A quintessential visage of California in the 60s. Photo: Ron Stoner/EOS
“Mike Hynson was the second-most polarizing 1960s surfer, behind Miki Dora,” claims Matt Warshaw. “He was also a gifted, innovative board designer and an immaculate craftsman. And the style sense! Off the charts. Hynson was the best-dressed surfer of the 1960s, hands down. Ray-Ban beach-casual perfection during the Endless Summer years; paisley-and-fur pimp-stoner flights of fancy by the end of the decade. His challengers never made it higher than the tops of Hynson’s calfskin-suede ankle boots.”
Hynson was born in Crescent City but grew up in Pacific Beach, San Diego. He was one of the founders of the infamous Windansea Surf Club.
His fast rise to stardom beyond surf culture came when he traveled around the world filming with Bruce Brown and Endless Summer co-star Robert August (1966).
ENDLESS SUMMER POSTER NEARLY 60 YEARS AGO…
After the international acclaim of the Endless Summer, Hynson dropped into the Orange County hippy scene.” Hynson was part of the Rainbow Bridge project on Maui, which brought Jimi Hendrix and other musicians there in 1971.
“The revolution wasn’t even televised,” Herbie Fletcher told The Surfer’s Journal some years ago. “Mike Hynson’s inspirational understanding of surfing made him one of the greats of his time. He was as responsible for surfing’s soul movement as anyone else, maybe more. He recognized that it was all about music. If you merged the cool of jazzmen like Herbie Mann, Dave Brubeck, and Jimmy Smith with the raw sweat of Ray Charles, that’s what Hynson was all about. He was hearin’ Mingus out at Backdoor where I lived in 1967. He built a shaping room next door, and we began some serious experimentation. B.K. and Tiger Espere were there, ask them. As the music started swingin’ toward Cream, Hendrix, and the Stones, Hynson shrunk the templates and dropped the rails; the mini-gun had arrived and Maui was the call. It was Mike who shaped me the first down-rail board anyone had ever seen; he coined the mini-gun and that’s that.”
The Social Media tributes are pouring in…Joel Tudor: “Thanks for letting me sit at your table throughout life!” ” You gave our surf culture its cool identity! Stoked an entire generation to chase the dream of an endless summer! Love and light to your 1st wife Melinda Merryweather , your son @mikehynsonjr Sun Mike Hynson Jr. and all the grandkids and life partner till the end Carol! Was an honor to hold your hand last night as you were preparing for the final ride…took my phone and played Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Baby” in your ear before kissing your forehead goodbye and saying I love you! Long may you ride amigo!”
Mike and Robert searching for the perfect wave…Endless Summer.
Michael Hynson 1942-2025 “Endless Summer’s Soul”
A wave breaks softly, the ocean sighs,
As we gather beneath the endless skies.
To honor a legend, bold and true,
Mike Hynson, whose spirit forever flew
Born of the sea, its salt in his veins,
He danced on waves, unbound by chains.
From Banzai Pipeline to shores unknown,
He chased the horizon, his soul windblown
In “The Endless Summer,” he found his fame,
A pioneer surfer, an immortal name.
With Bruce Brown’s lens, the world would see,
The art of the wave, wild and free.
A craftsman too, with boards in his hand,
He shaped the tools that surfers demand.
The “red fin” rode with speed and grace,
His vision etched in every trace.
The Windansea Surf Club, his lasting mark,
A tribe of souls ignited his spark.
Together they shared the ocean’s call,
A brotherhood bound by the rise and fall.
Rebel, creator, artist, and sage,
A life well-lived, a story on every page.
Through foam and spray, he made his stand,
A timeless figure on shifting sand.
Now the waves call softly, the tide runs deep,
The ocean cradles him in eternal sleep.
But his legacy rolls with the endless sea,
A beacon of courage and artistry.
Ride on, dear Mike, in the waters above,
Where the surf is pure, and the air is love.
Your endless summer will never wane,
In hearts and waves, you’ll ride again..
—poem by Alex Mecl
—photo by Kevin Kinnear
