronco. Everywhere he was besieged with pupils anxious to learn his methods and his skill with the board is already a popular legend in a dozen great resorts."

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In 1928, the alleged “first modern surf contest” – the Pacific Coast Surf Board Championships – was held in Corona del Mar. Tom Blake, writer and surf pioneer, won.

However, CDM’s dominance in early surfing didn’t last long. Following a tragic boating accident, in which Duke reportedly saved nearly a dozen people by using his surfboard (which led to lifeguards implementing paddleboards in rescues), city officials questioned the safety of the opening at Newport Bay. By 1936, the current jetty extensions were built.

And that effectively ended Corona del Mar’s reign as California’s premier surfing destination. But it also gave rise to the Wedge. The ocean giveth, and taketh.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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